TEXAS MOTORPLEX NABS MULTIPLE INAUGURAL DRAG ILLUSTRATED AWARDS NOMINATIONS

ENNIS, TX – Texas Motorplex, the home of the Stampede of Speed, as well as a host of additional significant drag racing and concert events has garnered several nominations today as part of the inaugural Drag Illustrated Awards. Along with the Racer of the Year, Drag Illustrated will reveal the winners in 14 other categories during the DI Awards show streamed live on Thursday, February 3 at 6:30 p.m. Central on the Drag Illustrated Facebookand YouTube pages. The winners will also be featured in the new Racer of the Year Issue launching in early February.

The famed all-concrete race track was recognized in the Pass of the Year category for Brittany Force’s 3.637 at 335 mph run in Top Fuel at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals. The Stampede of Speed and NHRA Texas Fall Nationals was nominated for Race of the Year. Promoter of the Year nominees include Andy Carter, Texas Motorplex General Manager, and the facility itself was nominated as Track of the Year.

“Our editorial team spent a lot of time narrowing down these categories and choosing the most deserving nominees,” said Wes Buck, founder and editorial director, Drag Illustrated. “We tried to cover as many bases as possible by highlighting the people, places, and experiences that made 2021 such an incredible year for the sport of drag racing.”

“This is a tremendous honor for Texas Motorplex and our whole team,” said Texas Motorplex co-owner Christie Meyer Johnson. “The Motorplex is where speed was born, and we pride ourselves on being innovative and fan-friendly. The Stampede of Speed was a huge event for us and the sport of drag racing. For over 30 years we have been producing record runs and record crowds and we have to thank the entire Drag Illustrated staff and editorial department for honoring us with these nominations.”

A complete list of all the 2022 DI Awards Nominees is below.

Racer of the Year: Ryan Martin, Greg Anderson, Todd Tutterow, Steve Torrence, and Matt Smith

Sportsman Racer of the Year: Luke Bogacki, Jeff Serra, Tyler Bohannon, Sean Bellemeur, and Christopher Dodd

Outlaw Racer of the Year: Manny Buginga, Stevie Jackson, Tim Essick, Ken Quartuccio, and Rob Goss

Breakout Racer of the Year: Lyle Barnett, Kyle Koretsky, Dallas Glenn, Josh Hart, and Justin Swanstrom

Pass of the Year: Brittany Force’s 3.637 at 335 mph in Top Fuel at Texas NHRA FallNationals, Todd Tutterow’s 3.58 at 211 mph in Outlaw Pro Mod at U.S. Street Nationals, Daniel Pharris’ 3.49 in Radial vs. the World at Lights Out, Manny Buginga’s 5.75 in Outlaw vs. Extreme at World Cup Finals, John DeFlorian’s 4.000 in Extreme Pro Stock at PDRA World Finals

Race of the Year: NHRA Texas FallNationals/Stampede of Speed, PDRA World Finals, 50th Annual Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, NHRA Gatornationals, World Doorslammer Nationals

Crew of the Year: Fireball Racing, KB Racing, GALOT Motorsports, the “Capco Boys,” Elite Motorsports

Tuner of the Year: Jeff Pierce, Brandon Switzer, Steve Petty, Bobby Lagana, Jake Hairston

John Force Showmanship Award: Scott Palmer, Alex Laughlin, Stevie “Fast” Jackson, Matt Hagan, Lyle Barnett

Special Award for Ambassadors to the Sport of Drag Racing: Dr. Jamie Meyer, Brian Lohnes, Clay Millican, Ron Capps, Jim Hughes

Promoter of the Year: Andy Carter, Victor Alvarez, Tyler Crossnoe, Bill Bader, Sam Korkis

Track of the Year: Texas Motorplex, Bradenton Motorsports Park, Summit Motorsports Park, Virginia Motorsports Park, Bandimere Speedway

Moment of the Year: Bruno Massel vs. Mason McGaha Staging Duel at Topeka, Lyle Barnett Wins in NHRA Pro Mod at Dallas, Justin Kirk Wins in XPS at Bowling Green, John and Brittany Force Win Together at Topeka, Troy Coughlin Jr. Defeats Greg Anderson at Las Vegas, JR Todd’s Throttle Whack to Stage at Indy

Rivalry of the Year: Matt Smith Racing vs. Vance & Hines, John Force vs. Matt Hagan, Jim Halsey vs. Tommy Franklin, KB Racing vs. Elite Motorsports, Justin Swanstrom vs. Everyone but Team X

Social Media Influencer of the Year: Justin Swanstrom, Alex Taylor, Clay Millican, Leah Pruett, Alex Laughlin