GLEASON DRAGWAY JOINS WDRA AS PART OF THE MEMBER TRACK FAMILY

Norwalk, OH- The World Drag Racing Alliance and Gleason Dragway have announced a multi-year sanction agreement that will see the newly renovated Gleason Raceway Park join the alliance in 2025 and beyond.  The Northup family have been on a tear of improvements since their acquisition of the facility in early 2021 and flying the WDRA flag will give them the opportunity to expand on those improvements.

“There is no better definition of a family owned and operated facility when most of the staff with radios on are part of that family,” said WDRA’s Jon O’Neal. “The essence of providing a safe, attractive and family oriented experience is alive and well at Gleason.”

Brothers Sam and Rick Northup along Samantha Archabal and the extended Gleason Family have been hard at work with a fresh AccuTime Timing System and wiring, starting line concrete work, extension of the shutdown and return road and a mass of equipment purchases and repairs to get the facility to their level of operation. Sam and Rick are carrying on the tradition of being in business together for over 30-years.

“I feel that this is the right move for our racers,” said co-owner Rick Northup.  “The professionalism of the WDRA shows in their efforts.  Looking forward at the next ten years, we feel the WDRA is the right fit for our facility and is going to be the place to be.”

PROLUBE OIL PARTNERS WITH WDRA FOR THE 2025 SEASON

Prolube Oil will directly support racers at the 2025 WDRA Summit World Championships by sponsoring the Free $5K Sportsman Gamblers Race.

NORWALK, OH: Prolube Oil joins forces with the World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) as the class sponsor for the Free $5,000-to-win Sportsman Gamblers Race contested at the WDRA Summit World Championships.

Partnering with a drag racing sanctioning body is a full-circle moment for Prolube Oil founder Paul Wireman, who owned and operated Riverside Dragstrip & Speedway for fourteen years, beginning in 1964.  As a car enthusiast and late model racer, Wireman began experimenting with oil additives in hopes of creating a competitive edge on the racing surface. He adjusted the formula throughout the late 1980s until the development of the Prolube Oil Treatment, which reduces friction, increases engine life, and even expands the time between oil changes. This winning combination has been used to secure five National Championships in NASCAR, NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle, and JEGS Pro Stock Truck and is now welcomed as a marketing partner for the sportsman racing ranks with the WDRA.

“The Prolube team is thrilled to partner with the WDRA for a great event that gives back directly to the racers,” said Jake Wireman with Prolube Oil. “This partnership is very meaningful to us because it takes us back to our roots and feels like home.”

WDRA WELCOMES PIEDMONT DRAGWAY TO THE MEMBER TRACK FAMILY IN 2025

NORWALK, OH: Piedmont Dragway, hailed as “The Doorslammer Capitol of the World,” has entered into a multi-year sanction agreement with the World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) beginning with the 2025 season. Located in Julian, North Carolina, Piedmont Dragway boasts a slam-packed season with nearly 100 events stretching from January to December. The eighth-mile facility was founded in 1957 and has accumulated a rich history throughout decades of exciting action and close competition.

“Inviting such a well-run and beloved facility to our family is a pleasure,” said Josh Peake with WDRA. “I have a long-standing relationship with the facility and its racers, so it’s an honor to be able to bring them into the programs this sanctioning body has to offer.”

Manager Buffy Brewer has decided to switch sanctioning bodies to provide their racers with the unique benefits that come with being part of the WDRA. Additionally, the track looks forward to challenging the best racers from the Carolinas when they bring a team to compete at the WDRA Summit Southeast Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports at Galot Motorsports Park in October.

𝐖𝐃𝐑𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐗 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘

Norwalk, OH: South Carolina Motorplex will fly the WDRA flag in 2025 and beyond. WDRA and the historic 150-acre facility located in Neeses South Carolina have entered into a multi-year sanction agreement that will welcome them into the World Drag Racing Alliance member track family. 

