E3xtreme Presents: 50 Most Influential People in Drag Racing Part Three

We have gotten to part three of our five part series featuring the most influential people in drag racing. This is a list complied by the staff at E3xtreme. The list is in no particular order either. It's a random list, not a countdown. 

20. James Lawrence – Founder Power Automedia & SEMA Board Member

Photo  Via DragZine..com

Ever since the early days of NMRA, James has been on the front line of motorsports. Whether it was dealing with racers or more recently building a motorsports media empire. James has the business sense that most don’t and knows exactly how to use it. His Power Automedia is the parent company of many of the other outlets you may read from like Dragzine, Engine Labs, Ford Muscle, & so many more. James and his team have been creating drag racing content for quite a while now. It seems like every time we look, James is coming out with something new to reach the motorsport industry fans. He has been at the top for a long time, and shows no signs of slowing down.

21. Stevie Fast – Drag Racing Superstar

Yeah, I’m well aware that Stevie seems to get a lot of coverage from all the media outlets and there is a reason for that. He is a headlining star. When he does something, it’s to the best of his abilities, and those abilities seem to surpass most others in the sport. His rise from the ORSCA Limited Street days, to becoming Rookie of the Year in NHRA Pro Mod in 2017, there isn’t much he hasn’t accomplished. The fact is that Stevie is easily becoming the John Force of this generation. He does it his way and there is very little filter that goes along with it.

22. Mike Hill – Promoter, Racer, and all around OG

If you don’t know who Mike Hill is, then you don’t know drag racing in the south. Mike Hill is what most consider to be one of the Godfathers of grudge racing in the South. He isn’t just one of the most well-respected Promoters in the country though. He is also one hell of a wheel man, along with working on cars like the William’s family pro mods. Mike was a dominate force back in the ORSCA 10.5 days, along with piloting his own Pro Mods. There seem to be a lot of promoters that come and go in all of drag racing, but year after year, Mike continues to be the standard in which all other grudge promoters are judged by. Mike speaks softly at the race, until it’s time not to. He has remained humble and still loves drag racing no matter the drama and BS involved. In our opinion, there is no grudge game in the south without Mike Hill.

23. Don Schumacher – Founder DSR

There isn’t much that hasn’t been said about Don in the past. He is an absolute Icon in the sport of Drag Racing. It wasn’t always the way you see it now though. Don took a 23-year break from drag racing, before returning in the late 90’s as a team owner. I think we would be understating it if we said that since his return, the DSR teams have been pretty dominate. There is no need to inundate you with stats about the DSR camp though. The fact is that every year, DSR is fielding a team of cars that all have the ability to win the NHRA championship. Don has been and continues to be successful in business and in life. If you don’t think he is influential, image NHRA drag racing without DSR and see where that gets you. Whether you love or hate “super teams” the fact is that Don is one of the key figures that makes this whole thing we call Nitro racing keep going.

24. Lonnie Grim – NMCA/NMRA Tech Director

When you are the tech director for tow of the most prominent heads up drag racing series in the country, let’s face it, you have a lot of enemies and a lot of friends. It’s no secret that most racers don’t like their local tech guys. Lonnie seems to be the exception to the rule when it comes to that love/hate relationship. One of the reasons for that is because he listens to the racers, and does his homework. He isn’t just going to give you a rule change because you want it. You must discuss with him on an intelligent level, why it’s needed. Lonnie isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers when it comes to the rules. He stands his ground, but at the same time respects the racers, builders, and tuners. All of this, while having to deal with rules for over 20 classes.

