RADLEY DILLON hasn ’ t let what people tell him he can and can ’ t do slow him down . As a matter of fact , Bradley Dillon loves proving people wrong .

One of the first instances was when Dillon ’ s dad purchased his first car , a Dodge Neon , that began his drag racing career .

“ I really wanted a Honda Civic ,” says Dillon . “ All my friends had V8 cars , and they told me that I could never make a four-cylinder car fast .”

Little did Dillon ’ s friends know that this was just the beginning . He soon sold his Dodge Neon for an SRT-4 .

“ I just love proving people wrong , and just one thing after another , time after time , I was gradually getting to the point of breaking a record in that car , then driving for other people , breaking records for other teams , and it just kept going ,” he explains .

In 2018 , Dillon was the first driver of a manual transmission SRT-4 to break into 8 seconds , with an 8.91 at 169 mph . Then , he would reset the 5-speed SRT-4 manual transmission record to 8.2 at 180 mph .

“ I was the first car to go 8s in a quarter mile ,” says Dillon . This provided a springboard for him to become one of the most recognized drivers in the front-wheel-drive community .

After that , Ramey Racing sat up and took notice . In 2019 , Dillon joined the team known for specializing in high-performance Honda engine building , machining , and manufacturing . During his stint with Ramey Racing , Dillon became the fastest sport front-wheel driver at the time by setting a speed of 196.7 mph .

However , while he was finding success with Ramey Racing , Dillon was involved in a crash that totaled his SRT-4 while trying to reset the 5-speed SRT-4 manual transmission record . This setback didn ’ t slow him down , though , as only two weeks later , Dillon was back in the driver ’ s seat of the Ramey Racing Honda Civic and won Honda Day in 2019 at Maryland International Raceway .

“ A few months after that , I went 7s in that car [ in the B-series ], making me the second driver to go 7s in a sport front-wheel-drive ,” states Dillon .

He then spent the next four years rebuilding his personal car when he wasn ’ t working in the family business , Dillon Roofing , which he coowns with his father , and finding success in the front-wheel-drive racing scene . Dillon soon joined Prayoonto Racing , where he piloted the iconic “ Goldie .”

“ We broke the K-series record [ with Goldie ], which is still the record today , 7.82 at 192 mph ,” says Dillon , “ and that actually made me the first driver to go 7s in a B-series and a K-series , which nobody has done yet .”

Now , Dillon is ready to take his driving to the next level , especially after adding the 2022 XFWD champion title to his résumé .

“ I ’ m taking what I ’ ve learned from other race teams to build my own brand ,” he says . “ I want to be the first SRT4 to go 7s , and that ’ s what we built [ the Dodge Neon ] for . It ’ s getting there , but my future all-time goal is to drive NHRA Pro Stock .

“ I was never good at sports ,” says Dillon , drawing similarities between front-wheel-drive racing and Pro Stock , “ but I really believe in myself that I can do that .” – KAYLA ZADEL DI

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