PDRA Super Street Racer Brad McBride Ready Is To Turns Heads With New Look In 2026

PDRA Super Street racer Brad McBride might just have one of the most unique and iconic cars in the class, a stunning 1963 VW Type 3 Fastback. This classic import-turned-drag car received an incredible update in 2025, but to fully understand its journey, we need to start at Bristol Dragway during the 2024 PDRA Racing Thunder Valley Throwdown.

At a previous race, Brad and his crew had slowed the car down due to track conditions. When they turned it back up, they found more power than anticipated, and the car wasn’t quite balanced for the increase. During round one of eliminations, the Fastback picked the front wheels up. With the wheelie control maxed out, pedaling made little difference in how high the front end climbed. When the front wheels finally returned to the concrete, the car made a hard move to the right, began to roll, and slid to a stop upside down.

As replacement panels were installed, Brad wasn’t happy with the look, and the gears began turning in his mind for an all-new design. Even so, he finished the 2024 season strong, winning the VW Heritage Series championship and earning an event win at the PDRA World Finals. Coming off that strong finish, the 2.8-liter VR6 combination was maxed out in every direction, and Brad knew an upgrade to a 3.6-liter engine would be necessary to remain competitive.

When the 2025 season kicked off, Brad planned to continue racing the VW. However, after two catastrophic engine failures, Chris Singleton offered up his Fox-body Mustang. When Brad pulled into the staging lanes, he arguably turned even more heads with the drastic change than he ever did with the iconic Fastback. While it was a “strange switch” for the import driver, he greatly appreciated the opportunity to drive something different, using it to expand his knowledge and continue improving as a racer.

Now, let’s introduce the new combination and look. Brad designed and built the chromoly chassis himself, along with handling the fabrication and paintwork. He also created the custom internals inside the 3.6-liter, methanol-powered VR6, which features ICON pistons. Additionally, all tuning through the FuelTech ECU is handled by Brad. The car is equipped with a BorgWarner AirWerks turbocharger, a Powerglide transmission, a custom 9-inch Ford rear end with Strange Engineering components, a four-link suspension, and 28×10.5 Mickey Thompson tires. Topping off the out-of-this-world paint scheme is pinstriping and lettering by Michael Hall.

Every interior panel showcases the look of vintage signage, some chosen to fit the classic aesthetic, others holding deep personal meaning. The Gatorade and Reese’s Cup wheel tubs reflect the fact that Brad is always drinking Gatorade and has an unmatched love for Reese’s Cups, so much so that a friend once paid him to drive his car using the chocolate-and-peanut-butter candy as motivation.

The Bluefield sign on the rear references the street where Brad grew up. The license plates represent Kansas, where his wife was born; Maryland, where the couple attended H2Oi shows and where his wife earned multiple awards; and Guatemala, where they’ve gone on mission trips for the past twenty years. Even more impressive than the creativity itself, each sign was hand-painted.

“I enjoy taking people on a journey as they look at the car,” Brad shared. “While I was designing, I would wake up at night, write down an idea, and go back to sleep.”

Moving to the exterior, and answering the question everyone has been wondering, yes, it’s all paint. The design concept originated from meetings with a potential sponsor. While the deal ultimately fell through, it provided Brad with a clear direction for the livery. Overall, the design was a collaboration between Brad and Michael Hall. Brad supplied the vision, while Michael helped tie everything together. Brad handled the paintwork, with Michael completing the pinstriping and lettering. The name across the door panels, Blitzkrieg, came from a fan vote when Brad first built the car ten years ago.

Now for the next big question: why go against the grain in a world dominated by American muscle, LS, and Hemi power? Brad hasn’t always been an import specialist. He grew up around American cars, with his family campaigning Funny Cars in NHRA and IHRA competition throughout the 1990s. By age 11, he was packing parachutes, and by 13, he was performing clutch work on some of the fastest cars in the world. Surrounded by professional racers, Brad dreamed of chasing championships in the pro ranks, and PDRA Super Street allows him to do just that on an affordable budget.

The import path, however, began with his wife. Brad built her a VW Golf with a boosted VR6, which is also used as a push car for the ’63, for her to race while he competed in a big-block Chevy Comp Dragster. Through her car, Brad saw the potential of the VR6 platform and decided to build a boosted VR6 capable of outrunning his dragster, which was making passes in the 5.20s.

1 2 ... 4 ►

“I guess I kind of found my niche,” Brad said. “It feels good when I beat the high-dollar teams with LS or Hemis. I’m doing something that not many other people are doing. No one expects a VW to win, but when I do, the fans go wild. That’s what we as racers should be doing, putting on a show for the fans.”

Looking ahead to 2026, the Brad McBride team hopes to compete full-time in the PDRA Racing Series, though that goal requires funding. The team would also like to attend the US Street Nationals in Bradenton, Florida, to gain valuable testing time before the PDRA season begins. Chasing a PDRA Super Street championship is the ultimate objective, but it will take partnerships to help offset the costs.

To reach this point, Brad would like to thank Brandy McBride—his crew chief for life—along with crew members Adam Dalton and Michael Fletcher, as well as Todd Rhodes and Jeff Hoyle. He also extends thanks to UEM/ICON Pistons, DYME Racing Hoses and Quick Connect Fittings, Younce RV, Bernard Weaver of Weaver Racing Transmissions, WPC Signs and Fabrication, and Rob Enders of Schaeffer Oil.