Drag Illustrated Issue 158, July 2020 | Page 8

LETTER from the EDITOR As this year’s State of Drag Issue approached, the Drag Illustrated editorial team labored over what topics to cover in our annual temperature check of the sport. With the effects of the COVID-19 public health crisis still impacting the sport in major ways some four months after it basically shut down the industry, there were plenty of related topics to consider. And while the negative effects of the pandemic are certainly covered in this issue, we chose to focus on promoters, organizations and racers who aren’t letting the CO- VID-19 situation define their 2020 season. On the individual side, promoters like Chris Graves and his Pro Mod vs. Fuel Altered Showdown and Justin Keith and Chase Lautenbach’s Street Car Takeover are putting on a show and giving enthusiasts a place to race. As far as series go, PDRA and NMCA are two of the groups who are making the best of the situation and fighting on despite the challenges from state and local government officials. Thanks to folks like these, drag racing is alive and well in the age of the coronavirus. It’s safe to say that just about everyone is growing tired of reading about this nasty virus, so we also have major features on trends in drag racing that have nothing to do with the issue. Senior Editor Josh Hachat spoke with a handful of veritable doorslammer racing veterans from different classes to talk about the evolution of drag racing’s most Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief popular door car classes. For my feature on the centrifugal supercharger movement, I talked to several stakeholders involved in putting centrifugal blower brands like ProCharger and Vortech at the top of qualifying sheets and into winner’s circles in classes ranging from PDRA Pro Boost to NHRA Top Dragster. It also touches on ProCharger’s effort to gain admittance to the ultimate Pro Mod club, NHRA Pro Mod, which finally kicks off its 2020 season this month. As you might notice, the cover of this issue was photographed at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado, where the Bandimere family has been fighting for their right to continue conducting business as the only active dragstrip in the Denver area. We’re closely following their fight, on the track and in court, and you can rest assured we’ll have much more on this topic in the August issue as the court case is resolved. I speak for the whole DI team when I say that Bandimere Speedway is a very special place to us. We’ve spent a week of our summers there for the past three years putting on the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod, and we couldn’t imagine not getting the chance to return for the DI Main Event in September. More importantly, we couldn’t imagine missing the opportunity to work with our friends, the Bandimere family and their incredible team. We stand with Bandimere Speedway. Feel free to email me at [email protected] and follow me at facebook.com/nitronate1320 and nitronate1320 on Instagram and Twitter. Wes Buck CEO / Founder & Editorial Director 660.988.2313 [email protected] Mike Carpenter COO / Design & Production Director 704.737.2299 [email protected] Scott Dorman Publisher 615.478.5275 [email protected] Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief 440.986.1480 [email protected] Nancy Koeppen CFO 573.552.5551 [email protected] Will Mandell Senior Sales Executive 615.426.0465 [email protected] JT Hudson Sales Executive 660.341.0063 [email protected] Josh Hachat Editor-at-Large 740.627.1423 [email protected] Van Abernethy Senior Staff Writer & Field Subscription Sales 828.302.0356 [email protected] Caroline Fox Customer Service / Office Manager 660.988.2313 [email protected] CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Ian Tocher, Ainsley Jacobs, Kelly Wade, Bobby Bennett, Brandon W. Mudd, Tommy D’Aprile, Allyson Johnson, Pete Epple, Craig Cook PHOTO DEPARTMENT: John Fore III, Van Abernethy, Rick Belden, Tara Bowker, Shawn Crose, Jason Dunn, Paul Grant, Chris Graves, Ron Lewis, Joe McHugh, Gary Nastase, Mark J. Rebilas, Roger Richards, Cole Rokosky, Chris Sears, James Sisk, Ian Tocher ADVERTISING SALES: 615.478.5275 SUBSCRIPTIONS & CUSTOMER SERVICE: 660.988.2313 [email protected] DRAG ILLUSTRATED MEDIA, LLC 902 Kings Road, Kirksville, MO 63501 P: 660.988.2313 F: 660.665.1636 www.dragillustrated.com Copyright © 2020 by Drag Illustrated Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Drag Illustrated is a registered trademark of Drag Illustrated Media, LLC. Printed and mailed by Royle Printing in Sun Prairie, WI. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own, and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. PHOTOS: TARA BOWKER, COLE ROKOSKY 8 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 158