PHOTOGRAPHS BY KRISTA ZIVCIC |
the operation. She works alongside Tommy in the family businesses and is also a key member of his Pro Mod crew, handling race-day responsibilities while helping support the broader Stroud operation.
Under the Cunninghams, Stroud has also continued investing directly in the sport through partnerships with series and events, including the PDRA, Mid-West Drag Racing Series, and Drag Illustrated Winter Series. – NATE VAN WAGNEN
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Bill Bader Jr.
Bill Bader Jr. inherited one of drag racing’ s most distinctive family legacies, then spent decades making sure it continued to evolve. His father, the late Bill Bader Sr., purchased what is now Summit Motorsports Park in the 1970s and built it around an obsessive focus on hospitality and value. Bill Jr. took over day-to-day operations in 1998 and has since expanded the Norwalk, Ohio, track into one of the sport’ s benchmark facilities, overseeing major infrastructure projects, the arrival of the NHRA national event in 2007, and the continued growth of signature races like the Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire.
His influence reaches beyond Norwalk. Bader serves on the SEMA board of directors, advises other track operators and promoters, and has remained a vocal supporter of sportsman racers and grassroots drag racing. Most recently, he put together a plan to host a World Finals for bracket racers should the IHRA decide not to produce a World Finals.
But Bader’ s defining philosophy is still rooted in the grandstands.
“ I love entertaining people,” Bader told Drag IllustrateD ahead of the 49th annual Night Under Fire.“ Next year will be my 50th year in drag racing. I love seeing fathers bring their daughters and sons or grandparents with their grandchildren. I love hearing somebody say,‘ I’ ve been coming to the track for 30 years.’ Everything we do, we do with our guest in mind.”
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That mindset has helped preserve what the Baders call“ The Norwalk Experience” – a combination of racing, showmanship, and hospitality that remains uniquely Summit Motorsports Park.
– NATE VAN WAGNEN
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Mick Snyder
Mick Snyder’ s career has been defined by refusing to stay in one lane. Through Snyder Motorsports, the second-generation racer has won championships in dragsters, Funny Cars, and doorslammers while repeatedly embracing combinations that were unconventional at the time.
Perhaps most influential was the Snyder family’ s early commitment to torque converters in high-horsepower alcohol racing. When Mick and his father, Larry, paired a Lencodrive and converter with their Top Alcohol Dragster, competitors initially dismissed the idea. Years later, converter-driven combinations became commonplace.
Snyder later moved into Top Alcohol Funny Car, winning three consecutive NHRA Division 3 championships from 2004-2006, then took on ADRL Pro Extreme. After a difficult rookie season in 2010, he became the first Pro Extreme driver to win three consecutive events on his way to the 2012 world championship.
Never content to repeat the same formula, Snyder later experimented with roots blowers and complete electronic engine management in Top Sportsman, winning a PDRA race almost immediately with the new combination. His résumé eventually expanded to include an NHRA Division 3 Top Sportsman championship and a Texas Outlaw Pro Mod Association title.
Across more than three decades, Snyder Motorsports has remained relevant not by dominating one category indefinitely, but by continually applying lessons from one discipline to the next. That willingness to experiment has made Mick Snyder both a champion and an innovator. – NATE VAN WAGNEN
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Cleetus McFarland and Victor Alvarez
McFarland, right, and Alvarez
Both Cleetus McFarland and Victor Alvarez forged their own unique paths in drag racing before those paths ultimately merged in Southwest Florida.
Alvarez’ s roots in the sport run deep. In 2013, he launched FL2K and developed it into a coveted destination event, drawing thousands of fans and racers from across the country for an event known for close competition and record-setting passes. In 2018, at just 28 years old, Alvarez purchased Bradenton Motorsports Park, which marked a new chapter for the historic Florida facility.
Garrett Mitchell, better known to millions as Cleetus McFarland, took a much different route. What began as a viral character on 1320Video’ s YouTube channel in 2015 evolved into a massive automotive entertainment brand. That success eventually led Mitchell to purchase and revive the Freedom Factory, located directly next door to Bradenton Motorsports Park, which has become a thriving, multi-use facility and now iconic backdrop to the Cleetus McFarland YouTube Channel. In early 2025, Mitchell announced he would be joining Alvarez as co-owner of BMP.
Together, their influence has become a staple in the drag racing community. Recently, the pair has made substantial investments into Bradenton Motorsports Park, including paving, fencing, facility renovations, and new track prep equipment, while using their enormous digital reach to bring added attention to the facility and its national and local events.
In 2026, that reach continues to expand. Mitchell is growing both his brand and career in NASCAR, while Alvarez continues to promote some of drag racing’ s most sought-after events while overseeing operations at the 52-year-old facility.
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Both Alvarez and Mitchell have established deep roots in the sport of drag racing, each forging a legacy of their own before joining forces. Today, they are work together to build on those legacies while pushing Bradenton Motorsports Park to become a premier motorsports destination capable of hosting marquee events while introducing and inspiring the next generation to get involved in the world of motorsports. – MADELYN ZARON
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Raven Justice
Before becoming a familiar face in the drag racing industry, Raven Justice was a racer himself, competing in Kansas City-area circle track competition. Having gained firsthand understanding of what competitors need, that experience has carried into Justice’ s career with ProCharger. There, he has become a key link between one of the industry’ s leading power-adder manufacturers and the racers who push their products to the limits.
Now serving as ProCharger’ s Motorsports Lead, Justice’ s role extends beyond traditional technical support. He works directly with teams across Pro Mod, radial racing, sportsman competition, and other categories and is able to gather information while helping racers maximize their supercharger combinations. The results undoubtedly speak for themselves as ProCharger-powered competitors have racked up hundreds of major wins across multiple categories in recent years, all while Justice has remained one of the people on the ground floor supporting that success. Justice’ s role continues to expand in 2026 as he spends months traveling nationwide to help develop and tune ProCharger products for top competitors.
Justice is more than a personal representation of the ProCharger brand at a racetrack. He is quite literally part of the competitive equation that helps racers turn products into results, and most importantly, turning those results into race wins. – MADELYN ZARON
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