“We have heard from racers in the area and they are excited to take part in the experience that the WDRA provides at the Summit Bracket Finals,” said WDRA’s Jon O’Neal. “The facility and racer base can benefit from our programs, offerings and partnership throughout the season, culminating with the opportunity to race with the best in the area at the Summit Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports.”

Led by owners Candice Roberson and Jesse (JP) Williams who purchased the property in late 2022, the facility boasts both an excellent location and facilities.  The complex offers a diverse schedule of bracket racing, grudge, mud races, concerts and car shows.  Heated and cooled restrooms, showers and RV hookups get a good workout thanks to the tracks multi-day events and packed schedule.  While fairly new to the track ownership business, Roberson and Williams are no strangers to the drag strip.  Each have been involved in the sport growing up and are now continuing the tradition with their own children.

“We are looking forward to being a strong resource for Candice and JP as they continue to grow their business and become a part of the Alliance,” said WDRA’s Josh Peake.  “There is a strong bracket racing community in South Carolina and we are looking forward to having them join the Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series and provide them with the benefits and opportunities they have not had in the past.”

WDRA ANNOUNCES 2025 SCHEDULE FOR SUMMIT BRACKET FINALS AND SUMMIT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS

NORWALK, OH:  After a highly successful sophomore year, the World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) is excited to release its event schedule for the 2025 season. The weekend dates for all seven WDRA events remain the same as the organization strives to provide stability and consistency in scheduling for racetracks and racers year after year.

Returning sponsors Summit Racing Equipment and Laris Motorsports Insurance will again support the six-event Bracket Finals series, which will take place on five consecutive weekends in the fall. Their generous contributions allow drivers from racetracks across the WDRA network to compete for cash and WDRA Rod trophies at each regional event as representatives for their home track. The resulting environment is incredible, with competitors cheering for their teammates as each round win counts toward the Team Championship tally for participating racetracks.

Racers will converge at Eddyville Raceway Park to kick off the series with the Midwest Summit Bracket Finals on September 4-7, 2025. The following weekend, the competition heats up at Keystone Raceway Park for the Eastern Summit Bracket Finals on September 11-14^th. Due to a scheduling conflict with another series at US 131 Motorsports Park, the third weekend of the WDRA tour will occur at a new location. Mike Ledford and his team at Mid Michigan Motorplex have stepped up to host the Northern Summit Bracket Finals on September 18-21, 2025. The WDRA team will then venture south to close out the season. The Southern Bracket Finals will return to Montgomery International Dragway on September 25-28^th, followed by the Southeast Summit Bracket Finals that Galot Motorsports Park will now host on October 2-5, 2025. At the time of publication, the location of the Canadian Northwest Summit Bracket Finals is still being finalized among the clubs and board of directors that operate the racetracks in that region. The WDRA looks forward to announcing those details in the coming weeks.

GALOT MOTORSPORTS PARK JOINS THE WORLD DRAG RACING ALLIANCE MEMBER TRACK FAMILY

NORWALK, OH: Officials from the World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) and Galot Motorsports Park are pleased to announce that the two entities have joined forces on a multi-year sanction agreement. As a destination stop for many touring series and one of the most excellent racing facilities in the country, Galot is an astounding addition to the WDRA family of racetracks. With the blessing of the member tracks that comprise the WDRA Summit Southeast Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance, Galot will also host that event October 2-5, 2025.

“We are thrilled to bring the WDRA programs and opportunities to the bracket racers who call Galot home,” said Skooter Peaco from WDRA. “We are also thankful to the owner, Mr. Earl Wells, and the General Manager, Josh Peake, for giving us this opportunity to reimagine what a sanctioning body can do for its tracks.”

Located in Dunn, North Carolina, Galot Motorsports Park joins a network of 55 other WDRA-sanctioned tracks in the United States, Canada, and Aruba. Galot Motorsports Park boasts a state-of-the-art racing facility featuring an onsite restaurant and 9,000 stadium seats for various racing events, truck pulls, and concerts. The drag strip includes a temperature-controlled racing surface, timing tower/control room, suites, LED Video scoreboards, paved parking, and over seventy RV hook ups. Considered by many racers to be one of the finest facilities in the country, Galot also features a dedicated tractor-pulling track to host NTPA and other events.  

