Marlin Short’s 1930 Ford Model A, aka “Short Temper”, is an aesthetically alluring and tire-screeching marvel with an abundance of imaginative artistic expression and enough power to be an intensely competitive force at the drag strip.

Alexis Zarate, of Lubbock, Texas, has a three-generational family heirloom, a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro nicknamed “Sweet Pea”. Originally purchased by her father, David as a teenager 38 years ago, the Camaro was enjoyed for decades by her grandfather who cruised it as a street car, her father who both bracket raced and daily drove the car, and now Alexis, who has radically transformed this family treasure into a rubber-burning stock bottom end (SBE) LS drag car.

One of the most breathtaking spectacles in drag racing is the gravity-defying wheelstand. The exhibition of thousands of pounds of metal launching into the air as the ground rumbles in sync with the thunderous roar of the engine is nothing short of exceptional. Keith Rizner, of Peyton, Colorado, dazzles spectators with the most incredible wheelstands in his naturally-aspirated, show-quality 1970 Ford Mustang, justly nicknamed “ONBUMPR”.

The monumental challenges inherent with building a drag car and tackling the endless cycle of tweaking, tuning and rebuilding the car in the pursuit of quicker ET’s can be overwhelming, even to the most veteran drag racer. Yet 26 year old Dylan Christensen, of Syracuse, Utah, not only embraced these seemingly overwhelming hurdles as he completed his first ground-up restoration on his 1973 Chevy Nova and fearlessly confronted his first battles at the track, he has emerged as a fierce competitor in the ruthless heads-up and no-prep scenes of drag racing.

It’s an undeniable fact that to be successful in drag racing, one must have cheetah-like reflexes, precision throttle control and gear shifting, mastery of tuning, and most importantly, a fearlessness that allows one to propel a powerhouse of metal down the track at ungodly speeds. Most racers spend a good portion of their lives laser-focused on their pursuit of greatness in drag racing, often forgoing other passions or talents to devote their full energy into improving their racing game. Yet for drag racer Matt Stutzman, of Libertyville, Iowa, hitting the top ranks in the drag racing world at just 41 years of age pales in comparison to his other phenomenal achievements. Stutzman is a paralympic medalist in archery, having competed in both the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games with plans to compete in the 2024 Paris Paralympics. And in 2022 he won the World Para Archery Championships in Dubai, AUE. In addition, he holds the world record for the longest accurate shot in the sport. And as if his talents and epic achievements aren’t astonishing enough, there’s one more thing you should know about Matt Stutzman; he does it all with no arms.

Drag racers all too often set their sights on building the biggest and baddest V8 engine, completely unaware of the enormous potential in a V6. Clifford Wilkinson, of Bluffdale, Utah, is keenly aware of the monstrous potential of an expertly modified V6 engine. His menacingly powerful 1985 Buick Grand National, nicknamed “JustaBuick”, with a perfectly fabricated and tuned turbo-charged V6, is an absolute force to be reckoned with at the track. Blowing the doors off countless competitors with their magnificent V8 engines, Wilkinson and “JustaBuick” are proof that bigger isn’t always better.

When Chris Miller of Bartlesville, Oklahoma began the build of his 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe, he envisioned crafting the ultimate prison-themed traditional gasser. As a self proclaimed gasser guy, Miller sought out to build a “bad boy” nostalgic hot rod; one in which the menacing appearance is matched by its wicked power. His vision could not have been more accurately realized. The final product is this extraordinary Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary themed gasser that one can easily imagine tearing away from the pen in a harrowing prison break as a daring fugitive lays the pedal to the metal.

One would be hard-pressed to find a greater fan of high performance Oldsmobiles than Darce Laws of Casper, Wyoming. With a personal collection of twenty-nine 442’s and an Omega, Darce’s Oldsmobiles are as much a part of his life as the very air he breathes. Of this impressive collection, one car stands out more than the rest: “Bocephus”, a dazzling silver 1965 442 with a spectacular power setup yielding over 2,500 horsepower.

Gassers are one of the most distinctive classes of vintage hot rods, with their stilted stance, straight beam front axles, legendary wheelies and skinny tires up front with fat track-grabbing rubber in the rear. Holding true to the gasser style is Benjamin Helms’s astonishing 680HP ‘55 Chevrolet nicknamed “Pucker Time”.

In a traditionally male-dominated sport like drag racing, its refreshing to see a female racer challenging the status quo and giving the guys a run for their money at the track. What’s even more unique and enlivening, is when that female racer is still just a teenager. In the high plains of central Wyoming, 19 year old Brooke DeHony is quickly becoming an emerging leader in the drag racing community with her 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, nicknamed the “Turbo Truck”.