DI162
“ All the Track Will Hold ”
FEATURES 28
Tribute : Eric Lane
Nitro racing lost one of its most beloved crew chiefs in October when Eric Lane was killed in a Texas roadside incident between NHRA events . Ron Capps , Cruz Pedregon and Brittany Force , who all worked with Lane at one point , pay tribute to the man known by many as “ Hopsing .” By Josh Hachat
85
30
Changing Times
Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association founder John Mazzorana fought off pressure to move to an eighth-mile format for several seasons , but making the move this season resulted in higher car counts , intense racing and first-time winners . By Van Abernethy
SPECIAL SECTION 30 UNDER 30
After five years of highlighting the sport ’ s most promising young talents on the 30 Under 30 list , we catch up with 15 past honorees who ’ ve since
become champions and leaders .
88 TY TUTTEROW 91 KRISTA BALDWIN 93 MEGAN MEYER 95 JAKE SANDERS 97 JEFF PIERCE
86 91
DEPARTMENTS
DI COLUMNIST
56 On the Road 61
In just a few short years , Chris Graves has grown his Funny Car Chaos series from a small match-race event to a touring championship series that has track owners eager to bring old-school Funny Car racing to tracks around the country . By Van Abernethy
ON THE COVER 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year and Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley as photographed by Rick Belden at zMAX Dragway in Concord , North Carolina .
DIALED IN
Mississippi Madness
Van Abernethy ’ s bracket racing coverage this month focuses on Chad Axford ’ s Mississippi Madness at Holly Springs Motorsports , where racers like Cody Graham , Charlie Lockhart and Rick Baehr walked away with big checks .
PHOTOS : AUTO IMAGERY , JOE MCHUGH
8 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 162