As we continue on with my assessment regarding the best of the best in 2020, we have reached the second installment. Again, these aren’t in any particular order, they are just things that I think needed highlighting as great moments of 2020 in drag racing.

John Leslie Jr. Captures his First NMRA World Championship.

I have personally known John for a long time, and we have been friends for more than half his career. John has been a staple in the NMRA Factory Stock world since the early 2000s but had yet to reach the pinnacle of the class. That all changed this year in Bowling Green, Kentucky during the NMRA World Finals. The culmination from 20 years of hard work and dedication was finally realized when at the end of the weekend John was crowned the 2020 World Champion.

Brian Keep Crowned Ultra Street Champion…BY 5 POINTS!!

That’s right folks. Coming into Snowbirds at Bradenton the points battle between Brian Keep and Kirt Sanders was tight, to say the least. These two battled for points all season and it was going to come down to the last race of the year, as it should. Everyone already had figured the points, drops, and every little nuance to points accumulation. Everything came down to one round, and it ended up being a round where both Brian and Kirt went out in the same round. That secured the Championship for Brian by a slim as possible 5 points.

X275 makes it rain teens at Shakedown.

You really could not make this up if you tried. Most of us knew that it was only a matter of time that cars started dropping teens in X275, but not like this. It was an “Oh yeah? Hold my beer and watch this moment” when Manny Buginga, Charles Hull, and Rob Goss all dropped teens like it was the norm. Very few times to I see all the photographers take notice of something, but that was an “is this really happening” moment for a lot of us.

Erica Enders leaves no doubt who the best is.

To say that the 2020 NHRA season was a cluster would be a grossly dramatic understatement. That certainly did not stop Erica from showing everyone yet again why it is that she, in my opinion, is the greatest female drag racer in history. Now you can argue with me all you want on the point, and well, you’d be wrong. Erica captured a fourth NHRA Pro Stock Championship this season along with her 29th NHRA Pro Stock win. Let’s not forget, she is also a Junior Dragster champion and can wheel a Pro Mod.

That is our list for today. Join us tomorrow for the next installment as we look back on the 2020 drag racing season and try to bring you some of the best highlights from the year that was.