Drag Race Bracket Bonanza (DRBB), the free online game that lets fans play along with NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series eliminations, is heading into its biggest event of the year, the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, August 27-September 1, with exciting announcements, new opportunities to win and a celebration of their two-year anniversary.
On the Shake & Bake podcast last night, DRBB creator Elon Werner revealed that, for the first time in game history, DRBB will feature a special Pro Mod bracket. This new addition will be separate from the traditional pro class brackets and will carry its own prize. Points earned in the Pro Mod bracket will not count toward overall event totals, Majors totals, or the season championship, making it a fun, standalone challenge for fans of one of drag racing’s most exciting categories.
“It was Stevie Fast Jackson and the Shake & Bake viewers who peer-pressured us into offering a Pro Mod bracket, so it only made sense to make the official announcement on the Shake & Bake podcast,” said Elon Werner. “Pro Mod brackets are something that our players have been asking for almost as long as DRBB has existed, so I am thrilled to finally give the people what they want during the U.S. Nationals. We’re hopeful that this will excite current players and attract a new audience of drag racing fans.”
The U.S. Nationals will also mark the final event in DRBB’s The Majors series, which combines point totals from the Gatornationals, Winternationals and U.S. Nationals. The top five finishers in The Majors standings will take home custom-designed trophies created by artist Katie Buttera of Apple Girl Art.
“Katie first made trophies for us last year, and they were our most popular prize to date,” said Werner. “The Gatornationals, Winternationals and U.S. Nationals are three of the biggest races in drag racing, so they deserve a monumental prize. I’m already jealous of the five players who will get to walk away with one of these trophies.”
Adding to the excitement, “The Big Go” will celebrate the two-year anniversary of DRBB, launched during the 2023 U.S. Nationals, and players will have the chance to score double points throughout the event to boost their season-long totals.
“The U.S. Nationals is a high stakes race for the drivers, where they have a chance to earn points and a half before the start of the Countdown,” said Werner. “We wanted to mimic that by doing double points for our players. It gives people a chance to make up some ground before the start of our own Countdown series.”
As always, the overall winner and class winners will earn DRBB’s signature event plaques, but at the U.S. Nationals, they’ll also receive a special bonus: a t-shirt from Revelry1, the vintage racing apparel brand owned by Pro Stock star Troy Coughlin Jr.
“I’ve been lucky enough to get to sign an Overall event plaque and Pro Stock plaque for the 2024 New England Nationals,” said Coughlin Jr. “I think it’s awesome that a free game has such cool prizes. I’m hopeful that I’ll get to sign more plaques this weekend, in addition to the t-shirts we are giving out.”
Fans attending the event can also meet Team DRBB in person during Cruz Pedregon’s Open House and Car Show on Thursday, August 28, from 5-8:30 p.m. at his shop in Brownsburg (462 Southpoint Circle, Brownsburg, IN 46112). DRBB will have a booth where they will be handing out stickers and encouraging fans to fill out brackets during the U.S. Nationals.
“This year’s U.S. Nationals is shaping up to be the biggest yet for DRBB,” said Werner. “From the new Pro Mod bracket to the Majors trophies and our two-year anniversary, we’re giving players more ways to win and more reasons to get in on the fun.”
This weekend, DRBB players will have the opportunity to compete for the U.S. Nationals Overall, Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle plaques, all signed by the eventual race winners. Each plaque winner will also receive a Summit Racing Equipment gift certificate and Revelry1 t-shirt.
Pro Mod brackets will open after qualifying concludes at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Sunday, August 31. There will be a tight turnaround window before brackets lock at the start of eliminations later that day at 5 p.m. EST. Brackets for the pro classes will open at the conclusion of their five qualifying sessions, also on Sunday, August 31. Players will have until the first round of eliminations kicks off on Sunday, September 1 at 10 a.m. EST to submit their picks.
Fans can follow DRBB on social media for cool stats, prize updates, and info on Twitter/X at @dragracebb or @DragRaceBracketBonanza on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. They can watch the NHRA broadcast on FOX and FS1.
This story was originally published on August 27, 2025. 
