LETTER from the EDITOR
Drag Illustrated has never been big on sharing doom-andgloom reports on the sport . Sure , there are gray spots , but we like spreading good news and we like reminding the drag racing public about all of the good things going on right now . Of course , we always want more for the sport , but we ’ re also glad to stop and look around at what ’ s going right when so many others are quick to point out what ’ s wrong .
That was the whole idea behind the first “ 25 Reasons To Be Excited About Drag Racing ” feature in Drag Illustrated Issue No . 44 back in 2010 . A few of the highlights then ? NHRA Pro Mod was upgraded from an exhibition class to an official class , PINKS : All Out was the television show putting drag racing in America ’ s living rooms , the Yas Marina Circuit brought nitro racing to the Middle East , and live feeds were an emerging technology .
John Force , this month ’ s cover star , appeared on the list at No . 18 under the headline , “ John Force : Still Winning , Still Funny , Still a Superstar .” At 61 , he had 130 career wins and 14 world championships .
Fourteen years later , Force is 75 , he ’ s added 27 more national event Wallys , two more world titles , and he ’ s still one of drag racing ’ s most entertaining superstars . Unfortunately , he ’ s still subject to
the hazards of driving a nitro-burning Funny Car . Fortunately , though , the ever-resilient Californian who once wore Superman colors on his Funny Car proved yet again that he just might be the “ Man of Steel ” when he survived a jarring explosion and resulting 300-MPH crash in the opening round of eliminations at the NHRA Virginia Nationals .
The fact that Force came away from the most devastating crash of his career – and that ’ s saying a lot – had to be No . 1 on our updated list of reasons to be excited about drag racing . Fans and fellow racers were moved to tears on Sunday , June 30th , when John Force Racing shared in a statement that Force had finally opened his eyes and spoke words after five days of heavy sedation due to his traumatic brain injury . Those were a tense few days for Force ’ s legion of fans , and obviously , infinitely more tense for his family . I looked back on the timeline of Force ’ s recovery for the cover story , which also includes commentary from Force ’ s fellow racers about what he means to them .
You ’ ll also find 24 other reasons to be excited about drag racing in this issue . Of course , we ’ re not saying these are the only 25 reasons to be excited about the sport . There ’ s many more , but these are just the two dozen reasons that stand out in our minds . As always , we want to hear from you . What are some of the reasons why you ’ re excited about drag racing in 2024 ? DI
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
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
ADVERTISING SALES : 704.907.3515
SUBSCRIPTIONS & CUSTOMER SERVICE : 660.988.2313 customerservice @ dragillustrated . com
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 .
Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief |
Feel free to email me at nate @ dragillustrated . com and follow me at facebook . com / nitronate1320 and nitronate1320 on Instagram and Twitter . |
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 : NHRA |
8 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 190