Drag Illustrated Issue 158, July 2020 | Page 8
LETTER from the EDITOR
As this year’s
State of Drag Issue
approached, the
Drag Illustrated
editorial team labored
over what topics to cover in
our annual temperature check of
the sport. With the effects of the
COVID-19 public health crisis still
impacting the sport in major ways
some four months after it basically
shut down the industry, there were
plenty of related topics to consider.
And while the negative effects
of the pandemic are certainly covered
in this issue, we chose to focus
on promoters, organizations and
racers who aren’t letting the CO-
VID-19 situation define their 2020
season. On the individual side, promoters like Chris
Graves and his Pro Mod vs. Fuel Altered Showdown
and Justin Keith and Chase Lautenbach’s Street
Car Takeover are putting on a show and giving
enthusiasts a place to race. As far as series go, PDRA
and NMCA are two of the groups who are making
the best of the situation and fighting on despite the
challenges from state and local government officials.
Thanks to folks like these, drag racing is alive and
well in the age of the coronavirus.
It’s safe to say that just about everyone is growing
tired of reading about this nasty virus, so we
also have major features on trends in drag racing
that have nothing to do with the issue. Senior Editor
Josh Hachat spoke with a handful of veritable
doorslammer racing veterans from different classes
to talk about the evolution of drag racing’s most
Nate Van Wagnen
Editor-in-Chief
popular door car classes. For my
feature on the centrifugal supercharger
movement, I talked to
several stakeholders involved
in putting centrifugal blower
brands like ProCharger and
Vortech at the top of qualifying
sheets and into winner’s circles
in classes ranging from PDRA
Pro Boost to NHRA Top Dragster.
It also touches on ProCharger’s
effort to gain admittance to the
ultimate Pro Mod club, NHRA
Pro Mod, which finally kicks off
its 2020 season this month.
As you might notice, the cover
of this issue was photographed
at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison,
Colorado, where the Bandimere
family has been fighting for their right to
continue conducting business as the only active
dragstrip in the Denver area. We’re closely following
their fight, on the track and in court, and you can
rest assured we’ll have much more on this topic
in the August issue as the court case is resolved.
I speak for the whole DI team when I say that
Bandimere Speedway is a very special place to us.
We’ve spent a week of our summers there for the
past three years putting on the Drag Illustrated
World Series of Pro Mod, and we couldn’t imagine
not getting the chance to return for the DI Main
Event in September. More importantly, we couldn’t
imagine missing the opportunity to work with our
friends, the Bandimere family and their incredible
team. We stand with Bandimere Speedway.
Feel free to email me at nate@dragillustrated.com
and follow me at facebook.com/nitronate1320
and nitronate1320 on Instagram and Twitter.
Wes Buck
CEO / Founder & Editorial Director
660.988.2313
wes@dragillustrated.com
Mike Carpenter
COO / Design & Production Director
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Scott Dorman
Publisher
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Nate Van Wagnen
Editor-in-Chief
440.986.1480
nate@dragillustrated.com
Nancy Koeppen
CFO
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nancy@dragillustrated.com
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JT Hudson
Sales Executive
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jt@dragillustrated.com
Josh Hachat
Editor-at-Large
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josh@dragillustrated.com
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van@dragillustrated.com
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Ian Tocher,
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Johnson, Pete Epple, Craig Cook
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Abernethy, Rick Belden, Tara Bowker, Shawn
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Copyright © 2020 by Drag Illustrated Media, LLC.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part
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PHOTOS: TARA BOWKER, COLE ROKOSKY
8 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 158