LIGHTS OUT 7
Ron Rhodes’ Emotional Win
It’s hard to call Ron Rhodes
an underdog, but Rhodes was
feeling every bit of the title when
he rolled into first round of X275
eliminations as the number-seven
qualifier. Nevertheless, Rhodes
and his bright red, Induction
Solutions nitrous-powered ’68
Camaro charged through Bob
Bales, Jeff Colletta, Jamie Stanton, and Tyree Smith before beating class hitter Jared Johnston
in the final round. It was the first
Lights Out 7 victory for the twotime event runner-up. “I came
into this race and I’m like, I don’t
even belong here. A 4.45 is seventh place. I’m looking at the ladder going, I might as well just go
home now. I am proof that you
never know what’s going to happen come raceday. You just gotta’
go in there, do your deal, make
good decisions…I’m speechless,”
Rhodes said after climbing out of
his car at the top end.
Wes Buck’s Selfie Cam
80 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
PHOTOS: CHRIS SEARS, JT HUDSON
Drag Illustrated Editor-in-Chief Wes Buck proved you don’t
need a camera crew and editing software to bring captivating video coverage from an event, especially one where
the stars of the show rarely receive time
on camera. Bystanders might have
stared when Buck aimed his iPhone at
himself and his interview subject in the
staging lanes or even on the starting
line, but it was the eyeballs online that
really mattered. Over the course of the
weekend, more than one-million views
accumulated on the DI Facebook page
as Buck checked in with Street Outlaws
stars Justin “Big Chief ” Shearer and
Shawn “Murder Nova” Ellingto n,
“Stevie Fast” Jackson, promoter Donald
“Duck” Long and dozens of other stars.
The videos proved to be a viral hit and
even inspired other media outlets and
social media users to try their own “selfie videos” at subsequent events.
Issue 109