𝗝𝗘𝗙𝗙 𝗝𝗔𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗪𝗗𝗥𝗔 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗧 𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗬𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣

When it comes to bracket racing, especially in the hotter climates, snowmobiles aren’t typically the first drag racing machine to come to mind. Although, for Jeff Jaquish, they have been his ride of choice for more than twenty-five years. Taking the path less traveled comes with a few more curves, but in the end, it’s made the victory that much sweeter for the inaugural WDRA Summit Motorcycle World Champion presented by SunCoast Performance.

After getting his start behind the wheel of a slow street car, Jaquish was introduced to a mentor-of-sorts who showed him how to combine his family’s winter pastime of riding snowmobiles with his newfound passion for bracket racing. At 19 years old, Jaquish claimed the Bracket Racer of the Year within the snowmobile organization he was part of before competing in the bike classes at local racetracks. Throughout the years, he has won several championships in bike classes and snowmobile series and is the only six-time winner of Woody’s Super Sled Shootout. But according to Jaquish, there was still one lingering dream.

“When WDRA announced the addition of the Motorcycle/Sled class, I knew it was a chance to do what I tried to do ages ago,” explained Jaquish. “Becoming a World Champion’s always been a goal, but it was hard to chase points and commit when life and other things got in the way. We do a lot of racing, and my wife is already the greatest person in the world to deal with all the traveling and events we do, so I didn’t want to add another series at first. That’s when Mike Ledford [of Mid Michigan Motorplex] told me to tell her, ‘There’s only ever one inaugural champion.’ Which then became our running joke all year.”

EVAN MUCHLER MAKES HISTORY AS THE 2024 WDRA SUMMIT JUNIOR DRAGSTER WORLD CHAMPION

Evan Muchler claims the 2024 WDRA Summit Junior Dragster World Championship presented by SunCoast Performance.

NORWALK, OH: For three hundred and seventy-one days, Evan Muchler could only think about one ten-thousandth of a second. That was his reaction time in the final round of the 2023 WDRA Summit World Championships presented by SunCoast Performance, but it was a heartbreaking red light that earned him second place in the national standings.

Muchler channeled that defeat into motivation and dominated the US 131 Motorsports Park competition to earn his sixth Junior Dragster Track Championship and another chance at the WDRA World Championship title. This season was all or nothing for the newly eighteen-year-old Michigan native who will age out of the junior ranks this December, but he handled the pressure flawlessly.

“I knew I was going to come back to the World Championships the day after I got second,” explained Muchler. “It wasn’t guaranteed, but I set my mind on it. I didn’t want to end on that note.”

DREW BUCHNER BECOMES 2024 WDRA SUMMIT NO BOX WORLD CHAMPION

The Canadian competitor clinched his title during the 2024 WDRA Summit World Championships presented by SunCoast Performance.

NORWALK, OH: Canada can celebrate being on top of the world again, thanks to Ontario native Drew Buchner, who surfaced as the 2024 WDRA Summit No Box World Champion after a storybook season.

Buchner was first introduced to the sport through his wife, Vicki, who grew up in a racing family centered around St. Thomas Dragway. After spectating for a couple of seasons, he raced a friend’s car a few times in 2001 before diving headfirst into the Street class in 2002, where he finished second in the points standings and claimed the Rookie of the Year honors. By then, Buchner knew he was hooked, so he purchased his 1985 Camaro, where his winning ways skyrocketed with a 2003 Modified (No Box) Track Championship during his first attempt. Fast forward twenty-two years, and he has accumulated six track championships and at least seven second place finishes in the points at St. Thomas Dragway.

Buchner chuckles when he admits, “My wife says I’m a little crazy that way. When I start something, I put one hundred and ten percent focus into it. The first couple of years, I ran No Box only, but after that, I started racing Box and No Box, but I’ve never had a box in the car.”