Drag Illustrated
Drag Illustrated Releases ‘Women of Power 2020’ Issue
KIRKSVILLE, MO – Drag Illustrated’s annual women’s issue has a new name, as the “Women of Power 2020” issue was released digitally this weekend and will be mailed out this week. Kallee Mills appears on the cover of the eighth 
annual issue dedicated to the women in drag racing – and 155th issue overall – focusing on the job done by incredible females in the sport who continue to break barriers, set trends and inspire others.
With unprecedented times and a public health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, releasing the issue was faced with additional challenges. But a determined staff and heady leadership made it possible, as the issue has already drawn rave reviews throughout the industry.
“While the purpose of the ‘Hottest’ Issue has always been to highlight the women in drag racing who are breaking barriers, setting trends and inspiring others, the name hasn’t really reflected that. We felt it was time to come up with a name that better suited the idea behind this issue,” Drag Illustrated Editor-In-Chief Nate Van Wagnen said.
“Between putting on the World Doorslammer Nationals in early March and the COVID-19 pandemic that’s impacted the country since then, it’s been a crazy month for the DI team,” Van Wagnen said. “But everyone banded together to put out what we believe is one of our best issues yet. It’s packed with the kind of stories and photography that readers have come to expect from DI. We didn’t cut any corners or make any compromises. Despite the challenges facing our team and our industry, we put our best foot forward with this issue.”
Jeg Coughlin Jr. Holds Off Greg Anderson In Epic Pro Stock Final To Win $75,000 Prize At Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals
BITHLO, FL – Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s “Breaking Barriers” retirement tour has already racked up a number of incredible 
moments. But Sunday’s may be hard to top.
In an epic final round between two of Pro Stock’s biggest legends at Orlando Speed World Dragway, it was Coughlin who slipped past Greg Anderson in a side-by-side thriller to claim the $75,000 prize at the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing.
Coughlin’s run of 6.484-seconds at 212.36 mph in his RJ Race Cars JEGS Camaro edged out Anderson’s 6.485 at 213.81 in his Summit Racing Equipment Camaro, handing the five-time Pro Stock world champion the biggest single-race payout in the history of the class, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020.
“I’ve been fortunate to run a bunch of big-money bracket races in my career and I’ve seen the organized havoc like this, and it’s just badass,” Coughlin said. “There’s no more prideful feeling than pulling around for a final of a big-money race, and this one is right there at the top with them now. To see all the fans and all the teams crowded around to take in the moment, it’s pretty cool. You want to make it happen and fortunately we did that today.”
Alex Laughlin Takes Caruso Family Pro Mod to $50,000 Victory at Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals Presented by CTech Manufacturing
BITHLO, FL – NHRA Pro Stock star Alex Laughlin added another milestone moment to his doorslammer drag 
racing career Sunday evening when he turned on the final-round win light at the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing.
Racing at Orlando Speed World Dragway, Laughlin defeated Todd “King Tut” Tutterow in the final round, recording a 5.671-second pass at 251.53 mph to Tutterow’s 6.362 at 146.21.
Laughlin hadn’t even sat in the seat of Marc Caruso’s Caruso Family Racing ’69 Camaro before the World Doorslammer Nationals. But after a series of test runs, four rounds of qualifying and four passes in eliminations, Laughlin was cutting consistent reaction times and wheeling the roots-blown ATI Performance entry like a veteran.
“It sounds pretty crazy – let’s be real, it is real crazy,” Laughlin said. “We started off on the wrong foot. We struggled through every test run. Once we started qualifying, things started going our way. Once we started racing, things really started going our way.”
Voss Wins Pro 632, Mills Scores Top Sportsman Victory at Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals
BITHLO, FL – While the focus was on Pro Stock and Pro Mod at the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer 
Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing, the event also included racing in Pro 632, Top Sportsman, Super Pro and Pro ET.
Dillon Voss (Pro 632), Vonnie Mills (Top Sportsman), Stu White (Super Pro) and Troy Stafford (Pro ET) joined Pro Stock winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Pro Mod winner Alex Laughlin as the first-ever World Doorslammer Nationals event champions.
Fourteen Pro 632 drivers battled it out at Orlando Speed World Dragway to compete for $10,000, more money than the Pro 632 class has ever seen before.
Dillon Voss and his 2016 Corvette had what seemed like the perfect weekend. He qualified No.1 after the first qualifying pass, held that position all weekend, and ended up in the winner’s circle on Sunday evening.
Justin Bond Tops All-Star Pro Mod Field at Inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals
BITHLO, FL – With a new car and new engine combination, Justin Bond set the new quarter-mile elapsed-time 
record for centrifugal superchargers when he recorded a 5.623-second, 253.14 mph pass Saturday night at the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing at Orlando Speed World Dragway. Bond’s pass also put him in the No. 1 spot in the quickest NHRA-legal Pro Mod field in history.
“I think the performance of the car has been very good,” Bond said. “I think the time slips speak for that. The car responds to all the changes, and we just have a really awesome crew and a really awesome tuner.”
Bond is in only his fourth race in Pro Mod competition. His ProCharger-boosted, Pro Line-powered ’69 Camaro is one of several new cars entering NHRA Pro Mod competition after the centrifugal supercharger combination was added to the 2020 rulebook. Bond’s 5.623 is quicker than the current NHRA Pro Mod E.T. record, a 5.643 recorded by Stevie “Fast” Jackson in 2019.
