The three-race series held at Bradenton Motorsports Park, known as the Drag Illustrated Winter Series, has proven over the past couple of years that it’s where the best of the best come to play. During the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, US Street Nationals, and the World Series of Pro Mod this season, we saw some of the tightest and quickest racing across all classes.
This year featured massive draws to the series, including the Elite Motorsports Million and the chance to win a brand-new Pro Mod rolling chassis built by Jerry Bickel Race Cars, all on top of $300,000 in Pro Mod payouts.
At the World Series of Pro Mod this past weekend, 64 of the baddest Pro Mods showed up to battle their way into a tight 32-car field. For those who didn’t make the cut, there was a second-chance $25,000 Wild Card Shootout, which created a second 32-car field.
Pro Mod
Over the years of the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod, there has never been a repeat winner, but last year’s winner, Steve King of Pilot Racing, was looking to change that. Unfortunately, King qualified No. 36, placing him into the Wild Card Shootout as the No. 4 qualifier.
Leading the 32-car field was Eric Gustafson, whose 3.553-second pass at 211.16 mph secured the top spot. Right behind him was Snowbird Outlaw Nationals standout Jason Harris with a 3.555 at 211.26 mph.
Round one of eliminations delivered major upsets. Past World Series winners were eliminated, along with a multi-time Pro Mod champion and several veterans. It became a driver’s race, with multiple matchups decided by who could pedal their car to the finish line. Gustafson posted the low ET of the round with a 3.606 against Travis “Carolina Kid” Harvey. Peter Norton scored a win over Lyle Barnett, while No. 8 qualifier Aaron Stanfield advanced past Sidnei Frigo.
With a championship on the line, every round was do-or-die. Points leader Jason Harris fell in round one, opening the door for Stevie “Fast” Jackson, but Jackson was eliminated in round two by Shawn “Murder Nova” Ellington.
Gustafson appeared poised to capitalize but was eliminated after a red-light start against Ellington. That left Randy Weatherford and Peter Norton as the remaining championship contenders. In round four, the two met head-to-head, with the winner claiming the 2026 Winter Series Pro Mod championship. Norton cut the better light and held on for the win, securing the title and advancing to the final round.
As eliminations progressed, attention shifted to Aaron Stanfield, whose consistent driving, clean A-to-B passes, and strong reaction times carried him to the final.
The final round between Stanfield and Norton delivered. Both drivers navigated tricky track conditions and tough competition to get there. Norton held a slight advantage at the start, but Stanfield edged ahead at the stripe to take the $150,000 win. Stanfield ran a 3.576 at 210.82 mph to Norton’s 3.585 at 210.57 mph, with a razor-thin margin of victory of just 0.003 seconds.
Wild Card Shootout
In previous years, cars 33 through 64 competed in a Chicago-style second-chance race, but this year it became its own standalone event.
The field included heavy hitters like Erica Enders, Melanie Salemi, Mark Micke, and defending WSOPM winner Steve King. While a second WSOPM win was out of reach, King focused on capturing the Shootout victory.
He defeated Bo Butner, Frank Falter IV, and Robert Costa to reach the semifinals, where he faced Luis de Leon. In a bizarre turn of events, King went red, but de Leon suffered a catastrophic engine failure down track and still crossed the finish line. However, the FuelTech-backed team bypassed the mandatory weigh-in and was disqualified, reinstating King into the final round.
King’s teammate Melanie Salemi also made a strong run, defeating Derrick Ford, Kyle Dvorak, earning a bye in round three, and beating Ed Thornton in the semifinals.
In the final, King left with a strong reaction-time advantage and never looked back. Salemi encountered trouble down track, allowing King to secure the victory.
Pro 10.5
Fresh off his US Street Nationals win, Jerry Morgano grabbed the No. 1 qualifying spot with a strong 3.829 at 204.39 mph. Former Philadelphia Eagles player Fletcher Cox qualified No. 2 with a 3.876 at 190.27 mph in his nitrous-powered Camaro, “Training Day,” while Nick Agostino took the No. 3 spot with a 3.899 at 202.39 mph.
Cox set low ET in round one and carried that momentum through eliminations, advancing to the final against Joel Wensley Jr., who defeated Grantley Schloss, Bill Riddle, and Ty Kasper before a semifinal bye.
In the final, Cox left first and powered his Pat Musi-powered Camaro to the win, claiming both the event victory and the Winter Series Pro 10.5 championship. Cox ran a 3.928 at 190.78 mph to Wensley’s 3.973 at 192.85 mph.
Lil’ Gangstas
The popular Lil Gangstas class drew 58 competitors for the final Winter Series event. Chris Scarlata, driving a 1970 Chevrolet Nova, emerged victorious, defeating Breanna Edwards in her 1984 Buick Regal.
True 10.5
True 10.5 remains one of the wildest classes in drag racing, with minimal rules, as in, anything goes as long as it runs on a 28×10.5 slick. Traditionally, a no-time class, competitors voted at the US Street Nationals to allow ETs to be displayed.
The class does not use a qualifying ladder, with pairings determined by chip draw. Low 4.0- to 3.9-second runs are standard.
A total of 19 cars competed for the $40,000 prize. In the final, Russell Stone faced Bill Lutz. Both had been consistent throughout eliminations, but Lutz developed a fluid leak after his burnout and was unable to make the run, handing Stone the win.
Index Winners
4.60 Bike
Winner: Rashad Jones
6.50 Index
Winner: Mark Horton
7.50 Index
Winner: Dean Thompson
Super Pro
Winner: Mitchell Kalitta
Advanced Jr. Dragster
Winner: Cameron Rich
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