Prep Kings,” Ellington says.“ We changed multiple sleeves, multiple pistons, changed the transmission, changed gear drives. We’ ve done it all this week, and we’ ve said it before: We may not win everything, but we’ re damn sure not quitters.”
Such is the case with the World Series of Pro Mod, and the Winter Series as a whole. It’ s not just a race; it’ s a war of attrition, and those unwilling to go to battle every single day need not apply. For Ellington and his team, their effort was rewarded by earning a spot in the most difficult WSOPM field ever assembled. And from there, things really got crazy.
Ellington qualified No. 30, and in a wild turn of events at the first-round chip draw, drew his good friend and Street Outlaws co-star Ryan Martin. The two took it in stride, happy that one would be moving on to the second round. That person was Ellington. From there, he single-handedly flipped the DIWS points championship upside down.
In a rematch from the U. S. Street Nationals a month prior, Ellington met points leader“ Stevie
Fast” Jackson in round two, and took the win after Jackson red-lit. Jackson’ s loss gave Eric Gustafson the points lead, and as fate would have it, Ellington drew him in the quarterfinals. The results were the same: another red light, and another win for Ellington. But this one felt different.
The pop from the crowd was unlike anything I’ ve ever seen. The starting line was pandemonium. Ellington’ s team was screaming in elation. I instinctively ran over and started giving everyone high fives. Erin and I embraced in a bear hug.
Drag IllustrateD founder and Winter Series promoter Wes Buck was busy doing the same.
Before you get the wrong idea, we weren’ t playing favorites. The DI team loves all of our competitors. But the sheer emotion and weight of the moment – the reaction from both team and spectators – lends itself to celebration. The teams feed off the energy from the crowd, and the crowd in turn feeds off the energy of the teams. This is what the Winter Series provides – every round feels like a heavyweight title fight.
The pressure that builds at the WSOPM is unmatched. There’ s $ 150,000 on the line for the race, another $ 25,000 for the championship, and perhaps most importantly – the right to be considered the undisputed baddest door car driver on the planet.“ Pressure bursts pipes” has become a familiar phrase at this event, and it once again proved true. Two longtime veterans had given away their shot at a championship, and Ellington was two rounds away from immortality.
Prior to eliminations, Buck mentioned to the
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