LETTER from the EDITOR
Several years ago, this issue was titled the“ Hottest Women” Issue or sometimes just the“ Hottest” Issue. It was explained in the introduction to the“ Hottest” section that the name didn’ t refer to the subjects’ physical appearance, but rather their trending on-track and off-track success. Despite that disclaimer, the public perception of the issue did not mirror DI’ s intent: recognizing the women who excel in drag racing purely for their hard work and achievements.
In 2020, I decided it was time for a new title for this issue theme, and the rest of the DI team wholeheartedly agreed. Not knowing that our colleagues at National Dragster published an issue under the same name a few years earlier, we chose“ Women of Power” because it perfectly described the subjects within the issue: powerful women operating in an industry where horsepower is a key component. Publicly and privately, both women and men applauded this rebranding. We’ ve kept it going ever since, shining a light on women of all ages participating in the sport in a wide variety of roles, from drivers and crew members to track operators and media members.
Leading off this year’ s Women of Power Issue, you’ ll find Amber Denton and Kallee Mills on the cover. It’ s the second cover appearance for both Amber and Kallee. When Amber appeared on the cover of DI # 129 with her father, now three-time PDRA Pro Nitrous world champion Tommy Franklin, she’ d just won the 2017 PDRA Pro Jr. Dragster world championship to join her dad on the championship stage. A couple years later, Kallee took the cover of the 2020 Women of Power Issue as she stepped into the spotlight that came with joining
the Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings crowd.
Now, both young women are making another big step into the red-hot Pro Mod ranks. In their cover stories, Amber talks about moving from PDRA Pro 632, where she’ s a two-time and reigning world champion, to Pro Nitrous, and Kallee discusses why MWDRS Pro Mod was her next step after NPK. They also share praise for two impactful women in their circles: their mothers.
In addition to writing the cover stories, I had the opportunity to tell the story of someone who had a tremendous impact on my career path in drag racing. When I was 14, I sent an email to the general info email address listed on the website of my home track, Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, offering to write Jr. Dragster results stories and features to be posted on the track’ s website and submitted to racing publications. Nettie Damron, then the track’ s race director, replied to my email and said they’ d take me up on that offer.
Nettie set me up with a season pass( as seen in this column photo), introduced me to track owner Bill Bader Jr., and connected me with the web editor who would clean up and post my stories. It was a dream opportunity for a kid who fell in love with drag racing at Norwalk and wanted to turn that passion into a career. Now 15 years later, I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Nettie’ s path, which led to operating some of the most renowned dragstrips in the world.
The Women of Power Issue focuses on the real impact women have across all areas of drag racing. Whether they’ re behind the wheel, turning wrenches, running events, or covering the action, these women are playing key roles in moving the sport forward. DI
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Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief
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8 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 195