LETTER from the EDITOR
Wes Buck Chief Executive Officer Founder & Editorial Director 660.988.2313 wes @ dragillustrated . com
Mike Carpenter Chief Operating Officer Design & Production Director 704.737.2299 mike @ dragillustrated . com
Nancy Koeppen Chief Financial Officer 573.552.5551 nancy @ dragillustrated . com
Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief 440.986.1480 nate @ dragillustrated . com
Brett Underwood VP of Sales & Chief Development Officer 704.907.3515 brett @ dragillustrated . com
When the Drag Illustrated team – which grows exponentially during DI-produced races – gathered around Derek Ward ’ s screw-blown ’ 68 Firebird for a team photo in the winner ’ s circle on Sunday night at the fifth running of the World Series of Pro Mod , I think we all felt a sense of victory . Planning and promotional efforts started months before , and those efforts were compounded by similar but more complicated efforts to prepare for the PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton just three weeks before the World Series . Though there was plenty of work left to do after crowning champions , we could all breathe a sigh of relief .
One of the major post-race activities is the production of this special issue , which looks back on some of the most memorable moments from the weekend . This is the fun part , especially when we have such incredible stories to work with .
For starters , you can ’ t ask for much better than the story that unfolded in the headlining Pro Mod category , where something of a David vs . Goliath story was made even more captivating by the show of sportsmanship by both finalists , Derek Ward and Jim Halsey . Both drivers share their sides of the story in this issue .
We also had a couple underdog winners in the second annual Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational , won by Matt Giangrande , and the inaugural Pro 10.5 Challenge , won by past DI 30 Under 30 honoree Nick Schroeder . Driving for storied car owner Enoch Love , Giangrande scored his first major win in the class over two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion Johnny Pluchino in the $ 25,000 final round . Schroeder went into the event wanting to have fun and get a win for his mother , who was facing a cancer battle . He fought through
Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief
adversity and got that win , beating newcomer Dan Norris in the final .
The Intercontinental Top Sportsman and Top Dragster Championships , both presented by FTI Performance , made sportsman racing history with record-setting $ 50,000 paydays . Unsurprisingly , past PDRA world champions Tim Molnar ( Top Sportsman ) and Steve Furr ( Top Dragster ) took home those big checks .
The other thing that makes this issue so fun to put together is the treasure trove of incredible photographs we had to work with . Luke Nieuwhof , who you may recognize from his all-encompassing role at Sick the Magazine , joined our team for the weekend as the official event coverage photographer . He helped our Digital Content Director , Kayla Zadel , keep the DI and WSOPM social media pages flowing with eye-catching photos throughout the event , then we had those photos and many more to use here . He also shot Ward ’ s cover photo in the now-traditional winner ’ s circle cover shoot .
We also received photo submissions from some of our best staff and contributing photographers like David Hilner , Chris Sears , Darrel Jackson Jr ., Robert Richard , Jimmy Cantrell , Wayne Stewart , Scott Witty , Andrew Meneses , and Mellie Snedeker . Kaylee Curran and her KC Photography team were the official event photographers and checked in the 50-plus media members .
The World Series of Pro Mod is a labor of love for everyone involved , starting at the top with the event ’ s founder and promoter , Wes Buck , and track owner Victor Alvarez . It may be the $ 100,000 prize that makes it the richest Pro Mod race of all time , but it ’ s the collective passion and dedication of the event team , the racers , and the fans that make it the biggest Pro Mod race of all time . DI
Feel free to email me at nate @ dragillustrated . com and follow me at facebook . com / nitronate1320 and nitronate1320 on Instagram and Twitter .
JT Hudson VP of Business Development & Client Relations 660.341.0063 jt @ dragillustrated . com
Kayla Zadel Digital Content Director & Editor-at-Large 970.203.5146 kayla @ dragillustrated . com
Van Abernethy Senior Staff Writer & Field Subscription Sales 828.302.0356 van @ dragillustrated . com
Caroline Fox Customer Service / Office Manager 660.988.2313 caroline @ dragillustrated . com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS : Bobby Bennett , Greg Burrow , Craig Cook , Tommy D ’ Aprile , Allyson Van Wagnen , Bret Kepner , Brandon W . Mudd , Ian Tocher , Kelly Wade
PHOTO DEPARTMENT : John Fore III , Van Abernethy , Rick Belden , David Beitler , Tara Bowker , Bob Campagna , Jason Dunn , Phil Hutchison , Joe McHugh , Gary Nastase , Mark J . Rebilas , Roger Richards , Cole Rokosky , Chris Sears , James Sisk , Ian Tocher
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DRAG ILLUSTRATED MEDIA , LLC PO Box 674 , Kirksville , MO 63501 P : 660.988.2313 F : 660.665.1636 www . dragillustrated . com
Copyright © 2024 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 Publication Printers in Denver , CO .
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 .
PHOTO : KAYLEE CURRAN
8 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 188