Tommy D’Aprile, the 2018 PDRA Pro Boost world champion, is coming off of the sidelines and jumping into a new ride as he prepares to make his Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service debut. The Pro Modified veteran, who stepped back from full-time competition in recent years, teamed up with R&R Racing Products owners Mike and Julie Riechers to drive their new screw-blown C7 Corvette in the three-race Winter Series at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
D’Aprile and Riechers, who both live about an hour from Bradenton on Florida’s Gulf Coast, have been friends and have worked together on engine building projects for years. When Riechers purchased a new-to-him car, a G-Force Race Cars C7 Corvette formerly campaigned by Louis Ouimette, the two started discussing the possibility of a partnership. They came to an agreement and decided to go all-in on a Winter Series campaign.
“The car looks brand-spanking-new, and we’ll have all the best parts and pieces to go with that setup,” said D’Aprile, who noted that Mark Savage, the 2023 WSOPM winning crew chief, will serve as tuner. “Mike and his wife have really stepped up and put all the good parts together.”
“This Corvette is a really, really nice piece,” Riechers added. “We have a new engine, new M&M Transmission and converter, 11-inch Chrisman billet rear end. I think we have all the right parts and pieces together to hopefully compete with a proven driver and a proven crew chief on board. I’m hoping that we can go out there and do something this winter.”
The R&R Racing Products Corvette will serve as a proving grounds for Riechers connecting rods, which are used by top Pro Mod crew chiefs and engine shops like Resolution Racing Services, MSR Performance, Noonan Race Engineering, Al Billes, and Jan-Cen Racing Engines.
“I’m my own engine builder, so when we get done with every race, the engine comes completely apart and we go through everything,” Riechers said. “We have our own full machine shop here. We mag the crank, check the rods, wrist pins, and pistons, you name it. We check everything out in the engine and try to figure out what it takes to make our aluminum connecting rods better.”
Similarly, D’Aprile has been doing everything he can to stay sharp as a driver. He’s competed in local bracket races and Top Sportsman races, even reaching the final round in Top Sportsman at the 2025 PRO Superstar Shootout. He preaches the importance of putting in work behind-the-scenes as a driver in his long-running Drag Illustrated column, and now he’s ready to put it to practice.
“One thing about it is I’m going to be very focused,” D’Aprile said. “I take my health and my fitness very seriously. I think it’s a job. We’re going to work hard. I’m going to get to bed early and get up early the next day and get ready to do what we do. It’s been tough standing on the starting line when you know your heart wants to be in the car, so to be able to get back in the seat and feel it out again is really exciting for me.”
Merely getting back into a Pro Mod is a thrill for D’Aprile, but to do it in the second annual DI Winter Series – the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals in December, the U.S. Street Nationals in January, and the World Series of Pro Mod in February – at his home track is the ultimate opportunity.
“This Winter Series racing has turned into the most exciting and close racing that I’ve ever seen in my life,” D’Aprile said. “Sixty-plus cars and the fields are separated by less than a tenth of a second. This is the stuff, man. This is where it all comes together.
“This is my home track,” D’Aprile continued. “I’ve been racing here since Art Malone owned the track. It’s been amazing to see the upgrades to the track and the crowds these races bring in. Pulling out there and competing with the best of the best again – I’ve got to tell you, it gets me emotional just thinking about it. A lot of my good friends who’ve been racing since my rookie season are still out there and there’s a lot of new guys. I can tell you one thing, I don’t believe I’ve lost any sort of edge on the starting line, and I think that’s what it’s going to take to win it.”
Riechers is also charged up about the Winter Series and the revamped effort the R&R team has put forth to ensure they’re contenders.
“These are the races I look forward to every year,” Riechers said. “It’s an hour from home and all of our friends are down here. The pay is really good and the competition is as stiff as it comes anywhere. That’s what led to making all these upgrades.”
D’Aprile and Riechers plan to start testing in late September before D’Aprile makes his competition return at Orlando Speed World’s World Street Nationals in November. They’ll start the Winter Series at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks, Dec. 5-7, at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
Along with R&R Racing Products, the team’s supporters include Riechers’ sponsor, Water Medic of Cape Coral, and D’Aprile’s partners like Right Trailers, DK Corporation, and King’s Crossing Wedding Barn Inc.
“One word is just grateful,” said D’Aprile, who will continue his work with God Speed Ministry and Racers For Christ. “I’ve done this for a long time and it’s hard to find opportunities to come back out because financially, they’ve become monsters to run. By no means can I afford my own team. These cars eat money. I’m very grateful to Mike and Julie for allowing me the opportunity to come back out and do what I do.”
This story was originally published on July 22, 2025. 
