Drag Illustrated
Jerry Bickel Race Cars Partners With Drag Illustrated Winter Series To Launch JBRC No. 1 Qualifier Bonus & Jerry Bickel Clean Sweep Challenge For 2025-26 Winter Series
BRADENTON, FL – Drag Illustrated and Jerry Bickel Race Cars have teamed up to deliver one of the most significant performance-based 
incentive programs in the history of Pro Modified drag racing, announcing today the launch of the JBRC No. 1 Qualifier Bonus and Jerry Bickel Clean Sweep Challenge for the 2025-26 Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service. The program designates Jerry Bickel Race Cars as the official qualifying partner of the Winter Series Pro Mod championship and introduces a level of reward and recognition previously unseen in the sport.
As part of the initiative, JBRC will award $5,000 to the No. 1 qualifier at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, $7,500 at the U.S. Street Nationals, and $10,000 at the World Series of Pro Mod – a total of $22,500 in qualifying bonuses across the three events.
The headline feature of the program, the Jerry Bickel Clean Sweep Challenge, offers an unprecedented prize: if a driver earns the No. 1 qualifying position in Pro Mod at all three Winter Series events, that racer will receive a brand-new Jerry Bickel Race Cars Pro Mod rolling chassis, estimated at more than $200,000. Continue reading
Reigning WSOPM Champion Steve King Fired Up For Snowbird Outlaw Nationals
BRADENTON, FL – After a career-best season that saw Steve King race to victory at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod and the 
Yellowbullet Nationals, the Virginia native is hoping for a victorious 2025 season finale at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks, Dec. 5-7, at Bradenton Motorsports Park. Serving as the kickoff to the three-race Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service, the Snowbirds will feature more than 80 Pro Mod drivers attempting to qualify for the $50,000-to-win, 32-car field.
Earlier this year, King defeated two-time NHRA Pro Mod world champion Stevie “Fast” Jackson in the $150,000 final round at the World Series of Pro Mod, the Winter Series finale. That performance put King and the Gene Pilot-owned “Savage” Corvette in the headlines and earned him a spot in the 2025/2026 Winter Series. King will go head-to-head with other major race winners, world champions, record holders, and fan favorites from drag racing’s numerous niches.
“We all want to be the best in the world, and if you’re going to be the best in the world, you have got to race against the best guys and girls, and that’s what’s at the Winter Series,” King said. “We’re talking about 80-plus cars from across the world. We’re not just talking about the East Coast and West Coast. We’re talking across the world. If you want to be the best in the world, you’ve got to beat every single one of those guys because they’re coming to chop everybody’s head off.” Continue reading
Pro 10.5 Challenge Expands to Complete Three-Race Drag Illustrated Winter Series
BRADENTON, FL – Following successful campaigns at the 2024 and 2025 Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod events, race officials 
announced today the expansion of the Pro 10.5 Challenge to include the other two races in the 2025-2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series at Bradenton Motorsports Park. The Pro 10.5 category will now compete at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks in December and the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission in January before a dramatic finale at the World Series of Pro Mod in February.
“Pro 10.5 is an ideal supporting class to run alongside our headlining Pro Modified program in the DI Winter Series,” said Wes Buck, founder of Drag Illustrated and promoter of the Winter Series. “Outlaw 10.5-style racing has seen a serious resurgence in recent years, largely due to the incredible competition happening in PDRA Pro Street. Like Pro Mod, this class is filled with talented, fearless drivers, championship-level, record-setting tuners, and top-notch equipment. The Pro 10.5 Challenge has delivered some memorable moments at the WSOPM these last two years, and we can’t wait to see even more of those moments now that Pro 10.5 is a part of the whole three-race Winter Series.” Continue reading
Drag Illustrated Partners with Werner Communications to Take Winter Series and Elite Motorsports Million to Mainstream Sports Stage
DALLAS – Drag Illustrated has announced a new partnership with Werner Communications, a leading public relations and event 
management firm with over 30 years of experience, to bring the 2025-2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series – including the groundbreaking $1,000,000 Elite Motorsports Million – to the forefront of the mainstream sports conversation.
