Drag Illustrated Issue 129, January / February 2018 | Page 6

DI129
“All the Track
Will Hold”
FEATURES
30 Back in the Saddle
After being out of the driver’s seat for a
large part of two years, 2017 was Matt
Giangrande’s comeback year. Suitably,
it was also a comeback year, of sorts, for
the class he chose to run, Extreme Pro
Stock. By Lisa Collier
42 Q&A: John Force
As the proud father of NHRA Top Fuel
world champion Brittany Force and the
team owner of NHRA Funny Car world
champion Robert Hight, John Force
couldn’t be happier with this year’s
championship outcomes.
By Sara Slaughter
57 Double Threat
While horses and cheerleading initially
captured Hailey and Camryn Hawkins’s
attention, the sisters are now enthralled
with drag racing, with Hailey stepping
up to PDRA Bracket Bash in 2018 and
Camryn remaining a threat in Pro Ju-
nior Dragster. By Van Abernethy
SPE CIAL SE C TION
Crowning the
Champions
Each year we seek to highlight the
winning efforts of champions across
numerous series and sanctioning
bodies, from Ohio’s small Asphalt Wars
series to the national NHRA Mello
Yello Series and PDRA organization.
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D I RT
22 Boesch’s New Car
Young fast-bracket phenom Darian
Boesch recently unveiled a brand-new
supercharged ’17 Camaro destined for
NHRA Top Sportsman competition.
By Tyler Crossnoe
CAU G H T
50 Outlaw Inferno
Photographer Cole Rokosky captured
a stunning image of Jerry Martino’s
nitrous backfire during an Outlaw 660
event at the new Dragway 42 in Ohio
earlier this summer.
CO LU MN
52 On the Road
After several years of crisscrossing the
nation’s highways and backroads in
search of drag racing adventures, the
iconic Drag Illustrated Sprinter Van
is being retired for a newer model.
ON THE COVER PDRA Pro Nitrous world champion and GALOT Motorsports Park Mad Mule champion
Tommy Franklin as photographed by Rick Belden at Pat Musi Racing Engines in Mooresville, North Carolina.
6 | Drag
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Issue 129
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