It’s Saturday evening at Bradenton Motorsports Park, and Shawn “Murder Nova” Ellington is sitting on the ground next to the rear driver’s side wheel well of “Blue,” the ProCharger-powered ’69 Camaro he drives for Keith Haney Racing. For perhaps the first time all weekend, his pit area is unusually silent. The former Street Outlaws star is by himself at the moment.
Fans who would typically be surrounding his trailer are anxiously awaiting the final round of the World Series of Pro Mod between NHRA Pro Stock star Aaron Stanfield and the newly crowned Drag Illustrated Winter Series points champion Peter Norton. It’s a final round that Ellington had just come so close to reaching. As I walk around the front of the car, he looks up at me, smiles, and says three simple words:
“We didn’t quit.”
Truer words have never been spoken. I watched it happen firsthand throughout the weekend. Parts scattered across tables, engine torn apart, zoomies lying on the ground. Multiple times throughout qualifying our official DI event photographer, Luke Nieuwhof, and I entered Ellington’s pits for a quick photo shoot – and each time we stopped and observed a mad thrash to repair the car. It wasn’t just Ellington, either. His wife Erin, son Aiden, crew chief Daniel “Phantom” Parker, tuner Brandon Stroud, William Ellington, Benjamin Harris, members of Keith Haney Racing, and even representatives from ProCharger were in a constant state of organized chaos.
“We have worked on the car more this week than we have in the last three seasons of No Prep Kings,” Ellington says. “We changed multiple sleeves, multiple pistons, changed the transmission, changed gear drives. We’ve done it all this week, and we’ve said it before: We may not win everything, but we’re damn sure not quitters.”
Such is the case with the World Series of Pro Mod, and the Winter Series as a whole. It’s not just a race; it’s a war of attrition, and those unwilling to go to battle every single day need not apply. For Ellington and his team, their effort was rewarded by earning a spot in the most difficult WSOPM field ever assembled. And from there, things really got crazy.
Ellington qualified No. 30, and in a wild turn of events at the first-round chip draw, drew his good friend and Street Outlaws co-star Ryan Martin. The two took it in stride, happy that one would be moving on to the second round. That person was Ellington. From there, he single-handedly flipped the DIWS points championship upside down.
In a rematch from the U.S. Street Nationals a month prior, Ellington met points leader “Stevie Fast” Jackson in round two, and took the win after Jackson red-lit. Jackson’s loss gave Eric Gustafson the points lead, and as fate would have it, Ellington drew him in the quarterfinals. The results were the same: another red light, and another win for Ellington. But this one felt different.
The pop from the crowd was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The starting line was pandemonium. Ellington’s team was screaming in elation. I instinctively ran over and started giving everyone high fives. Erin and I embraced in a bear hug. Drag Illustrated founder and Winter Series promoter Wes Buck was busy doing the same.
Before you get the wrong idea, we weren’t playing favorites. The DI team loves all of our competitors. But the sheer emotion and weight of the moment – the reaction from both team and spectators – lends itself to celebration. The teams feed off the energy from the crowd, and the crowd in turn feeds off the energy of the teams. This is what the Winter Series provides – every round feels like a heavyweight title fight.
The pressure that builds at the WSOPM is unmatched. There’s $150,000 on the line for the race, another $25,000 for the championship, and perhaps most importantly – the right to be considered the undisputed baddest door car driver on the planet. “Pressure bursts pipes” has become a familiar phrase at this event, and it once again proved true. Two longtime veterans had given away their shot at a championship, and Ellington was two rounds away from immortality.
Prior to eliminations, Buck mentioned to the 32 qualified drivers that by his estimation, there are about 600 Pro Mods in the world. Just by qualifying, these drivers were in the top 5% in their field, an incredible accomplishment. But now, Ellington – who has only competed in Pro Mod for a little over a year – found himself in the final four. That’s within the top 1%. Imagine being in the top 1% of anything you do. Such is the importance of the Winter Series, and of a very powerful mindset:
“We didn’t quit.”
Despite the focus on Ellington, this mantra of determination and perseverance could be found throughout the facility. True 10.5 winner Russell Stone popped the blower on his “Black Widow” Camaro during testing and disintegrated his front clip in the process. He didn’t quit and took home $40,000. 2025 WSOPM champion Steve King blew his motor as well in the Outlaw Light Beer Wildcard Shootout. The G-Force Race Cars team with Melanie Salemi – King’s teammate – came over and helped him repair the car, setting up an eventual final round between the two, with King prevailing.
If you searched the pits, you’d find a hundred other stories just like these. It’s part of what makes our sport so special. And returning to Ellington – at that moment, with the team and crowd going crazy, it truly felt like destiny was on his side. Surely nothing could stop this runaway freight train of momentum.
But the Winter Series giveth, and the Winter Series taketh away. As Ellington was backing up from his burnout in the semifinals against eventual WSOPM winner Aaron Stanfield, the car died on him. Team members quickly pushed it back, and after a moment, he got it re-fired. The relief was short-lived, however, as after a few seconds the car shut off again. There was no oil pressure. This was one problem they couldn’t fix, and Ellington could do nothing but sit and watch Stanfield move on to the finals – and an eventual $150k payday.
I’ve followed the sport of drag racing for more than 40 years. I’ve covered it for nearly 20. I’ve had to the privilege to meet, talk to, and work with countless drivers during that time, and honored to now call many of them friends. One thing I always try to do at any of our events is simply thank the drivers for choosing to race with us, for being a part of what we’re doing. All of these drivers deserve to know just how much we appreciate them, which is why I made the walk over to Ellington’s pits a short while after his heartbreaking loss.
“My goal coming in was I wanted everyone to know we were here,” Ellington told me. “And by God, they know we’re here – and we’ll be back.”
And that’s what makes the Winter Series so special – the people. A smorgasbord of drivers from all corners of the sport.
Pro Mod legends? Check.
No Prep Kings superstars? Check.
NHRA world champions? Check.
Radial tire outlaws? Check.
Drag & Drive stalwarts? Check.
Converted tractor pulling competitors? Check.
They’re all here. And they all have one common mantra defining them.
“We didn’t quit.”
This story was originally published on March 3, 2026. 
