Just three weeks after finishing its inaugural season, the WDRA reveals the Summit Bracket Finals and Summit World Championship race schedules for 2024

SPRINGFIELD, IL – After a highly successful first season, the World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) is excited to release the 2024 Summit Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports event schedule.

Returning sponsors, Summit Racing Equipment and Laris Motorsports Insurance, will again support the five-event series which will take place on five consecutive weekends.  The series kicks off with the Midwest Bracket Finals at Eddyville Raceway Park on September 5-8, followed by a stop at Keystone Raceway Park on September 12-15 for the Eastern Bracket Finals. US 131 Motorsports Park will welcome the Northern Bracket Finals competitors September 19-22, 2024. The WDRA team will then venture South for the last two events, both of which will be contested at new host facilities. The Southern Bracket Finals will run at Montgomery International Dragway September 26-29, followed by the Southeast Bracket Finals at Union Dragway on October 3-6, 2024.

“It was great to have a lot of the racers come to us with positive comments on the $3K-$5K-$5K race formats the WDRA created for the Bracket Finals,” said Skooter Peaco while representing the WDRA.  “No one has ever put together that kind of high-paying event package for a Bracket Finals, so it was nice that we could pull that off in our first season.”

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WDRA releases the National Top Ten standings for the Box, No Box, Sportsman, and Junior Dragster classes following the WDRA Summit World Championships presented by SunCoast Performance 

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The WDRA has crowned its inaugural Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series World Champions and is now proud to release the national top ten standings. These 2023 rankings reflect the driver’s performance and overall finish at the Summit World Championships. In some cases, positions were determined by the best losing package of that round to determine final positions.

A total of nineteen different tracks had drivers finish in the top ten with five tracks (Farmington, Darlington, Empire, Prescott, and Union) placing three drivers in the top ten. Another five tracks (Mid-Michigan, US 131, Kinston, North Florida, and Eddyville) placed two of their racers in the top ten. Six drivers who won their respective class at a Summit Bracket Finals event went on to finish in the top ten with two from the Midwest and two from the Southeast event leading the pack.

The state of Michigan staked its claim as the top bracket racing state thanks to the performance of Mid Michigan Motorplex and US 131 Motorsports Park racers. Both tracks boasted World Championship titles (in Junior Dragster and No Box) and captured second place in the Box and Junior classes. (other classes below the page break)

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Matthew McDaniel becomes the 2023 WDRA Summit Box World Champion during the inaugural event at Darlington Dragway

SPRINGFIELD, IL – When referring to World Championships, Matthew McDaniel can boast about his perfect record as he claimed the 2023 WDRA Summit Box World Championship presented by SunCoast Performance during his first attempt at a world title. McDaniel is no stranger to winning on the first try as the decorated racer kicked off his success with a Division 9 Top Dragster championship during his first year of racing, in 2005.

Throughout eighteen seasons of competition, McDaniel has accumulated race wins and cash prizes at various racetracks in the southeast and even earned a repeat Top Dragster division championship in 2016. After years of racing as much as possible, McDaniel’s weekend schedule lately has been filled with tee-ball practice and games in support of his five-year-old son, Malaki. In fact, due to managing his business and unforeseen circumstances at his home track, Farmington Dragway, McDaniel didn’t have many opportunities to compete before the biggest race of the year. He explains, “I won the first race at Farmington, which ended up being the only one when they ran into an issue while repaving the top end. I have barely raced with them being closed all season and was surprised when they said the WDRA was going to let us have a team at the Bracket Finals. I’m thankful the WDRA allowed us to compete when they didn’t have to.”

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Donnie Hagar continues his winning streak by claiming the 2023 WDRA Summit No Box World Championship during the inaugural event

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Just five weeks after taking the internet by storm with his win at one of the longest-running big money bracket races in history, Donnie Hagar returns to the headlines as the first WDRA Summit No Box World Champion. Hagar’s recent success made him an overnight sensation with various drag racing media sources reaching out for interviews and even professional Top Fuel driver, Clay Millican, mentioning him in a post-race interview.

However, his skill behind the wheel is nothing new for competitors and friends at his local racetracks. The soft-spoken Michigan native secured his spot at the exclusive WDRA Summit World Championships presented by SunCoast Performance via his second consecutive No Box track championship at US 131 Motorsports Park.

As the very definition of a weekend warrior, Hagar hopped into his 352,000-mile Chevy Silverado for the twelve-hour haul down to Darlington Dragway with his ’72 Vega on an open trailer in the rearview mirror. After arriving, he proceeded to win eleven straight rounds over two days to collect the Laris Motorsports Insurance Free $5K prize on Friday and the WDRA Summit No Box World Champion title on Saturday.

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Robbie Philbeck becomes the 2023 WDRA Summit Sportsman World Champion over the weekend at Darlington Dragway

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Sportsman category is the only true non-electronic class in the WDRA and provides drivers an outlet to footbrake off the bottom bulb with an elapsed time restriction of 7.50 seconds and slower.  Racetracks can advertise Sportsman as somewhat of a middle ground class- giving the opportunity for new racers to get their bearings in bracket racing while seasoned drivers albeit on the slower side of the field, also compete for the lucrative end-of-year prizes. Sportsman drivers must compete without the aid of starting line enhancers, transbrakes, two-steps, nitrous, electric shifters, electronic throttle stops, and of course delay boxes are prohibited.

