Bradenton Motorsports Park has hosted the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals for over 50 years. This colossal event features jet-powered vehicles and a plethora of heads-up racing. In 2024, the Snowbirds served as the opening round of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series for pro mods, record-setting radial tire racing, and it had a vibe that was off the chars for both racers and fans.
The Pro Mod portion of the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals was an absolute cage fight between 32 of the quickest cars in the world. Mark Micke qualified number one with a 3.59, and Bob Glenn was the number 32 qualifier with a 3.64. The ridiculously quick bump spot, and five-hundredths spread of the field made it one of the quickest in the history of pro mod racing. Several big names like NHRA Top Fuel racer Antron Brown, and NHRA Pro Mod regular Lyle Barnett didn’t even make the field. That should tell you just how tough this race was.
Once eliminations kicked off on Sunday, it became very apparent there would be zero margin for error if you wanted to advance each round. As the race track came around and racers made adjustments, if you weren’t running in the mid to low 3.60s, you were going home. The pressure mounted each round, and the top-tier racers advanced with not only low ETs, but some absolutely brutal reaction times as well.
After four smash-mouth rounds of racing just two competitors remained, outlaw racing veteran Ken Quartuccio, and Street Outlaws star Kye Kelley, who most didn’t think would even make the field. Quartuccio did what he always does at big events, cut solid lights and laid down consistently quick ETs each round to earn his spot in the finals. Kelley surprised everyone with his blistering string of passes in the low 3.60s, and reaction times that stole the soul of whomever he faced. In the final, Quartuccio actually had the better reaction time with a .022 to Kelley’s .033, but Kelley’s crew chief Jeff Pierce dialed up a massive 3.59 shot that was enough to beat Quartuccio’s 3.68. You can learn more about Kelley’s march to the finals and win right here.
The state of Florida is a stronghold for the best Outlaw 632 racers in the country. This class got its start in the Sunshine State, and has always featured great racing at each Snowbirds event. Chris Holdorf scored the number one quailing spot in a tough Outlaw 632 field.
During eliminations, Holdorf maintained his stranglehold on the Outlaw 632 field by marching to the finals with several passes in the 4.1x range. In the final round, Holdorf recorded a 4.12 to secure the victory over Kyle Salminen who turned on the red light
The radial tire racers who came to the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals and put on a show of their own. A tough field of Pro 275 cars kept things lively all weekend long. Racers in Pro 275 took full advantage of the radial prep at Bradenton to run in the 3.60s and low 3.70s during the Snowbirds.
Lyle Barnett might have missed the Pro Mod field, but he showed the way in Pro 275 behind the wheel of the Tommy Youmans-owned Mustang known as “Salvage Title”. Barnett secured the number one qualifying spot in Pro 275 with a 3.67. Once eliminations started, Barnett plowed his way through the field and met Mark Woodruff in the final round where he came out on top.
Limited Drag Radial (LDR) was an absolute meat grinder at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals. All of the cars competing were running in the 3.90s most of the weekend. Number one qualifier Greg Blevins Jr., who just secured the 2024 Radial Outlaw Racing Series title, scored the top spot with a booming 3.87 pass.
During eliminations, Blevins started to print 3.90s tickets like he was driving a bracket car. That consistency earned Blevins a birth in the final round against Wally Farbaky. When the tree dropped, Farbaky’s Mustang spun the tires, and Blevins cruised on to victory with a 3.88 run.
Ultra Street was wild at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals. Shawn Pevlor reset the class record with a 4.374 during qualifying to go number one. Davey Hull went a 4.378 and nearly reset the record again to go number two on the sheet. But all of that didn’t matter during eliminations, because Dave Fiscus and his Buick buzzin’ half-dozen-powered Mustang was on the property and took the win.
Fiscus didn’t have an easy path to the finals and had to dip deep into his bag of tricks to rip off several passes in the 4.44 range. In the final, Ficus faced off against Kieffer Simpson, who ruan a 4.39 during qualifying and was living in the low 4.40s during eliminations. In the money round, Fiscus cut a .010 and ran a 4.43 to best Simpson’s 4.44.
Make sure you check out our photog gallery to see all of the action from the 2024 Snowbird Outlaw Nationals.
