Following successful campaigns at the 2024 and 2025 Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod events, race officials announced today the expansion of the Pro 10.5 Challenge to include the other two races in the 2025-2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series at Bradenton Motorsports Park. The Pro 10.5 category will now compete at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks in December and the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission in January before a dramatic finale at the World Series of Pro Mod in February.
“Pro 10.5 is an ideal supporting class to run alongside our headlining Pro Modified program in the DI Winter Series,” said Wes Buck, founder of Drag Illustrated and promoter of the Winter Series. “Outlaw 10.5-style racing has seen a serious resurgence in recent years, largely due to the incredible competition happening in PDRA Pro Street. Like Pro Mod, this class is filled with talented, fearless drivers, championship-level, record-setting tuners, and top-notch equipment. The Pro 10.5 Challenge has delivered some memorable moments at the WSOPM these last two years, and we can’t wait to see even more of those moments now that Pro 10.5 is a part of the whole three-race Winter Series.”
In its first season, the DI Winter Series featured more than 70 different drivers from across drag racing’s numerous classes, series, and sanctions competing in three Pro Modified races during what is traditionally the sport’s offseason. The second annual DI Winter Series – made up of the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals Dec. 5–7, 2025; U.S. Street Nationals Jan. 23–25, 2026; and the World Series of Pro Mod Feb. 26–28, 2026 – will up the ante again with the addition of the Elite Motorsports Million, which offers up a $1,000,000 bonus to any Pro Mod driver who can win all three Winter Series events.
Pro 10.5 is the first class to be announced as one of the supporting categories in the Winter Series. Drivers are limited to 10.5-inch-wide rear slicks to put 3,500-plus horsepower to the ground in factory-appearing cars. The past Pro 10.5 Challenge winners are Nick Schroeder (2024) and Ethan Steding (2025).
The Pro 10.5 Challenge will pay $10,000 to win at the Snowbirds and U.S. Street Nationals, while the WSOPM Pro 10.5 winner will walk away with $25,000.
“This is a huge win for the class,” said Tom Kasper, a longtime Outlaw 10.5 participant and Pro 10.5 class liaison for the WSOPM. “Over the last two years, we’ve proven that we deserve to be a part of the show. In-person and online, fans have made it clear that they love this class and want to see more – more wheelstands and more side-by-side racing. I know our team and the drivers and teams in Pro 10.5 are ready to deliver that and then some.”
Event officials will publish the 2025-2026 Pro 10.5 Challenge rules in the coming weeks on the official DI Winter Series website, www.TheWinterSeries.com.
This story was originally published on August 13, 2025. 
