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“ All the Track Will Hold ”
FEATURES 54
Tribute : Jerry Bickel
Venerable chassis builder Jerry Bickel passed away April 5 , 2023 , at the age of 75 . He was a world-championship NHRA Pro Stock crew chief who went on to operate one of the most prolific chassis shops in the sport , specializing in fast doorslammers . By Kayla Zadel
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WORLD SERIES OF PRO MOD
Sixty-one Pro Modified drivers and teams rolled into Bradenton Motorsports Park on the first weekend of March to stake their claim for the $ 100,000 winner-takeall prize at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by J & A Service . Get an inside look at the event from the racers who competed in Pro Mod , as well as Mountain Motor Pro Stock , Xtreme Front-Wheel Drive , Factory Stock , Top Dragster , and Super Pro . By Nate Van Wagnen , Kayla Zadel , Craig Cook and Elon Werner
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DEPARTMENTS
COLUMN
74 On the Road 77
On top of a record Pro Mod field , the WSOPM broke a 14-year subscription sales record for DI ’ s Van Abernethy . Though he rarely had a chance to break away from his booth , Abernethy savored the WSOPM through the passionate fans he encountered all weekend .
COLUMN
The Real Deal
Veteran Pro Mod driver and lifelong Bradenton Motorsports Park racer Tommy D ’ Aprile shares his takeaways from the WSOPM in this edition of his monthly column . He explains what made the race special and how it reminded him of Pro Mod ’ s days gone by .
ON THE COVER Spencer Hyde , winner of the 2023 Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by J & A Service , as photographed by Luke Nieuwhof at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton , Florida
PHOTOS : JT HUDSON , WAYNE STEWART , KEITH HANEY RACING
6 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 182