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racing. His roots in blower development date to his time at Kobelco, where he designed the“ Superman” supercharger that helped Johnny Rocca set an IHRA Pro Mod record in 1999 and later powered Mitch Stott to the first 5-second Pro Mod pass in 2003. Mayer founded DMPE that same year and has continued refining rotor profiles, case design, airflow, and durability ever since.
His products have since appeared on numerous championship-winning nitro programs. DMPE blowers have powered Top Fuel champions across multiple seasons, while teams such as Antron Brown’ s AB Motorsports have praised both the consistency of the hardware and Mayer’ s direct technical support.
That willingness to share knowledge is just as important to smaller operations. Top Fuel privateer Scott Palmer has repeatedly leaned on Mayer, and after Palmer’ s $ 50,000 IHRA victory at Virginia Motorsports Park in 2026, his explanation for the performance improvement was succinct:“ Darren Mayer blower.”
Mayer’ s value to drag racing is the combination of engineering and accessibility. Whether working with a championship contender or an independent racer stretching every dollar, he has made both his technology and his experience available to help racers go quicker, faster, and more reliably.
– NATE VAN WAGNEN
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Brandon Switzer
Nitrous oxide has been part of Pro Modified from the category’ s earliest days, but few people have done more to advance the combination than Brandon Switzer.
Switzer’ s fascination with nitrous started while he was still in high school and working at Steeda Autosports. At a time when racers routinely blamed nitrous for damaged engines, Switzer saw an engineering problem waiting to be solved.
“ I was seeing everybody put nitrous on their engines and tear stuff
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up. Nitrous got a bad rap,” Switzer told Drag IllustrateD in a 2021 cover story.“ I guess I became interested in working on the problem.”
That mindset became the foundation for Switzer Dynamics, the Denver, North Carolina-based company he launched in 2012 after stints with Wilson Manifolds and Speedtech Nitrous. Switzer Dynamics grew beyond nitrous systems into billet intake manifolds, fuel-system components, and other specialized hardware developed for high-level doorslammer racing.
The proof has come at the racetrack. Switzer was involved when Khalid alBalooshi became the first nitrous racer to exceed 200 mph in the eighth mile, tuned Pat Stoken to the first 3.60-second nitrous eighth-mile pass, and later helped Jim Halsey run 3.592 at 210.77 mph – the first 3.50-second bigtire nitrous pass and first 210-mph eighth-mile run by a nitrous car. With Switzer calling the shots, Halsey also won four consecutive PDRA Pro Nitrous world championships from 2019-2022.
Switzer Dynamics has supported Pro Nitrous as a class sponsor dating back to the ADRL years and remains deeply invested in the category. Switzer’ s influence can be measured in records and championships, but his larger contribution is the constant development that has kept nitrous competitive at the highest levels of Pro Mod racing. – NATE VAN WAGNEN
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Freddie Turza
Freddie Turza’ s influence at VP Racing goes well beyond selling fuel. A longtime engine builder before joining VP in 2008, Turza brought firsthand racing experience from stints with NASCAR organizations including Richard Childress Racing and Labonte Racing. At VP, he has helped develop and refine racing fuels, lubricants, and additives while working directly with engine builders, tuners, and race teams to match products to increasingly specialized combinations.
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That hands-on approach has kept Turza closely connected to drag racing. He has worked with racers across Pro Mod, Pro Stock, bracket racing, and other categories, helping customers evaluate fuels and lubricants for performance, consistency, and durability. VP has also leaned on Turza as the company expanded beyond race fuel into high-performance oils, with his technical background playing a major role in that development.
Turza has also represented VP in its support of organizations and racers through partnerships that emphasize technical support at the shop and at the racetrack rather than simply supplying product or financial backing.
In an industry where fuel chemistry continually has to keep pace with changing engine combinations, Turza has helped ensure VP Racing remains part of the development process. – NATE VAN WAGNEN
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Scott Tidwell
From bracket racing at his local track in Huntsville, Alabama, to building arguably the most decorated Pro Mod team in operation today, Scott Tidwell has run the gamut in the world of drag racing. Tidwell started his own companies, J. Scott Enterprises and Dixie Trucking, beginning in 1989 with just one truck that he drove himself, and has built them into premier businesses through hard work. His story in drag racing follows the same path.
Tidwell initially worked his way up the racing ladder, competing in Super Street, Super Gas, Super Comp, Comp Eliminator, and Pro Stock Truck. Now, as the owner of Scott Tidwell Racing, he runs several radial and Pro Mod cars with drivers such as Derek Menholt, Ken Quartuccio, Aaron Stanfield, Jason Collins, and Paul Gargus.
His team – led by world-renowned tuners such as Steve Petty, Brandon Stroud, and Chris Terry – has claimed victories in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series and Mid-West Drag Racing
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Series, as well as a Drag Illustrated Winter Series championship( Quartuccio) and World Series of Pro Mod title( Stanfield).
“ I’ ve told my people all along, we need to assemble the right people and do it right, or I didn’ t want to do it,” says Tidwell.“ Through the years, we have done that. It’ s not me. I assembled the people, but it’ s the people we assembled that have made the success for this team.”
While his humility and team-centered ideals are key components to his success, it doesn’ t change the influence Tidwell has. When he speaks, people listen. But most of the time he is content to let his track record and trophy case speak for itself.
“ It’ s not that we’ ve got nothing left to prove – we haven’ t won an NHRA championship at this level yet, and we very much want to do that – it’ s just that once we assembled this team, I was done proving anything to anybody.” – CRAIG COOK
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Tommy Cunningham
Tommy Cunningham and his wife, Anita, own Cunningham Machine, the Murray, Kentucky-based manufacturing company that supplied machined components to Stroud Safety before the couple purchased Stroud from founder Bob Stroud in 2019. Since then, they’ ve worked to preserve the brand’ s reputation while continuing to develop parachutes, harnesses, fire suits, fire-suppression equipment, and other safety products used across drag racing.
Cunningham’ s perspective is shaped by being an active racer. He has competed extensively in Pro Mod, including a 2020 Mid- West Drag Racing Series victory, and regularly uses his own screwblown’ 67 Mustang as a proving ground for new products. That hands-on development has included collaboration with racers like Mark Micke on parachute systems designed for 200-plus-mph Pro Mod applications.
Anita is integral to both sides of
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER, RICK BELDEN, LUKE NIEUWHOF |