Drag Strips

Brayden Davis may have seemed like an overnight success story to casual drag racing fans when he burst onto the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series scene as the rider of Vance & Hines Motorsports’ rental bike in Pro Stock Motorcycle this season. But anyone who follows motorcycle drag racing knows Davis has been training for this opportunity since he was old enough to consider the possibility of someday competing in a professional class.  Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in

At just 22, Bryce Micke is helping carry one of drag racing’s most respected family names into the next generation. As a key crew member on Mark Micke’s twin-turbo M&M Transmission ’69 Camaro, Bryce plays a hands-on role in one of the most talked-about programs in Pro Mod. When he’s not helping his uncle chase wins at the biggest Pro Mod events in the country, he’s behind the wheel of his own turbocharged Top Dragster – or back home at M&M Transmission, machining, welding, and learning t

At 30 years old, Devin Grace has already lived several lives in drag racing: racer, fabricator, tuner, and business owner. He’s won major no-prep and small-tire events, built one-of-a-kind race cars from the ground up, and earned the respect of his peers through work ethic and ingenuity. But ask him about it, and he’ll downplay it all. “I can’t say that I’ve done anything fantastic in my opinion,” Grace says. “But I think I’ve done a few cool things.” Editor’s Note: This story originally appear

Drag racing is often an inherited life, with recent years seeing the habit in some families stretch four generations deep. For young Jack Line, it isn’t just a passion for quarter-mile competition that runs rich in his blood, it’s a deep drive to dig into what makes it all come together. Unafraid of hard work and, in fact, completely oblivious as to how a sedentary lifestyle is even possible, Line has etched his own name in motorsports. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #19

Jack Roberts may not have grown up in drag racing like so many of the other honorees who appear on the 30 Under 30 List, but he’s become fully entrenched in the sport as a rising star tuner, specifically in the world of small-tire no-prep racing. Roberts and his Squirrel Tuned brand have put drivers like Chase Womack into the winner’s circle at major events in recent months, and if Roberts has his way, he’s just getting started. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 U

When Jeff Kline first started taking photos of race cars at his local Cecil County Dragway, he had no idea that his obsessive interest in drag racing could someday lead to a career in the sport. But by following his passion and refining his craft over the last 10 years, he’s had the opportunity to shoot some of the biggest races in doorslammer racing, all while working with industry-leading brands and drivers he grew up idolizing.  Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, th

Joel Wensley Jr. was 14 when he began going to the track with his father, Joel Sr., to help his uncle, Bill Stetz, campaign his drag bike. He was enthralled by the entire experience, from the revving engines to the racing excitement, and he was immediately inspired to immerse himself in the magnetizing world of motorsports. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025. He was given the opportunity to dive in deeper when his f

For John Vergotz Jr., drag racing has always been part of life. His father, veteran nitrous Pro Mod driver John Vergotz, has long been a fixture in doorslammer racing and now competes in PDRA Pro Nitrous, IHRA Pro Nitrous, and other eighth-mile Pro Mod events with a Pat Musi–powered ’69 Camaro. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025.  “I was introduced to the racetrack only a couple weeks after I was born,” he says. “My dad wa

At 29 years old, Johnny “Lil JT” Thompson Jr. is living two racing careers at once. He’s the driver of the “Lil Fugitive” ’04 Mustang Cobra, a nitrous-fed, small-block-powered no-time car, and he’s the crew chief and tuner for the “Big Fugitive” Pro Mod driven by his father, longtime Mississippi racer JT Thompson. Together, the father-and-son team has become one of the most respected duos in Southern no-time and Pro Mod competition. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the

Kyle Wade, the racer and fabricator behind the massively popular BoostedBoiz YouTube channel – now at 1.45 million subscribers – has turned unlikely platforms like a Honda Civic, Toyota MR2, and even a Honda Odyssey minivan into fan-favorite, record-setting machines. But the numbers only tell part of the story.  Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025. “I’ve always loved cars,” Wade says. “I remember just watching videos

Lainey Abney’s path to the driver’s seat wasn’t traditional. Jr. Dragsters weren’t her thing, and she instead opted for a 110cc dirt bike to get experience going down the dragstrip. She estimates she’s made a thousand passes on the dirt bike starting at age 11. Now 21, she races in Lil Gangstas and True Street in her turbocharged, LS-powered ‘06 Mustang, turning on win lights while hoping to inspire the next wave of young girls interested in the sport.  Editor’s Note: This story originally a

At 26, Megan Taylor has already become one of the most trusted creative voices in the performance and drag-and-drive world. As the younger sister of driver, builder, and TV personality Alex Taylor, Megan has spent the last decade documenting the story of her family’s racing journey through a camera lens. Starting in the drag-and-drive world and expanding into the No Prep Kings scene and beyond, Taylor has used her talents to capture moments that few others even notice. Editor’s Note: This story