Bond and his Bahrain 1 Racing team, led by tuner Brad Personett, are still getting acclimated with the ProCharger combination. They threw down a 5.626 at 254.90 in the third qualifying session Saturday afternoon, then repeated with the 5.623.
Matt Hartford Rockets To Top With Record-Breaking Pass To Close Pro Stock Qualifying At Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals
BITHLO, FL – In a matter of 6.460 seconds on Saturday at Orlando Speed World Dragway, Matt Hartford’s 2020 
Pro Stock season took a major step forward and gave him a spot in the Pro Stock records books in the process.
During the final qualifying session of the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing, Hartford and Aaron Stanfield thrilled the crowd with a pair of 6.46s in the quickest side-by-side run of the electronic fuel injection (EFI) era in Pro Stock. But it was Hartford who claimed the top spot in his Total Seal Camaro, powering to an incredible 6.460 at 211.89 mph, giving him the No. 1 qualifier, the quickest run in the EFI era of Pro Stock – and the third-quickest run ever in Pro Stock, behind only Jason Line’s 6.455 and Greg Anderson’s 6.457 with carburetors in 2015.
“The neat thing about it is it’s the third-quickest run in NHRA history out of a 500-inch car,” Hartford said. “That means a lot to us. I knew it was a good run. Sitting in the lanes, I could feel the temperature drop. I came back and grabbed the laptop, and made some changes before the run just feeling how quick it was turning. I was ecstatic. To put the Total Seal Camaro in the No. 1 position in qualifying, it’s a dream come true.”
Anderson, Tutterow, Voss and Thrift Lead Friday Qualifying at World Doorslammer Nationals
BITHLO, FL – It didn’t take long for Greg Anderson to leave an impression at the Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing. The four-time Pro Stock world champion rocketed to 
the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot on Friday at Orlando Speed World Dragway, making the quickest run in the history of electronic fuel injection (EFI) Pro Stock with a monumental blast of 6.474-seconds at 213.03 mph in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro.
Joining Anderson as the provisional low qualifiers at Orlando were Todd Tutterow in Pro Mod, Dillon Voss in C&C Pumping Pro 632 and Bruce Thrift in Thrift Motorsports Top Sportsman.
PRO STOCK
After one day, Anderson’s 6.474 puts him in a good spot as he tries to claim the $75,000 prize, which the largest single-race payout in Pro Stock history.
“It felt really nice in low gear and just floated the front end out there,” Anderson said. “This has been a fun race. You can concentrate on your race car and make the changes you want to make. It’s been great so far and I’m looking forward to (Saturday). It’s going to be a really fun deal. The car should and could run better tomorrow, so that’s fun. I love fast racing and I love quick E.T.s and big speeds.”
Strange Engineering Backs Sportsman Racers at World Doorslammer Nationals
Driveline component manufacturer also presenting DI Behind-the-Scenes videos
ORLANDO – In support of its diehard sportsman racing customers, Strange Engineering has stepped up as the 
presenting sponsor of the sportsman classes at the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing, race officials announced today. The driveline and suspension component manufacturer is also sponsoring Drag Illustrated’s behind-the-scenes social media video clips from the race.
The World Doorslammer Nationals, March 6-8 at Orlando Speed World Dragway, features Pro Stock and Pro Mod racers competing for more than $300,000 in prize money. But the race also includes C&C Pumping Pro 632, as well as sportsman racing in Thrift Motorsports Top Sportsman, and BLP Extreme Performance Super Pro and Pro ET.
“The sportsman racers have been our primary focus for as long as I can remember,” said J.C. Cascio, sales manager, Strange Engineering. “They’re by far the largest group of racers and they provide us the most feedback. As we evolve our product line, it’s based on the feedback from our sportsman racers. We’ve been associated with a lot of sportsman racers over the years.”
Diamond Pistons Announced as Major Event Sponsor for World Doorslammer Nationals
ORLANDO – Diamond Pistons, a leading manufacturer of racing pistons, is the latest high-performance 
manufacturer to sign on as an event sponsor of the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing, race officials announced today.
The World Doorslammer Nationals, March 6-8 at Orlando Speed World Dragway, will pay $75,000 to the winner in Pro Stock and $50,000 to the Pro Mod victor. Top-tier teams in both classes utilize Diamond Pistons products in their race engines.
“Doorslammer drag racing has always been at the heart of Diamond,” said Mark Gearhart, director of content, Race Winning Brands. “It’s a no-brainer to support an event that will showcase some of the finest examples at the World Doorslammer Nationals.”
Philadelphia Racing Products Named Sponsor for Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals Presented by CTech Manufacturing
ORLANDO – It was announced today that Philadelphia Racing Products, a leading high-performance racing parts 
manufacturer, will be a sponsor for this weekend’s Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing.
The inaugural event takes place Friday through Sunday at Orlando Speed World Dragway, offering a purse of more than $300,000 to the biggest stars in Pro Stock and Pro Mod. For PRP, the highly-anticipated event marked an ideal opportunity to get their brand in front of racers and the massive fanbase expected to attend the history-making race.
“I think this race is a great idea and we’re thrilled to be part of it,” PRP’s Richard Schonberger said. “At Philadelphia Racing Products, we believe in this race and we’re excited to see it come together. There are a lot of these types of races with big payouts in other classes, so it’s great to see this happen in Pro Stock and Pro Mod. Events like this are what fans like to see, and I think the place is going to be packed. It’s going to be great.”
