midst the
world of
emotions I
felt in the
days and
weeks immediately follow-
ing the second annual Drag
Illustrated World Series
of Pro Mod – pride, excite-
ment, relief – the most over-
whelmingly powerful has
been gratitude. It sounds
cliché – I know – but here
almost 30 days removed
from “the Biggest, Rich-
est Pro Mod Drag Race in
the History of the Known
Universe” and all the as-
sociated stress, anxiety and
labor involved in an event
deserving of such billing, it’s still hard for me to
belief it really happened, but I am so thankful and
so grateful that it did.
We went into this second go ‘round with a lot to
accomplish. Weighing heavily on me, honestly, was
simply meeting the expectations that we created
in 2017 – and exceeding them. I know there has
been a lot said and written about the first step being
the hardest, but I’ve found that in a lot of different
places in life and business that it’s really the second,
third, fourth, fifth efforts that really tell the tale.
Don’t get me wrong, the first time through with
anything has its fair share of unique challenges, but
there’s also a slew of things working in your favor.
What’s that they say about ignorance? It’s bliss?
Yeah, there’s that, and there’s also the fact that it’s
easy for everyone to be optimistic and excited about
the first time something happens. And you’ve got a
little bit of wiggle room built in being that it’s your
debut. The years that follow, however, that’s when
the challenges really begin. Can you maintain that
initial enthusiasm and excitement? Can you build
on it? Can you address your early missteps, and
find ways to improve?
For us, year one was all about getting to the fin-
ish line under power. We just wanted to go A to B.
We set our sights higher in year two, and we hit
almost every single mark we were shooting for – fan
turnout, racer participation, sponsorship, etc. We
had a blast. I don’t know how else to put it. And the
coolest part? I think everyone did. From the rac-
ers to the fans, to our sponsors and special guests
from around the racing industry, to the team here
at DI and the many friends and family members
that made the trek to “Thunder Mountain” – many
of whom worked their tails off – the 2018 running
of the World Series of Pro Mod can be described
in one word: Fun. Which, in my opinion, is kind
of crazy if you think about it. We’re not talking
about a car show or friendly get-together here.
We’re talking about an invite-only, winner-take-all
drag race for $100,000 with some of the quickest
and fastest doorslammers and most talented and
Wes Buck
Founder & Editorial Director
660.988.2313
[email protected]
Scott Dorman
Publisher
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Mike Carpenter
Design & Production Director
704.737.2299
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Nate Van Wagnen
Editor-in-Chief
440.986.1480
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Nancy Koeppen
Chief Operating Officer
573.552.5551
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competitive drivers the sport of drag racing has
to offer. Oh, ye