THE DRAG ILLUSTRATED
POWER
One hundred of drag racing’ s most influential people
By Nate Van Wagnen, Craig Cook, Madelyn Zaron, Jessica Hicks Spears, and Rob King
Drag racing has always been a people-driven sport. The cars may be quicker, the technology more advanced, and the businesses behind them larger than ever, but the people making the decisions, taking the risks, developing the parts, promoting the races, preparing the tracks, building the teams, and investing in the next generation still determine where the sport goes next.
That idea is at the heart of the inaugural Drag IllustrateD Power 100.
This list recognizes the individuals and groups making a meaningful impact on drag racing today. Some of the names that follow have been shaping the sport for decades. They are champions, innovators, promoters, manufacturers, team owners, track operators, and industry leaders whose résumés already read like Hall of Fame credentials. Others are still building their legacies, but their influence has become impossible to ignore.
The Power 100 is intentionally broad because drag racing itself is broad. The sport cannot be defined only by what happens in the professional categories on Sunday afternoon. Its strength comes from every level, from NHRA Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock
Motorcycle to Pro Mod, radial racing, bracket racing, drag-and-drive, sportsman racing, motorcycles, and the countless grassroots classes that fill tracks every weekend.
That diversity is reflected throughout this list. Some honorees have won multiple world championships. Others have never staged a race car in competition. Their impact comes through building engines and chassis, developing electronics and safety equipment, preparing racing surfaces, creating major events, supporting racers financially, operating successful tracks and series, or simply finding new ways to make the sport stronger.
There is also no single blueprint for influence. It can come from a billion-dollar company or a family business. It can be earned over 40 years or established in only a few seasons. It can happen in front of packed grandstands or quietly inside an engine room, fab shop, timing tower, or team trailer.
What connects the members of the first Drag IllustrateD Power 100 is that drag racing looks different because of their involvement.
These are the people pushing it forward, preserving what matters, challenging what can be improved, and creating opportunities for the racers and fans who will determine what comes next. ➤ ➤ ➤
PHOTOGRAPHS BY NHRA, JT HUDSON, KRISTA ZIVCIC, LUKE NIEUWHOF, RICK BELDEN, JAMES SISK
Drag Illustrated
98 DragIllustrated. com