Drag Illustrated Introduces Seventh 30 Under 30 Class

In 2015, Drag Illustrated founder and editorial director Wes Buck initiated the 30 Under 30 awards for up-and-coming drag racers: drivers, riders, crew members, truck drivers, public relations and media members were all considered for honors as they displayed their passions for the sport of drag racing. Never limited to one particular series or class, the 30 Under 30 classes have always been about inclusion.

The seventh class is no different, culled from thousands of suggestions sent to Buck, editor-in-chief Nate Van Wagnen and Mike Carpenter. It took weeks and even months to find the optimal 30 participants to honor for the 2022 edition. They came from all over the country – and worldwide – to be honored during the 34th Performance Racing Industry show at Indianapolis. And nearly every honoree made the trip.

With the 30 Under 30 issue released just before the show opened, and with a special press conference scheduled to introduce the selected members of this class, Drag Illustrated needed a larger room than ever before to house the recipients and those celebrating them.

“For seven years now, we’ve asked the drag racing community to submit nominations to help us fill out the 30 Under 30 list,” Van Wagnen explained. “These nominations have helped us realize just how wide the talent pool is when it comes to rising young stars. By highlighting just a fraction of these individuals in the 30 Under 30 issue, we hope to inspire them to keep it up while also reminding the world that drag racing’s future is in good hands,” he said.

Sine 2015, the magazine has tried to cover as many aspects of the sport as possible with the list, which includes – for the 2022 edition – drivers in NHRA, PDRA, bracket racers, transmission builders, social media content creators, Pro Mod crew members, public relations reps, a clutch specialist, bracket racers, fabricators, FIA Top Fuel driver, and diesel racers. There were an outstanding number of women in this mix, not all of them drivers or public relations specialists.

“The honorees who make it on the 30 Under 30 list represent this sport’s future,” Buck declared. “These are our future champions and leaders. It’s important to us to put the spotlight on them and inspire them to keep moving forward. Over a dozen companies also stepped up to help us give these honorees the all-star treatment they deserve.”

Each honoree received a custom 30 Under 30 jacket with their names embossed. There were also gift certificates and other prizes given to the honorees. And Ida Zetterstrom, who races Top Fuel in Europe, was the fortunate winner – in a blind draw – of Lincoln Electric’s big prize of a MIG welder, welding kit and welding class. Sponsors of 30 Under 30 include Powerbuilt Tools, Red Line Synthetic Oil, Fuel Factory, Moser Engineering, Right Trailers, Summit Racing Equipment, Stroud Safety, Race Winning Brands, FTI Performance, Artisan Coffee, The Maynard Family, PEAK Performance and VP Racing.

By Anne Proffit