25 Reasons to Be Excited About Drag Racing: No. 2 – Pro Mod is Becoming a Premier Class
No class in drag racing is currently experiencing a bigger explosion in both popularity and participation than Pro Modified – which is quite a feat considering the class has always been a fan-favorite, dating back to the early rivalries between drivers like Charles Carpenter and Rob Vandergriff.
Today, everywhere you look, a points series or big-money event can easily be found. Championship battles are being waged across sanctioning bodies such as NHRA, PDRA, NMCA, Mid-West Drag Racing Series, Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association, and the Big Dog Shootout at Piedmont Dragway.
And for those drivers that may not be able to commit to a full season, there’s a plethora of independent events paying $50,000 to win or more, like the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, U.S. Street Nationals, Yellowbullet Nationals, MWDRS Fall Smackdown, Pro Mod Invitational at Cecil County Dragway, World Street Nationals, and of course, the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod.
“There’s so many reasons to be excited about Pro Modified,” says 2023 WSOPM champion Spencer Hyde. “There’s so many places to go race. I’ll be honest, the biggest challenge I have within my program is choosing where to go race. I want to do them all, but obviously that’s not feasible.”
Pro Mod isn’t just about quantity, however. It’s the quality of competition that sets the class apart. Hyde is no stranger to that competition – he won the WSOPM after qualifying in the No. 32 spot – which was only .056 seconds behind No. 1 qualifier Johnny Camp. He then ripped off an astonishing three holeshot wins in five rounds on his way to a $100,000 payday. Yet somehow the class has only gotten tougher since then.
“Pro Mod is one of the most competitive classes in all of drag racing right now,” Hyde says. “The qualifying sheets alone speak volumes. Thirty-two cars within five hundredths of a second, and 55 cars within a tenth. At PDRA Virginia earlier this year, you had to go 3.63 or quicker just to get in the field. That’s insane. We just so happened to win that race, and at the next race in Norwalk, we almost didn’t qualify. It’s cut-throat out there right now, and if you’re not paying attention, you’re missing out.”
Pro Mod’s run at becoming the premier class in all of drag racing reached a fever pitch recently with the announcement of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series. The three-race series will take place at Bradenton Motorsports Park, featuring a trio of iconic events – the $50,000-to-win Snowbird Outlaw Nationals on Dec. 5-8, 2024; the $75,000-to-win U.S. Street Nationals Jan. 23-26, 2025; and will be capped off with the $150,000-to-win WSOPM Feb. 27-March 1, 2025.
“To say that I’m excited about this is the understatement of the century,” says Wes Buck, Founder & Editorial Director of Drag Illustrated. “It’s no secret that I believe Pro Mod to be the universal language of drag racing. In my eyes, this is a brand of drag racing that is unrivaled in action, excitement, and competition, but perhaps most importantly in participation. There are hundreds of Pro Mod teams in North America alone, and we’re bringing the best drivers, best cars, and best teams in the world to Bradenton Motorsports Park this winter to do battle. That’s what the fans deserve, and that’s what they’re going to get.”
This story was originally published on October 29, 2024.
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