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SRT NHRA U . S . Nationals over the Labor Day weekend .

Interestingly , both of these shootouts will utilize a callout format ( think No Prep Kings ) with the No . 1 seed getting their first choice of opponent . We ’ re assuming it ’ ll be a chip draw type of deal after the callouts happen , and the eight-car field will be set based on a combination of season end and qualifying points at the 2022 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals and NHRA Arizona Nationals .

Best part is these deals are reportedly paying something like $ 75,000-to-win each , and that ’ s a big step in the right direction for pro-level drag racing .

3 . NO PREP NEWBIES While we ’ re certainly excited to see STREET OUTLAWS : No Prep Kings star-studded cast of characters return to action on the outlaw eighth mile , it ’ s the new faces on the scene that have captured our collective imagination headed into 2022 . We ’ ve seen this brand of racing produce new stars ( think Justin “ Lil ’ Country ” Swanstrom ), and we think we ’ re going to see even more of that kind of thing this season – namely Drag Illustrated ’ s own Paige Coughlin , daughter of Pro Mod / Pro Stock / Pro Street legend Troy Coughlin , who intends to represent the family business ( JEGS ) in the No Prep world moving forward . Not only does Coughlin have a legit hot rod ( Pro Line Racing ProCharged Hemi-equipped third-gen Camaro ), she ’ s an absolute firecracker who is built for primetime .

4 . MID-WEST DRAG RACING SERIES RETURNS TO ST . LOUIS & MEMPHIS Having established itself as the premiere drag racing series in middle America , it seems fitting that the Mid-West Drag Racing Series will return to World Wide Technology Raceway in St . Louis and Memphis International Raceway in 2022 . These two tracks have been central to the Midwest drag racing scene for decades , and it ’ s imperative that major events take place at these facilities – for a multitude of reasons . We ’ re especially excited to see Top Alcohol Funny Car and Outlaw Pro Mod presented as marquee attractions at these two tracks , and anxious to see how many of the well-known local hitters turn up to take part .

5 . THE SECOND-ANNUAL FUNNY CAR CHAOS CLASSIC Promoter Chris Graves has almost single-handedly reenergized the Funny Car scene with his

Funny Car Chaos event series , but their standout event – the FCC Classic at the Texas Motorplex – really changed the game in 2021 when they were able to draw nearly 70 nitro- and alcohol-burning floppers to the event . Amongst those entries was former NHRA Funny Car world champion Del Worsham , who showed up with a legit “ big show ” Funny Car and proceeded to blow the scoreboards down with a 3.21-second , 270mph eighth-mile blast to take the top qualifying spot . Incredibly , Worsham didn ’ t win the event , which in our opinion only made the whole deal cooler . Top Alcohol Funny Car heavy hitter Kyle Smith won the deal , and hopefully his success draws even more top-tier TAFC teams to the event this year . We ’ re absolutely stoked .

6 . PDRA PRO STARS IS BACK Although not a points-earning event for the Professional Drag Racers Association series , we ’ re of the opinion one of the coolest things that the PDRA team put together annually is their new Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stars event as it pits the top 8 points earners in Pro Nitrous and Pro Boost against one another in a winnertake-all shootout with over $ 55,000 up for grabs . Anytime we get the chance to see the stars of this series ’ two top eliminators go head-to-head we get excited , so you can count on us heading

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22 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 174