For the last dozen seasons, Brandon Stroud has worked with an ever-expanding list of drivers who compete in a variety of classes and series utilizing Pro Line Racing Engines powerplants. Collaborating with Pro Line co-owners Eric Dillard and Doug Patton and fellow tuners like Steve Petty, Stroud has learned the ins and outs of tuning some of the quickest and fastest doorslammers in drag racing.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #193, the Interview Issue, in March / April of 2025.]
Stroud proved just how much he’s learned last season when three of his drivers earned world championships: Jason Harris in PDRA Pro Boost, Shawn “Murder Nova” Ellington in Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings, and Chris Daniel in FuelTech Radial Outlaws Series Radial vs. the World. He also won the prestigious 70th Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by Learn EV+ with driver Ken Quartuccio and the Scott Tidwell Racing team, among numerous other victories.
Stroud has another stacked season on tap. On the NHRA Pro Mod side, he’ll tune a new screw-blown Camaro owned by Dustin Nesloney and driven by Quartuccio under Tidwell’s awning, plus Billy Banaka and his Billy Banaka Racing ProCharged Camaro. He’ll continue to work with Harris, Johnny Camp, and Jeff Rudolf in PDRA Pro Boost, as well as Daniel in Radial vs. the World. In No Prep Kings – now known as Speed Promotions Racing – he’ll help Ellington and Clay Cole.
In the middle of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service at Bradenton Motorsports Park, DI sat down with Stroud for a conversation about his recent success and what it takes to excel in various different situations.
You had a huge year last season. What were the highlights and what was the biggest accomplishment for you?
Obviously, winning Indy, the U.S. Nationals, is always a big one just because in drag racing, that’s one of the biggest races you can win. Between that and then being able to win three championships in one season was pretty rewarding.
And for a while I was in contention for NHRA [Pro Mod] with Ken until the end of the season. That was crazy. It definitely creates excitement over there the way they have it set up right now.
You’ve had success with a number of combinations and classes. How have you developed that well-rounded skillset?
I’ve kinda just been open-minded and willing to race in all different formats and different classes and just really trying to push myself to be better. I try to treat each thing different and separate, really just trying to focus on that particular task at that moment.
Is there a particular class or combo that you enjoy the most?
It’s hard to say, mainly because they’re all so different. I enjoy different things from different ones. Like I enjoy PDRA Pro Boost just for the outlaw format of racing and that rule package. Then the NHRA is just so different, so highly competitive, but so limited on a lot of things, including power, so you have a lot less to work with. Your window’s a lot smaller, so the challenge is pretty hard. Then radial racing is just so different from everything else. No Prep’s so different from everything else. The differences and the challenges make it exciting for me.
What do you look for in a driver?
The biggest thing is somebody that can just…I like to say get comfortable in a car. Once you can get a driver comfortable, I feel like that’s when they really set themselves up for success. I try to get the car to where it works good for them, and also get them comfortable in the car and know what we’re doing and how I’m racing the car. I feel like comfort within a driver goes a long way.
Your dad, Chris Johnson, works closely with you. What’s that like, getting to share these experiences with him?
That’s been probably one of the best things. He got me involved in the sport when I was a kid. He was doing it and I was tagging along. I got bit by the bug at a young age. I was hooked. Us being able to be out here doing it together, it’s just made it that much more special, especially when we’ve had events that we’ve won together. It never gets old. It’s just as special every time we do it.
Are there any “firsts” left on your list?
An NHRA championship would be probably the one that’s still on the list. I would definitely like to get an NHRA Pro Mod championship at some point. It’s the long haul. It’s the big picture. Last year, we were really good the first half of the year, and then towards the end of the year when it kind of mattered, that’s where we had a couple of mishaps.
To win the championship just means you’re on your game throughout the whole season, and that’s putting the whole package together. I think that really shows in something that’s as competitive as it is, against all these guys out here that I’m racing against that are pretty much the best of the best, it means I can compete with them right there on the same level.
What are your goals for this season?
I try to just improve from last season. I try to look at everything where it’s kind of me versus me. How can I better myself with all the different guys that I work with or help? How can I be better this year from how I was last year? What can I learn? What can I improve on? Obviously, winning is always in our sport the No. 1 goal, but I feel like if I’m always trying to make myself a little better, then that’s gonna help lead towards winning more. I try to focus on my goal. How do I keep getting better?
This story was originally published on May 9, 2025. 
