S THE editor-in-chief of Drag IllustrateD , Nate Van Wagnen did not consider himself eligible for inclusion on the esteemed 30 Under 30 list , and was , in fact , a bit sheepish when informed that he was an official honoree . DI founder and editorial director Wes Buck listened to the chorus of voices championing Van Wagnen ( this writer , included ) and was insistent that he stand amongst the 2024 honorees and be counted . Rightfully so : the young man ’ s contributions to the sport of drag racing have made an extraordinary impact for a number of years that belie his age .

Unlike so many in the drag racing community , Van Wagnen , now 29 , wasn ’ t following in anyone ’ s footsteps . The initial spark came through an uncle who drove a truck for Werner Enterprises , then the primary sponsor of six-time IHRA Top Fuel champion Clay Millican . Race memorabilia began making its way into Van Wagnen ’ s world via diecasts and T-shirts , which were particularly impactful as they came during Millican ’ s Top Fuel reign of terror . As a child , Van Wagnen ’ s interests lingered around Hot Wheels and NASCAR toys , but Millican ’ s dominance and his own increasing curiosity led him to drag racing clips on YouTube and , finally , attending drag races in person with his father at Norwalk ’ s Summit Motorsports Park .

Seeing the action live , the youngster immediately felt a pull . Van Wagnen appreciated the Jr . Dragsters he saw run at the racetrack , but he also knew that without family involvement , his thirst was unlikely to be satiated along that path . The solution began to form as he helped a middle-school friend get started with a Jr . Dragster program . Van Wagnen quickly became an expert in a previously unsung arena , and his interest in writing brought him to contact National Dragster , NHRA ’ s in-house produced magazine , which led to an invitation to submit results stories from Norwalk ’ s Jr . Dragster events .

“ At the same time , I was messaging race teams , drivers , crew members , and crew chiefs ,” recalls Van Wagnen , who said that he received a number of responses , including one from driver , owner , and crew chief Jim Head . “ I was 13 or 14 at the time , and almost all the responses were , ‘ Go to

your local track , volunteer with a local team , offer to clean parts or empty trashcans , whatever needs to be done .’”

That is exactly what Van Wagnen did , and Top Alcohol Dragster driver Brandon Booher opened the door when the young man knocked , inviting him to the Norwalk NHRA division race . After a successful weekend , Van Wagnen was asked back for the national event , and then later , the U . S . Nationals . Everything clicked , and Booher was the first to ask Van Wagnen to write .

“ In 2010 , he came to me and was like , ‘ Hey , I

need someone to write our team press releases – is that something you ’ d be interested in ?’” says Van Wagnen . “ I had no idea what a press release was , but I knew I could figure it out .”

Booher suggested Van Wagnen pick up a couple more clients , and Van Wagnen was soon sending stories to whomever he could reach at various news outlets , covering the exploits of Booher , KonRodz Racing , Chris Demke , Darren Nicholson , Blake Alexander , Kirk Wolf , Johnny Pluchino , Doug Foley , the Sackman brothers , and others .

“ That ’ s how I got connected with Wes ,” explains Van Wagnen . “ A couple of weeks before the 2014 Gatornationals , he replied to a press release and asked if I would be interested in writing freelance stories for Drag IllustrateD . I wrote a handful of Q & A and shorter-type stories , and then at the beginning of 2015 , he approached me about becoming their web editor .”

Now in his 10th full-time year at DI , Van Wagnen ’ s trajectory was accelerated in 2016 when then-senior editor Ian Tocher survived but was taken out of commission long-term following a tragic accident at a PDRA race . Positioned trackside , Tocher was struck during an incident that proved fatal for beloved racer Ronnie Davis , and his own recovery was extensive . Van Wagnen was asked to cover PDRA races in his absence , eventually stepping up to more responsibilities as needed . Eventually , Buck recognized that his protégé ’ s contributions had risen to that of editor-in-chief , and he appointed him so .

“ It was quite a surprise ,” relates Van Wagnen . “ Going into college [ at Cleveland State University ], my goal was to bring a more traditional , trained journalism approach to

Drag IllustrateD . But I definitely didn ’ t think a year into college I would end up taking on the editor-in-chief position .”

Van Wagnen has excelled in the role , managing a team of internal and freelance writers and photographers to put together one of the most read and respected magazines in drag racing . Van Wagnen is much younger in age than many of his colleagues , but he has put forth tremendous and honorable effort toward valuable experience , and that has positioned him as an admired equal .

“ One of the biggest reasons I ’ ve had success is that I ’ ve always had really good people around me ,” says Van Wagnen . “ I try to take initiative , try new things , and figure things out on my own – but I ’ ve also had great people to get ideas and pointers from along the way . I ’ ve developed relationships with people I ’ ve looked up to over the years and seen younger people like myself go on to do big things . Getting to know the people in this sport is one of the coolest things .”

Van Wagnen and wife Allyson are expecting their first child in February , and the family is invested in the growth of Drag IllustrateD . Van Wagnen sees a bright future for both the print magazine and the expansion of DI events , including the continued production of the World Series of Pro Mod and its inclusion in the newly formed trio of races christened the DI Winter Series .

“ We want the magazine and these events to be destinations for drag racers and drag racing fans ,” says Van Wagnen . “ I ’ m excited to continue growing Drag IllustrateD alongside this team . I see great things , not just in our future , but in the future of the sport .” – KELLY WADE DI

156 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 191