“ When you win something big or you win a championship , you need a few breaks along the way .” - RANDY MEYER

PRO STOCK PATRIARCH : Fernando Cuadra Sr . flashes a smile before putting on his helmet to make a pass in NHRA Pro Stock , where he races alongside sons Fernando Jr . and Cristian . His third son , David , competes in Top Sportsman .

MINI ME : Perennial championship contender Robert Hight signs a 1:24 scale diecast version of the Auto Club Camaro Funny Car he drives for John Force Racing while waiting out a rain delay at Summit Motorsports Park .

FAN FAVORITES : The father-daughter duo of John and Brittany Force greet the fans at driver introductions at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park , where Force has raced in exhibitions at the Night Under Fire for many years before the NHRA “ big show ” came to town .

GET IT DUNN : Funny Car driver Jim Campbell pours a jug of nitromethane into the fuel tank with assistance from Diane Dunn , the wife of Campell ’ s legendary team owner , Jim Dunn .

STAR POWER : Multi-talented tuner Patrick Barnhill , who has recently made frequent appearances on Street Outlaws : No Prep Kings , is spotted on the starting line at Empire Dragway , where he was tuning for the two-car team of Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association drivers Tyler Hard and Kevin McCurdy .

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER , DAVID HILNER , DAVID BEITLER , AND CHRIS SEARS

68 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 177