Despite Adversity, Brad McBride Scores First Championship
If you had seen Brad McBride’s PDRA Super Street Volkswagen after the most recent race at Bristol Dragway, you would probably have counted him as done for the season. The 1963 VW Fastback received some heavy damage after sliding down the track on its roof, which was a result of an extreme wheelie incident. When the team left Bristol, they found themselves in a predicament. Not only were they in the top 10 in PDRA Super Street points, but they were also sitting third in VW Heritage Series Pro Outlaw points, only 10 points from the points leader, Reggie Lee. What did McBride do? He went to work.
With just three weeks til the final VW Heritage Series event, the McBride team had to find a donor car, swap and mount a body, and repair minor damages such as front struts, exhaust, etc. The team pulled it off, and in a big way. This past week, the VW Heritage Series, a series that hosts some of the best Volkswagen racers in the nation as well as racers from as far as Austria, held its final race of 2024 at Maryland International Raceway. The top three in points were seperated by a mere 10 points, or less than one round of competition. McBride knew he had one task: win the race and he would secure a championship.
In qualifying, McBride found himself sitting No. 1.
“It was a planned early shutoff as it was the first pass since the accident. I just wanted to make sure the car was good. It surprised me that we went 4.89 to the eighth, but I was excited,” says McBride.
After qualifying, McBride found himself matched with No. 2 in points, Jonathan Abrams. This matchup had high implications and McBride pulled off the round win. Number one in points, Reggie Lee, was matched up with Aaron Applegate. Applegate came out victorious as Lee had engine trouble. That loss by Lee handed the championship over to McBride.
“We were servicing the car and I looked at Brandy (Brad’s wife) and said, ‘I think we are the champs,’ but I knew we still had work to do to win the event,” McBride said.
The semifinals saw the matchup between McBride and Applegate with McBride leaving hard with a 1.108 60-foot and never looking back. McBride won the round, solidifying his first VW Heritage Championship. He then went on to win the finals as John La Spisa was unable to make the call.
“It has been a tough season and a tough past three weeks,” McBride said. “We just want to finish the season strong, and this is a great start. I hope to carry this momentum into GALOT for the next PDRA event.”
McBride Racing thanks all those who support them, including Younce RV, United Engine and Machine, BorgWarner Turbo, Lubrisyn HA, Weaver Transmission, FE Prints, WPC Sign and Fab, Schaeffer’s Oil,Everything Euro, Godspeed 73.
This story was originally published on September 23, 2024.
The post Despite Adversity, Brad McBride Scores First Championship first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