25. Brian Lohnes – Announcer & Co-Founder Bangshift.com

Everyone in the sport of drag racing knows who Brian Lohnes is at this point. You have seen him on TV or at the race track. He is the voice of the NHRA Pro Mod class, and has seen and forgot more about the history of drag racing than a lot of people with ever even learn. Brian is the true gold standard when it comes to drag race announcing in the 21st century. Everyone will argue for this guy or that guy, and some of those other guys are ones that we are great friends with too. The fact is that Brian is not only the voice of Pro Mod, but he is also the announcer at numerous races across the country. Brian is also the Co-Founder of Bangshift.com, which is a car guy/girl dream site of a sorts. The amount of cool stuff that he and the Bangshift team put up is really amazing. We look forward to seeing Brian do his thing and continue to progress in the NHRA world. If you haven’t caught Brian’s announcing, you really should. Chances are you will learn something you didn’t know.

26. Adam Flamholc - Pro Mod Superstar

The Swed’s are on the list. Pro Mod racer Adam Flamholc has got to be one of the most influential people in all drag racing. I am not sure if there is another human in drag racing that travels to more continents than Adam. He has won FIA Pro Mod Championships, he was on the cusp of the NMCA championship last year before a health scare sidelined him. He has also been a key figure getting pro mod really rolling in Russia. Yep, you didn’t read that wrong, I said Russia. All this from a humble guy that called Sweden his home. Even after Adam’s crash last season at Joliet, he went to Chris Duncan Race Cars with another Pro Mod that he bought, and they worked on the car 20+ hours a day to get it done in a week and back out for the next race. Adam is now spending most of his time in Florida. We spoke to Adam recently about future plans, and there were numerous things on the table for him. It will be nice when we can see the soft spoken Swed back in a car though.

27. Lance Stanford & Travis Harvey – Carolina N/T Series Founders

How much can you really change in the world of drag racing? Fact is that you are driving in a straight line for a pre-determined distance to get to the finish first. That said, Travis and Lance have really stepped it up. For the longest time, there were no class cars allowed in the N/T world. There were reasons for an against that though. Drivers that only did N/T were afraid to race class cars because it might give away how quick they were. None of this phased Lance and Travis when the founded Carolina N/T series. A series that has really been taking off. They give class and N/T racers a place to battle it out. Doesn’t matter if you lit the boards or when you lit them. Just show up and race your class. The racing in 2017 was spectacular as well. With points races coming down to the last race of the season. Lance and Travis seem to really be on to something and we are sure it will continue to grow as other’s catch on to what these two are doing.

28. Ebrahim Kanoo – Founder Ekanoo Racing      

Photo Via Ekanoo Racing

If you haven’t watched the videos that Ekanoo Racing puts out, you really need to go over to their Youtube channel and spend some time doing so. Whether it is winning championships, gathered race wins, or building the absolute works of art that they race, Ebrahim is driven to best head and shoulders above everyone. His drive to win is shown by the people he surrounds himself with. Team members include the who’s who of drag racing. Josh Ledford, Shane Techlenburg, Gary White, Mike Rees, Tim Davis, Jamie Miller, and so many more. Ebrahim has continued to make Bahrain a legit contender in the world of drag racing. He isn’t afraid to spend money, think outside the box, and do what it takes to win. Ebrahim is a trend setter and others are all playing catch up at this point.

29. Mel Roth – PSCA & SCSN

When you think drag racing, you think or at least I think ¼ mile racing. Mel, for years held to that same idea with his insane record setting events. The west coast never seems to get the drag racing love that the east does, but Mel has done everything he could to keep the west on the map, all while continuing to hold record setting events in St. Louis and Las Vegas. Street Car Super Nationals Vegas is one of the premiere last season events that people love to go to. For more than a decade Mel has gathered in the desert with the goal of crushing records and putting on one hell of a show. He and his wife Heather travel around the country promoting their racing and supporting the racing industry. Through personal tragedy and professional success, Mel seems to have found a solid balance that allows him to move forward with the dream. Mel is also one of those promoters to look outside the box. At the St. Louis race this season, in August, there really was something for everyone. Nostalgia, radial, pro mod, and pretty much everything in between. There are plenty of lessons that other promoters should be paying attention to when it comes to putting on an event. Mel, Heather, and everyone involved continue to be one of the best at putting on an event and not becoming mundane.