The Winter Series, which features three marquee events at Bradenton Motorsports Park, has already become one of the most talked-about attractions in drag racing. The addition of the Elite Motorsports Million – the largest performance-based bonus in drag racing history – has elevated the stakes and created one of the most compelling storylines in all of motorsports: win all three Pro Mod events and take home a life-changing seven-figure payday.
For Werner Communications founder Elon Werner, the project aligns perfectly with his company’s mission.
“The opportunity to work with Drag Illustrated to promote the Winter Series is exactly why I founded Werner Communications,” said Werner. “Our over 30 years of public relations, communications and event management experience is designed to make series and events like the Winter Series and the Elite Motorsports Million signature events in the sports universe. The leadership of Wes Buck and his team combined with Werner Communications contacts and skillset in event operations will go hand in hand to make sure every sponsor and racer receive maximum exposure before, during and after the series. Being able to promote the Elite Motorsports Million is a unique opportunity to be part of spreading the word for a game-changing moment in drag racing.” Continue reading
Drag Illustrated Winter Series, Bradenton Motorsports Park Introduce Elite Motorsports Million
Game-Changing $1,000,000 Clean Sweep Bonus Ups the Ante for Pro Mod Racing
BRADENTON, FL – Drag Illustrated is proud to announce the Elite Motorsports Million, a landmark $1,000,000 bonus awarded to any Pro 
Modified driver who can win all three races of the 2025-2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
This unprecedented prize represents the largest single-performance-based payout in drag racing history, raising the stakes for the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals (Dec. 5–7, 2025), U.S. Street Nationals (Jan. 23–25, 2026), and the World Series of Pro Mod (Feb. 26–28, 2026).
“This is about changing the trajectory of our sport,” said Wes Buck, founder of Drag Illustrated and architect of the Winter Series. “For too long, drag racers – legends and champions – have had to downplay their winnings when talking to peers in other forms of motorsports. That ends now. Drag racing deserves big numbers, and a million-dollar prize does more than get attention – it gets results. It motivates teams. It inspires dreams. And it tells the world we mean business.” Continue reading
Drag Illustrated, Bradenton Motorsports Park Announce Dates For 2025-2026 Winter Series Presented By J&A Service
BRADENTON, FL – Following a wildly successful debut season that captured the attention of the drag racing world, Drag Illustrated and 
Bradenton Motorsports Park are proud to announce the dates for the second annual Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service. The three-race Pro Modified series returns to Florida’s Gulf Coast with events scheduled as follows:
Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks — December 5-7, 2025
U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission — January 23-25, 2026
Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod — February 26-28, 2026
Collectively paying out more than $300,000 in Pro Mod purses alone, the Winter Series has quickly become the premier offseason championship in professional drag racing. Continue reading
World Series of Pro Mod Champion Steve King Appears on Cover of Drag Illustrated’s WSOPM Issue
FT. WORTH, TX – Steve King, winner of the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod, is the cover star of Drag Illustrated’s May/June Issue, 
which offers an extensive look back at the $150,000-to-win event at Bradenton Motorsports Park. The World Series of Pro Mod Issue is a commemorative edition looking back at the final race of the inaugural Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service, a three-race Pro Modified series that featured championship drivers from across drag racing’s many corners. The digital edition is out now, while print copies will hit mailboxes in mid-June.
In addition to the cover story on King, the WSOPM Issue includes a major feature on Ken Quartuccio, who won the inaugural DI Winter Series championship, which came with a $25,000 bonus, a championship ring, custom trophy, and more. The issue also contains features on the biggest stars and storylines of the WSOPM and the Winter Series as a whole.