Although the class is still growing and may be a relatively new addition to many racetracks, doubting the talent within the Sportsman ranks would be a mistake, especially with ten thousand dollars on the line. Exhibit A would be the 2023 WDRA Sportsman World Champion, Robbie Philbeck. Throughout five rounds of cutthroat competition during the WDRA Summit World Championships presented by SunCoast Performance Philbeck managed a .007 average reaction time, omitting the .015 red light behind his opponent in the semifinal.

The forty-three-year-old Grover, North Carolina native first began racing at an outlaw track at the tender age of twelve in his father’s 1976 Camaro and drove for about nine years before taking a three-year hiatus. Continue reading →

Alex Selleck not only becomes the first WDRA Summit Junior Dragster World Champion but bracket racing’s youngest World Champion to date

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Due to the intricate nature of the sport, it often takes years for a newcomer to master the consistency, discipline, and focus required to become successful. On the other hand, occasionally a driver bursts onto the scene seemingly unstoppable and equipped with a natural talent. Alex Selleck, from Ionia, Michigan, is most certainly the second type of competitor as he became the 2023 WDRA Summit Junior Dragster World Champion at only eight years old.

Technically, Selleck’s extracurricular activity should count as extra credit as the third grade student spends his weekends adding up the total package on his time slip, multiplying his winnings, and subtracting his competition from the next round. The 2023 season was only his second behind the wheel, but it also resulted in his second consecutive Junior Dragster Track Championship at Mid Michigan Motorplex in the seven to nine year old class. Selleck earned this year’s championship after picking up eight wins and one runner up during the eighteen-race points chase. Since Mid Michigan separates their junior class by age groups, all three champions then ran head-to-head with Selleck winning both rounds and therefore the rights to represent his track at the 2023 WDRA Summit World Championships.

Mid Michigan Motorplex track operator, Mike Ledford, expressed confidence in the young Selleck’s ability to represent his track. He said, “He made good runs all day and put the pressure on the competition. Well-deserved and the kid made no mistakes all day.”

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Donnie Hagar, Matthew McDaniel, Alex Selleck, and Robbie Philbeck earn the inaugural WDRA Summit World Championship titles at Darlington Dragway

DARLINGTON, SC – An elite field of racers traveling from across the United States and Canada converge in South Carolina to add their names to bracket racing history by conquering the first World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) Summit World Championships presented by SunCoast Performance. Summit Racing Equipment is the title sponsor for the quarter million dollar Sportsman Drag Racing Series which rewards local bracket racers who qualify to compete at the end-of-the-year championship event. Every qualifier receives $500 cash to aid in offsetting the travel costs and each round the payouts multiply eventually reaching thousands of dollars in each class. Box and No Box champions earn $20,000 each while the Sportsman and Junior Dragster champions leave with $10,000 each.

Clear blue skies, sunshine, and a steady wind spread throughout the host track, Darlington Dragway, on Saturday as drivers prepared for five rounds of competition where each opponent had already accumulated the word Champion on their racing resume. WDRA President, Skooter Peaco, explains the skill it takes to qualify for the WDRA Summit World Championships by saying, “The amount of talent gathered together this weekend from across the US and Canada is incredible. We founded the WDRA to specifically support the bracket racers and the tracks they call home. This weekend was a dream realized for us and a lot of memories were made for our racers and their families.”

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Sobczynski, Hagar, Brooks, and Laffoon earn $5,000 victories on Friday during the WDRA Summit World Championships presented by SunCoast Performance

DARLINGTON, SC – A little over nine months after inception, the World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) gathered at Darlington Dragway for the last event of its inaugural season. The WDRA Summit World Championship presented by SunCoast Performance is an invitation-only event consisting of Sportsman Drag Racing Series champions and Bracket Finals main event winners, in other words, the best of the best.

Thursday featured a test and tune session for everyone in attendance followed by a pit vehicle race. A sibling rivalry played out in the final round when John Varner representing Gulfport Dragway took the $300 win over his sister, Grace, who picked up $200 while representing for North Florida Motorplex. Mason Crews and Kadden Collins with Darlington Dragway were the semifinalists.

Friday featured $5,000 to win races in four categories with no entry fee for the competitors. Title sponsors for each class were American Race Cars for Box, Laris Motorsports Insurance for No Box, Renegade Race Fuels for Sportsman, and Wild Willy Fuel Fragrance for the Junior Dragsters. After completing the time trial and nearly first round, a rainstorm created a pause in the program, but the clouds eventually parted, and the track was restored to racing conditions.

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The WDRA Summit Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance are complete after the Southeast event was contested at Darlington Dragway

DARLINGTON, SC – After crowning champions in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Mississippi, the World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) team traveled to the Southeast in preparation for the last two events of their inaugural season. Darlington Dragway would first welcome the WDRA Summit Racing Equipment Southeast Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance where the best of the best racers from eight regional racetracks competed for numerous awards throughout the weekend. Those racetracks were Cherokee Race Park, Coastal Plains Dragway, Darlington Dragway, Farmington Dragway, Greer Dragway, Kinston Drag Strip, Union County Dragway, and Ware Shoals Dragway.

Over the course of three days, racers were rewarded with their share of over $56,000 in total payouts as well as gift certificates, the coveted WDRA Rod trophy, WDRA Champion Cards, and the opportunity to compete at the WDRA Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series World Championships presented by Suncoast Performance.

Eager and early arriving racers were rewarded with a test and tune session on Thursday, while most of the field rolled through the gates by Friday morning. The first group of drivers who wheeled their way into the winner’s circle were greeted with a $3,000 purse in the Box and No Box classes while Sportsman and Junior Dragster winners took home a healthy portion of the proceeds.

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