She denied it as long as she could, but the urge to drive a Top Alcohol Dragster was part of Melanie Johnson’s DNA. While other kids her age were playing with toys at the back of the suite in the tower, the young daughter of revered champion NHRA crew chief Alan Johnson was perched at the window, watching the well-orchestrated moves of the teams and the powerful runs that their thunderous race cars produced. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in

Drag racing wasn’t something Mellie Snedeker was born into – it was something she discovered, chased, and built a life around. Now 29, she’s carved out a space in the creative side of the sport, using photography, writing, and social media to tell the stories behind some of drag racing’s biggest moments. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025.  Snedeker’s father and brother had an interest in cars, and the family had an old Mo

Growing up in Odessa, Texas, Mikel McQueen didn’t have many distractions – just baseball, work, wide-open spaces, and drag racing. Now 24, he’s become one of the most accomplished young bracket racers in the region, collecting wins and championships at a rapid pace. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025. McQueen’s path started generations before he ever sat in a car. His great-grandfather helped fund the construction of the l

If you’ve ever been staring through a windshield onto the open racetrack ahead, you understand how drag racing can extend a few intense seconds into a lifelong memory. For those lucky enough to be caught in the crosshairs of Robert Richard’s viewfinder, that millisecond of action will be expertly immortalized in an effort to transport you right back into the driver’s seat. And the 21-year-old professional photographer wouldn’t have it any other way, because the most unexpected shot is absolutely

For Samuel Peterson, drag racing is the only life he’s ever known. The 24-year-old track prep specialist and event promoter based out of Michigan has been immersed in the sport thanks to a deeply rooted family legacy that stretches across multiple generations of dragstrip operators. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025. “Before I was born, my mom and dad worked at Rockingham Dragway,” Peterson says. “My grandpa, Steve Earwoo

For Uniontown, Ohio’s Scott Chitty, drag racing is not just a pastime, it’s a way of life. Following in the footsteps of his father, Terry Chitty, who ran NMCA Nostalgia Pro Street for many years, Scott began racing Jr. Dragsters at eight years old. From that point forward, he spent countless weekends traveling with his parents, competing, and forming lifelong friendships along the way.  Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 202

At just 21 years old, Scotty Kruck has already established a reputation as a driver and tuner in the world of small-tire index racing and grudge racing. Rising out of the Jr. Dragster ranks like many racers of his generation, Kruck has emerged as one of the most formidable contenders in the increasingly popular Lil Gangstas class. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025. Kruck raced Jr. Dragsters until he was 13, at which point

At just 27 years old, Sydney Marshall is already the face of a new generation in drag racing. He grew up at the racetrack, learned every inch of it from the ground up, and now runs one of the most active racetracks in Florida – Orlando Speed World Dragway. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025.  Growing up in central Florida, Marshall spent his earliest weekends at the track, tagging along as his father raced in local bracket

A third-generation drag racer, Taylor Strange grew up immersed in the sport, as his grandfather raced at the outlaw George Ray’s Wildcat Dragstrip in Arkansas and his father carried the family tradition forward. Strange is also a driver, but his most rewarding moments in the sport have come as a crew member helping family-based team succeed in drag racing’s highest levels. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025.  Strange start

When Trevor and Jordan Manton talk about family, business, and drag racing, the three threads are impossible to separate. For the brothers behind Manton Pushrods and Manton Rocker Arms, their lives have been shaped by a lineage that stretches from the lunar missions of the 1960s to the quickest doorslammers on the planet. Their grandfather, Noel Manton, and father, Terry Manton, laid the foundation of a family company that became synonymous with precision, craftsmanship, and innovation in v

In June 2022, Zane Diamond-Odell stepped into the world of drag racing with no real plan, some training from a couple technical schools, and no idea how fast his life was about to change. A car guy since childhood, Diamond-Odell got a call from Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings star Kye Kelley offering him a position on his team. Diamond-Odell took the opportunity and has been on a whirlwind tour ever since. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in Nove

When 2025 Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 honoree Austin Kardules’ name was drawn in the Lincoln Electric drawing during last year’s DI 30 Under 30 press conference at the PRI Show, Kardules couldn’t believe his luck. He’d grown up around talented fabricators and had recently started to explore learning how to weld. The Lincoln Electric prize package – which included a Lincoln Power MIG 220 welder, a Lincoln Welding Gear Ready-Pak, and a five-day course at Lincoln’s Welding School near Cleveland, O

“Are you kidding me?” Del Worsham asks himself, as the reality begins to set in. “Is this really happening?” He’s all of two races into his brand-new gig as the driver of the second Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel Dragster and it suddenly seems to be going better than anything in his entire 21-year racing career had. His extremely unfortunate first-ever final-round opponent in Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher, won’t make this easy, and there’s a chance, albeit a slight one, that Worsham’s not quite ready for