What do racers do when their seasons are complete? Some go on vacation, others start planning for an upcoming season and, if they’re Pro Mod competitors, they start making plans to take part in Drag Illustrated’s Winter Series at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida.
To make this three-race excursion profitable for Pro Mod racers, the magazine is partnering with Elite Motorsports and Bradenton Motorsports Park to offer a $1 million bonus award for any Pro Modified racer who can win all three contests of the 2025-2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series and earn the Elite Motorsports Million.
This offering marks the largest single-performance-based payout in drag racing history. As such it raises the stakes for this December 5-7 and the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, the U.S. Street Nationals on January 23-25, 2026 and the World Series of Pro Mod, scheduled February 26-28, 2026. All three races are held at Bradenton Motorsports Park, a partner with Elite Motorsports and Drag Illustrated for the Elite Motorsports Million.
At a time of year when most in the Northern Hemisphere are freeing their knees, the Drag Illustrated Winter Series has become a premier attraction in straight-line racing. Global participants and a huge fan interest draws both racers and their fans to central Florida each winter to participate and watch. With the Elite Motorsports Million as part of the program for the 2025-2026 series, these three races promise to be impactful.
Richard Freeman, who is the owner of Elite Motorsports, one of the preeminent NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Pro Stock squads, is proud to be able to support this series. “Drag racing has given me everything and I believe in giving back,” he declared.
“This is the kind of moment our sport needs – something big, bold and damn near unbelievable. If putting up a million bucks helps one racer change their life, if it pushes a team to take their program to the next level, then it’s worth every penny! This isn’t,” he reminded, “for the faint of heart. You’re going to have to eat the rest, on the biggest stage, under the brightest lights. But somebody out there is going to do it – and I can’t wait to shake their hand when they do!”
The Winter Series is the brainchild of Wes Buck, founder of Drag Illustrated magazine. The originator of the Winter Series is always looking for another great way to support straight-line racing, including roles in the big-money PRO Superstar Shootout that’s been held twice on Bradenton’s drag strip. “This is about changing the trajectory of our sport,” he said. “For too long, drag racers – legends and champions – have had to downplay their winnings when talking to peers in other forms of motorsports. That ends now!
“Drag racing deserves big numbers, and a million-dollar prize does more than get attention; it gets results,” Buck stated. “It motivates teams. It inspires dreams. And it tells the world we mean business. This isn’t the last move we’ll make,” Buck said of the Winter Series. “But it might be the most important one yet.”