Well, 2022 is upon us and I think it’s time to look forward and think about what we may see this up coming season.

• PRO MOD EXPLOSION

  If you don’t think that the Pro Mod movement is on the upswing, you have been living under a rock for the past decade or so. While everyone pounds their chest of drag radial racing, Pro Mod has continue to grow at a rate never seen before. There are series all over the country, and really the world for that matter that focus on Pro Mod’s, or at least highlight them as a mainstay. Organizations like Mid-West Drag Racing Series, PDRA, NEOPMA, SNRA, NMCA, & NHRA all feature Pro Mods. And look no further than Bradenton Motorsports Park for the U.S. Street Nationals and Snowbirds. 50+ Pro Mods and the entry sells out in a day. Pro Mod is here to to stay and continue to grow.

• New NHRA Teams

  Year after year fans get sick and tired of “mega teams” or “super teams” in any sport. Drag racing is not immune to that at all. In the past it was Kalitta, Force, Schumacher, & then the rest. All the off-season shakeups revolved around the “breakup” of teams from Schumacher though, along with the creation of new teams. These smaller teams that were formed are not your garage pal teams either. It will be great to once again see smaller teams compete on a stage that has certainly leveled out during the offseason. Look for teams like Wilkerson, Pedregon, Hagan, etc. to all have banner years and remind us why NHRA might be worth tuning into again.

• Radial Racing Tipping Point

  There comes a time, and we’ve seen it in almost every class to exist, that the luster completely wears off. For more than 10 years now, radial racing has been at the forefront of our minds. Some of the biggest stars in the sport have completed on radials. From Swanstrom and Ryan Martin to Stevie Jackson and Alex Laughlin. Money, egos, and rules, have been a core issue for much of the radial world. We have seen Radial vs The World devolve into nothing more than Pro Mods on street tires. Pro 275, which was an amazing idea at the time, seems to already be getting out of control. The issues with each class are right in front of our faces. The racers and promoters need to get their shit figured out before there is nothing left to figure out.

• The Return of Outlaw 10.5 Style Racing

  What comes around goes around they say. Well that is exactly what has happened in the world of slick tire racing. A couple of years ago the preverbal nail in the coffin was announced when Cecil County dropped Outlaw 10.5 in favor of a Pro 275 style program. There were some that praised and some that gasped about this. Everyone at the time thought that slick tire racing outside of Pro Mod was dead. What they don’t realize is that style racing was immediately missed. PDRA has introduced their Pro Street class, and other organizations are in the process of implementing a 10.5 or Super Street Outlaw style class as part of their program. I for one could not be more thrilled about this!!

• Erica Enders Wins #5

  An unpopular opinion among some might be when I say that Erica wins her 5th World Championship. Listen, the fact is that Erica is one of the best to ever drive a drag race car! You can attempt to argue the point all you want, but you’d be wrong. In 2022 I think we she her more on her game than she has ever been. She’ll be up on that wheel and out for blood. While their will be new drivers out there, as well as some of the same veterans as usual, I think the Elite program and Erica’s proven skills will see her holding up that World Championship at the end of the 2022 season.

• No Prep Racing will Thrive

  Anyone that has been reading content on E3xtreme long enough is well-versed in the fact that I am not a huge fan of No Prep racing. While I understand the concept, what I also see is the craving to be famous on TV. It’s a lowest common denominator deal when we are talking about No Prep and TV especially. Again, those are my opinions, I also am of the opinion that the genre of racing will continue to thrive and grow an audience. The people behind shows like NPK, America’s List, Street Outlaws, etc. seem to have their finger squarely on the pulse of the typical television viewer and I see no slowdown with that. This type of racing generates interest, sells merchandise, sells tickets, puts asses in seats, and makes money for track owners.

• Bracket Racing will grow

  You want to know why bracket racing is a true pillar of drag racing? It is because it’s doesn’t matter how deep your wallet or what you drive, you can still compete. The last 2 1/2 years have been tough with the supply and demand of race car parts. Plenty of shops are getting screwed on being able to get parts for full race car builds. When you go bracket racing though, a lot of those issues don’t matter. I look out in my driveway right now and I see a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek, 2004 Mustang GT, and a 2002 Yukon Denali, all of which I could go and bracket with. As a fan, you might not want to sit though days of bracket racing, but you certainly should. The talent of the best bracket racers in the world is 10x that of a lot of heads-up drivers.

• Content Content Content

  The internet age and the growing number of apps, along with the ridiculous amount of time we spend staring at small screens have made content a hot commodity. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Clapper, Snapchat, etc. have made us a content heavy generation. From 8 year olds to 80 year olds, they are all connected though apps. These apps have made it easier and easier to spread drag racing content to the world. While some are annoyed by the saturation and potential backlash, I for one think we are just now starting to break though. When I say “you haven’t seen anything yet” I mean just that. The potential for such amazing content to be created, shared, and enjoyed by the masses is just now being realized. You will start to see even more of this content in 2022.

• The Firesale of tracks is over

  The pandemic brought a lot of issues to the forefront when we discuss the business of drag racing, or what is happening in the economy. Tracks like Palm Beach, Cordova, Memphis, Atlanta, Houston, Maryland, Joliet, Milan, etc. have either closed, been sold to non-drag racing entities, or been sold to keep as a drag strip. I think the firesale of property is done though. While a lot of it was done via IHRA and NHRA, on the business side of it, the property values may have leveled off for the time being. With that said, it’s still just as important as ever to support all tracks.

• EV Drag Racing will continue to grow

  Yes, yes I did just throw up a little in my mouth after typing that. I am a huge detractor of everything EV. I hate hate hate them and I believe they have no place in drag racing. With that said though, I think that you will start to see more and more EV’s show up at the drag strip and at some point might even have an entire class of just EV’s. While I would rather be forced to watch and listen to the track rotator go up and down the surface for an hour before being forced to watch EV’s race, there is a subset of our fan base in drag racing that likes EV’s.

• Podcasts

  If you want to talk about a medium that everyone can get behind in this day and age, it would be the podcast. Everyone seems to have one or want one. Whether you are a media member, a drag racer, a promoter, or even just a fan, the podcast allows you to speak your opinion and people like to listen. It’s a growing trend that not many do well, but in time, just like everything else, you will see an abundance of drag racing based podcasts. 2022 will be the year that podcasting really becomes a strong outlet within drag racing.

• Photographers vs. Promoters/Drivers/Fans

  This is one that I don’t like to address that much, but I foresee this becoming a hot topic in 2022. The Federal Government passed the CASE Act of 2020 and this sets up a “small claims” office for content creators to legally protect their work for being used in an unauthorized manner. No longer will photographers and videographers have to go and get a fancy lawyer to protect their work. This movement forward could create some issues between the content creators and the end consumers if not handled properly. This is also something I will address in an upcoming podcast.

  
  

So there you have it. Some of the things that I think we will see in 2022. The great and not so great. What do you think we will see during the 2022 season? What are you hoping to see in 2022?