“The inaugural Drag Illustrated Winter Series – culminating in the sixth running of the World Series of Pro Mod – was a massive undertaking for our whole team, so it’s fitting that we’re looking back on it all in one our largest issues ever,” said Wes Buck, Founder and Editorial Director of Drag Illustrated and WSOPM promoter. “Since 2017, we’ve billed the World Series of Pro Mod as the ‘Biggest, Richest Pro Mod Race in the History of the Known Universe.’ This year’s race took that to a new level – 80 drivers fighting for a spot in the 32-car field to compete for the $150,000 prize. It was a historic weekend with some incredible stories, and we’ve fit as many of them as possible into this WSOPM Issue.” Continue reading
Drag Illustrated Unveils Groundbreaking Pound-for-Pound Pro Mod Rankings Powered by AI Innovation
FT. WORTH, TX – Drag Illustrated is shaking up drag racing with the debut of the Drag Illustrated Pound-for-Pound Pro Mod Rankings, a 
Top 20 showdown that crowns the fiercest drivers across NHRA, PDRA, DI Winter Series, MWDRS, and beyond. Powered by advanced artificial intelligence from xAI and blended with the grit of Pro Mod’s sharpest insiders, this bigger, bolder list is built to spark debates, celebrate stars, and keep the sport roaring 365 days a year.
Unveiled today, the inaugural Top 20 packs a punch—Ken Quartuccio, Mike Stavrinos, Melanie Salemi, and Steve Jackson lead a stacked field, now joined by names like Erica Enders and Ty Tutterow. Fueled by xAI’s Grok, the system crunches race data—wins, reaction times, and more—while a soon-to-be-named panel adds the human edge that makes Pro Mod tick. It’s a formula that speaks to gearheads and new fans alike, showing who rules the eighth-mile, quarter-mile, and every track in between.
“Numbers cut through the noise,” said Wes Buck, Drag Illustrated Founder and Editorial Director. “NHRA’s best, PDRA’s finest, our Winter Series killers—folks want to know who’s No. 1. These Top 20 rankings make it dead simple for casual fans to get why Pro Mod’s the wildest game in racing, like Alabama vs. Notre Dame. Our hardcore crowd? They’ll be arguing this list over beers all year.” Continue reading
Mark Micke Extends No. 1 Qualifying Streak to Lead Record Field at World Series of Pro Mod
BRADENTON, FL – After five thrilling Pro Modified qualifying sessions, Mark Micke claimed the $10,000 low qualifier bonus Friday night 
at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod, the final race of the DI Winter Series presented by J&A Service, at Bradenton Motorsports Park. Micke’s 3.575-second pass from Friday’s fourth qualifying session was enough to keep him and his twin-turbocharged M&M Transmission ’69 Camaro at the top of the quickest 32-car Pro Mod field in drag racing history. Three-time PDRA Pro Nitrous champion Tommy Franklin is the No. 32 qualifier with a 3.637-second effort.
2024 NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock world champion and two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion Johnny Pluchino maintained his No. 1 position in the third annual Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational in his Ross Environmental Services ’13 Mustang. John Carinci claimed his No. 1 spot Friday night under the lights in the second annual Pro 10.5 Challenge in his turbocharged 2004 Corvette.
Friday also saw the final qualifying session for the sportsman classes, the second annual Intercontinental Top Sportsman and Intercontinental Top Dragster Championships. Friday’s provisional No. 1 qualifiers, Glenn Butcher in Top Sportsman and Russ Whitlock in Top Dragster, held on to their top spots. Continue reading
Ken Quartuccio Continues Reign With Provisional No. 1 Spot Thursday at World Series of Pro Mod
BRADENTON, FL – U.S. Street Nationals winner and current Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service points leader Ken 
Quartuccio continued his torrid streak on Thursday night at Bradenton Motorsports Park, earning the World Series of Pro Mod provisional No. 1 qualifying spot in Pro Modified with a 3.596 elapsed time at 207.69 mph. Quartuccio leads a group of 80 drivers attempting to qualify for the $150,000-to-win, 32-car field.
The WSOPM weekend also includes the third annual Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational and the second annual Pro 10.5 Challenge. 2024 NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock world champion and two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion Johnny Pluchino is the provisional No. 1 qualifier in Mountain Motor Pro Stock, while Joel Wensley Jr. is on top in the Pro 10.5 Challenge.
Sportsman racing is also represented with the second annual Intercontinental Top Sportsman Championship and the second annual Intercontinental Top Dragster Championship. Reigning PDRA Top Sportsman world champion Glenn Butcher (Top Sportsman) and Russ Whitlock (Top Dragster) are the provisional low qualifiers after their first qualifying session. Continue reading
