Drag Illustrated Issue 151, December 2019 | Page 10

LETTER from the EDITOR Wes Buck Founder & Editorial Director 660.988.2313 wes@dragillustrated.com Scott Dorman Publisher 615.478.5275 scott@dragillustrated.com Mike Carpenter Design & Production Director 704.737.2299 mike@dragillustrated.com Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief 440.986.1480 nate@dragillustrated.com Nancy Koeppen Chief Operating Officer 573.552.5551 nancy@dragillustrated.com Will Mandell Senior Sales Executive 615.426.0465 will@dragillustrated.com T his issue marks our fifth go-round with the 30 Under 30 list, our showcase of 30 young drag racers who we believe did big things in 2019 and will continue to carry the sport into the future. In a time where there are endless ways for young people to spend their time and money, with rising costs presenting barriers at every step of the way, we feel it’s important to celebrate these future champions and leaders as they take bounding steps forward. The 30 Under 30 list is a massive, all-hands-on- deck effort, starting with the nomination process, which gathered over 2,000 nomination forms sent in from readers around the world. Our editorial team works a list of 75 strong candidates down to the final 30. The writers then get to work, calling or meeting with each honoree to learn their story before condensing years of experiences and ac- complishments into a few-hundred-word story. Our roster of photographers put faces to the names, ar- ranging photoshoots and diving into their archives to gather images of all 30 honorees. We flip-flopped between a few different can- didates for the cover of this 30 Under 30 issue as the season progressed. A pair of 24-year-olds, Austin Prock and Jordan Vandergriff, were waging a compelling battle for Rookie of the Year honors in NHRA Top Fuel, bringing a breath of fresh air to the class. But away from the TV cameras and photogra- phers’ flashes, two young bracket racers were put- ting on a clinic at two of the biggest races in bracket racing history. When 19-year-old Gage Burch (30 Under 30 Class of 2016) won the SFG 500 driving 24-year-old Matt Dadas’ ’84 Ford Ranger in June, the duo be- came prime candidates for the cover. When Dadas nearly repeated the feat two months later in the final round of the Fall Fling 500K, he made the cover decision an obvious one. As a 24-year-old who long ago grew tired of hearing about how drag racing is an aging, dying sport, I’ve always taken a ton of pride in working on this issue and sharing the stories of the young people who dedicate a large portion of their time to drag racing pursuits. But this year’s 30 Under 30 cover story project was especially meaningful. We enlisted 24-year-old photographer Cole Rokosky (30 Under 30 Class of 2018) to shoot Dadas and Burch for the cover. We did the shoot at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, a track where Dadas, Rokosky and I grew up going to the races, each in different capaci- ties. The project felt like a true embodiment of the whole idea behind the 30 Under 30 issue. As you flip through the following pages, you’ll likely see some familiar faces. Several honorees are veritable stars, regularly seen soaking up the limelight on TV, in winner’s circle photos and in DRAG ILLUSTRATED features. Others are appear- ing on the pages of this magazine for the first time in recognition of their efforts behind the scenes. Either way, I guarantee this isn’t the last you’ll see of the 30 honorees on these pages. DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief 10 | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com Feel free to email me at nate@dragillustrated.com and follow me at facebook.com/nitronate1320 and nitronate1320 on Instagram and Twitter. JT Hudson Sales Executive 660.341.0063 jt@dragillustrated.com Van Abernethy Senior Staff Writer & Field Subscription Sales 828.302.0356 van@dragillustrated.com Josh Hachat Editor-at-Large 660.988.2313 josh@dragillustrated.com Caroline Fox Customer Service / Office Manager 660.988.2313 caroline@dragillustrated.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Ian Tocher, Ainsley Jacobs, Kelly Wade, Bobby Bennett, Brandon W. Mudd, Tommy D’Aprile, Will Hanna, Sadie Glenn PHOTO DEPARTMENT: John Fore III, Van Abernethy, Rick Belden, Tara Bowker, Shawn Crose, Jason Dunn, Paul Grant, Chris Graves, Ron Lewis, Will McDougle, Joe McHugh, Gary Nastase, Mark J. Rebilas, Roger Richards, Cole Rokosky, Chris Sears, Jason Sharp, James Sisk, Ian Tocher ADVERTISING SALES: 615.478.5275 SUBSCRIPTIONS & CUSTOMER SERVICE: 660.988.2313 customerservice@dragillustrated.com DRAG ILLUSTRATED MEDIA, LLC 902 Kings Road, Kirksville, MO 63501 P: 660.988.2313 F: 660.665.1636 www.dragillustrated.com Copyright © 2019 by Drag Illustrated Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Drag Illustrated is a registered trademark of Drag Illustrated Media, LLC. Printed and mailed by Royle Printing in Sun Prairie, WI. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own, and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. Issue 151