The Movers & Shakers section in DI #190 showcases the many individuals who are making an impact on the sport that will carry on for years to come.
“Pro Stock in today’s day and age reminds me a lot of the late ‘90s and early 2000s where fields are separated by just a couple hundredths of a second. When the field is that tight, it puts a lot on the driver’s shoulders to drive well, get a good start, and bang through the gears efficiently and not make any mistakes.”
– Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Photographs by David Hilner, Joe McHugh, and David Beitler
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #190, the State of Drag Issue, in September/ October of 2024.]
PARACHUTE PRO: Longtime Rickie Smith Racing crew member Chad Hester packs the parachutes on Smith’s Parkway Ford Mustang between rounds at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
CHAMP CHAT: Past NHRA Pro Mod world champion Kris Thorne and multi-time winner Lyle Barnett chat in the shade of the Bristol Dragway tower while waiting out a break in the action. The two drivers have both won the most prestigious race in NHRA drag racing, the U.S. Nationals.
FUNNY CAR FAMILY: Second-generation Funny Car pilot Bobby Bode watches as his father and car owner, Bob Bode, performs some between-round maintenance on the family’s Ar-Bee Plastic Bags Mustang Funny Car.
TOP SPEED TASCA: Bob Tasca III, who quite frequently leaves any given NHRA national event with top speed honors in Funny Car, stops for a quick photo while suiting up to make a pass in his Ford Performance Dark Horse Mustang at the Thunder Valley Nationals.
SIGNED BY SMOKE: NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar champion Tony Stewart signs autographs for the fans at Summit Motorsports Park’s Night Under Fire. While Stewart is a Top Fuel rookie this season, he was competing in Top Alcohol Dragster at the event.
CONTEMPLATIVE CAPPS: Three-time NHRA Funny Car world champion Ron Capps is focused on the task at hand as his Dean “Guido” Antonelli-led NAPA AutoCare team prepares to warm up his Toyota GR Supra in the pits at Summit Motorsports Park.
THE INDEPENDENT: T.J. Zizzo, one of the most popular part-time, independent Top Fuel racers, waves to the thousands of fans in the stands at Norwalk’s Night Under Fire while towing his Rust-Oleum dragster down the track in the pre-race parade.
WELCOME HOME, CLAY: Summit Motorsports Park track president Bill Bader Jr. welcomes Top Fuel driver Clay Millican back to Norwalk during the track’s Night Under Fire pre-race parade. Millican has probably made more passes at Norwalk than any other active Top Fuel driver thanks to his years of success at the former IHRA facility.
1,000-FOOT SHOWDOWN: Pro Mod drivers Steve Easton, Dwayne Wolfe, Nick Januik, and Doug Winters pose for a photo before competing in the inaugural B’laster Pro Mod Shootout, a rare 1,000-foot Pro Mod race, during Norwalk’s Night Under Fire.
‘FAST JACK’ AND ‘THE COWBOY’: Returning Funny Car driver “Fast Jack” Beckman catches up with Pro Stock standout turned Factory Stock Showdown winner Mark “The Cowboy” Pawuk before pre-race ceremonies at Night Under Fire.
MIGHTY MOUSE: Anthony Whitfield, driver of the “Mighty Mouse” Fuel Altered, gives the “all good” sign after walking away from a violent crash at a recent Nitro Chaos event at Mo-Kan Dragway. He’s already preparing a “Mighty Mouse II” for a 2025 return.
‘SNAKE’ IN THE SEAT: Longtime nostalgia nitro crew chief loads a tune-up in the “Nitro Menace” front-engine Top Fuel dragster before jumping in the seat to make a pass at Mo-Kan Dragway.
SIT AND PONDER: Crew chief Bryan Umlauf considers any last-minute changes before sending the “Mass Chaos” Fuel Altered down the track at Mo-Kan Dragway’s Nitro Chaos stop.
NITRO RELAPSE: Car owner and tuner Terry Darby keeps the nitro fumes at bay while warming up the Aaron Morrow-driven “Nitro Relapse” Fuel Altered.
MO-KAN ROYALTY: Mo-Kan Dragway starter Mike Hodge (left) and track owner Carl Blanton cruise the pits during the Nitro Chaos race they hosted over the summer. Hodge has been involved with the track for more than 35 years, spending many of those as the starter.
This story was originally published on October 24, 2024. 
