The annual World Series of Drag Racing is the longest continuously running drag race in the world, with 60 editions of the famed race now in the books. The 1/4-mile extravaganza, held every August at the Cordova Dragway Park in Illinois, brings out some of the top names in the business for exhibition, match racing, and competitive eliminator action in front of capacity crowds at the track situated in quiet rural farmland.
This years’ World Series featured a display of modern and retro nitro-powered machines, as brothers Cruz and Tony Pedregon squared off in their NHRA Funny Cars, followed by the Top Fuel Dragsters of Bruce Litton and Melanie Troxel, plus a top Fuel versus Funny Car match race between local legend Chris “The Greek” Karamesines and fellow Illinois native Tim Wilkerson. For the doorslammer crowd, Pro Stock icons Warren Johnson and Larry Morgan battled it out in their 500-inch machines. All of that in addition to a full eliminator of Nostalgia Funny Cars, plus jet cars and trucks, classic Gassers, wheelstanders, the Midwest Super Stock Mafia, and more.
Topping it all off, legends “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and “TV” Tommy Ivo served as the honorary grand marshals of the event that they helped put on the map decades ago.
In the featured category of the event, Cruz Pedregon, pulling double duty in his Snap-On Funny Car and his California Charger nostalgia flopper, sailed into victory lane in the Nostalgia Funny Car eliminator, defeating Mike Minick in the iconic Chi-Town Hustler in the final round.
Ace photographer Chris Graves was on hand at Cordova and captured all the on-track and behind-the-scenes angles of this exciting race, all of which can be browsed in the gallery below. Enjoy!
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