Drag Illustrated Issue 112, August 2016 | Page 6

DI112 FEATURES 36 Putting Out the Fire Legendary showman Bob Motz prepares to kick the tires and light the fires of his jet-powered semi for the last time this summer in Norwalk, Ohio. By Mary Lendzion 88 “All the Track Will Hold” 40 For All the Right Reasons Meet Alex Laughlin – a fresh face on the NHRA Pro Stock scene that enjoys a good challenge and is getting one behind the wheel of a factory hot rod. By Sadie Floyd 44 Quasi-Affordable Radial Racing? Today’s drag radial racing is a country mile from where it started, and while the explosion of interest and performance by these cars is exciting – it’s also left a lot of great racers in the dust. So, what’s a guy to do with a conventional drag radial car or even a back-half former Outlaw 10.5-tirecar-turned-radial-ride? Well, Tyler Crossnoe and Jason Rueckert’s Limited Drag Radial may be the answer. By Ainsley Jacobs 92 100 Happy to Be Here 40 DEPARTMENTS D I RT 28 Exclusive: Erica Enders’ Rough Run The best storyline NHRA has to offer in 2016 isn’t record-setting performances in Funny Car or domination in Pro Stock. It’s the struggle that this season has been for back-to-back champion Erica Enders. Struggling mightily on the heels of innumerable changes to the Elite Motorsports team over the offseason, especially those mandated by NHRA, Enders and company continue to fight the good fight. By Josh Hachat CLOS E -U P 98 Hold On Steve Torrence drove his name straight into the record books with a stunning, NHRA national record-setting pass behind the wheel of his family’s Top Fueler in Sonoma. By Dave Densmore ON THE COVER Scott Palmer as photographed by Tera Wendland Graves in Denver, Colorado. 6 | Drag I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com Issue 112 PHOTOS: MIKE CARPENTER, CHRIS SEARS, NATE VAN WAGNEN He’s had to fight tooth-and-nail to remain involved in drag racing and has quite literally taken about any job that would keep him involved, and his commitment has finally paid off as Tommy Johnson, Jr. is now a legitimate contender in NHRA Funny Car, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon. By Lisa Collier