$10K Drag Shootout 3: A New Team Appears

Last year on the $10K Drag Shootout the Horsepower Wars staff had to pivot mid-season in the face of an unexpected transport fire that damaged several of the completed vehicles. And this season is already throwing in some curveballs, as two weeks ago the reigning champions, Enemies Everywhere, was forced to drop out due to international travel restrictions in light of the global pandemic. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances, Team Free Form has also dropped out of the upcoming season of the $10K Drag Shootout presented by Lucas Oil.

Enter Team Villain Squad! Some viewers may recognize team leader Jorge “Geo” Ramos from last season, when he participated as a member of the Dream Team, helping to build and then rebuild the 2004 Mustang after the transport fire. Ramos is a lifelong racer and follower of the sport with a wealth of building experience. He competes in no-prep drag racing events as well as other genres of auto racing. By day, he manages operations at Top Gun Performance Tuning, where has built several vehicles for the SEMA Show, and was honored with a spot in the SEMA Battle of the Builders, along with the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational.

Team Leader Jorge "Geo" Ramos, a lifelong racer and follower of the sport with a wealth of building experience.

“I’ve been racing at legal events since I was 15 years old. Prior to that it was a lot of street racing and racing at deserted areas. That is over 23 years of experience! I’ve taken multiple bracket racing wins home along with several trophies; however, I found heads-up and no-prep racing to be more exciting. Over the course of 30 years, I have won several bracket events, index events, no-time events, and no-prep events.”

From left to right: Ben Freeman, Russ Barber, and Nate Egli

“Russ Barber has over 24 years of street and grudge racing experience, has been building engines for 26 years, and has worked on engine package design and development for 25 years. Not only does Russ have the skills, but he brings a colorful personality. Plus, he looks like a knock-off Vin Diesel! Nathan Egli owns a custom fab shop that does crazy swaps on just about everything. He built his first engine at age 14 and his shop, Capitol City Performance, has been the only performance shop in Madison, Wisconsin for nearly 23 years. Nate can do everything, from building turbo kits to cages, and can even tune when necessary. Ben Freeman is a jack-of-all-trades and is quite skilled when it comes to engine building, tuning, and fabrication – so we’re lucky to have him. Late additions to the team include Justin Carpenter and Kelvy Limon, but this entire team is full of skilled team players who are driven and competitive. We will overcome any obstacle as a team and come out victorious.”

The Villain Squad is looking to bring authentic no-prep racing to the show.

“Anyone who has raced no-prep and been successful at it will tell you that the fastest car does not always win. I have won several events as an underdog and have lost a few as a favorite. It takes a combination of things to have the quickest car leaving the line and to hold the power to the road. No-prep is not about only going WOT (wide open throttle) every pass, you must react to the vehicle and make adjustments when necessary.”

Does the addition of Team Villain Squad affect who you think has the best shot at winning this season? Make sure you tune in this fall as the teams go head-to-head in the Lucas Oil $10K Drag Shootout 3, only at HorsepowerWars.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for behind-the-scenes content!

Horsepower Wars Season 3 and the $10K Drag Shootout will be made possible by its title sponsor Lucas Oil, as well as ARPB&MBMR SuspensionCOMP CamsDyna-BattE3 Spark PlugsHolleyHurstImpact RacingKooks Custom HeadersMAHLE MotorsportsMickey Thompson TiresMorosoMoser EngineeringProform PartsPRW IndustriesQA1RenegadeRon Francis WiringSpicerSummit RacingTotal SealTuff StuffVictor ReinzWeld Racing, and others.

About the author

Amanda Bourne

Amanda got her start in the industry as a car photographer and eventually started managing performance shops where she developed an obsession for old-school JDM. A firm believer in "built not bought" and always driving as fast as you can.
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