{"id":103752,"date":"2025-12-09T19:07:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T03:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=103752"},"modified":"2025-12-12T14:29:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T22:29:57","slug":"drag-illustrated-30-under-30-10th-anniversary-list-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/drag-illustrated-30-under-30-10th-anniversary-list-revealed\/","title":{"rendered":"Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 10th anniversary list revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The 30 Under 30 at the official presentation at the PRI 2025 show.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the most anticipated events during each year\u2019s three-day Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show, held this year December 11-13 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN, is the announcement of Drag Illustrated\u2019s<\/i> 30 Under 30 issue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the tenth year, this straight-line-racing-centric publication is bringing public attention to the future of the sport, recognizing the most promising young drivers, tuners, crew members. content creators and industry professionals, as nominated – by the thousands – by members of the racing community.<\/p>\n

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Braden Davis\u2019 first year in Pro Stock Motorcycle ended with a fifth place result – Anne Proffit photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For this auspicious anniversary of the 30 Under 30 issue, Drag Illustrated<\/i> is shining its spotlight on NHRA\u2019s Pro Stock Motorcycle rookie Brayden Davis, who has become one of the most promising young racers in the sport. Racing a partial season on a (rental) Vance and Hines Motorsports Suzuki Hayabusa3 Pro Stock Motorcycle, Davis finished fifth in the final standings after the season finale was aborted due to Southern California\u2019s torrential rains that severely damaged the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis qualified for every race he entered, earned a brace of No. 1 qualifiers and had a trio of runner-up results at Indianapolis, St. Louis and Dallas. Featured on the Drag Illustrated<\/i> cover, Davis\u2019 efforts didn\u2019t quite earn the rider NHRA\u2019s Rookie of the Year award – that went to Jim Head Racing\u2019s Spencer Hyde in Funny Car – but he definitely got the sport\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

Nate Van Wagnen, the magazine\u2019s editor-in-chief, noted Davis\u2019 immediate impact in Pro Stock Motorcycle, always a challenging professional category, that made him the fitting choice to represent the milestone 10th edition of Drag Illustrated\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><\/i> signature youth-focused initiative: \u201cThe 30 Under 30 issue is one of our biggest and most meaningful projects every year,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat started as a simple effort to highlight the young people making an impact in drag racing, has become a defining movement in the industry.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Brayden Davis went to his first final round at The Big Go in Indy this year, racing two-time champ Gaige Herrera – Anne Proffit photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cTen editions in, we\u2019ve honored hundreds of racers, engine builders, tuners, media professionals, manufacturers, and series officials who represent the sport\u2019s next generation,\u201d Van Wagnen continued. \u201cThis year\u2019s class is one of the most diverse yet, covering every corner of drag racing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2025 30 Under 30 list reflects the depth of young talent in straight-line racing. Whether the awardees work on the NHRA tour, are chasing world records at outlaw events, fabricating world-class equipment, innovating behind the scenes or building digital audiences that grow the sport, this year\u2019s honorees represent the passion, creativity and drive shaping drag racing\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Each honoree receives the coveted 30 Under 30 jackets, along with gift certificates and prizes from the program\u2019s many partners. Lincoln Electric again awards the major prize package that includes a TIG welder, welding kit and welding class – to a single honoree selected by random draw. The 10th anniversary program\u2019s partners include Elite Motorsports, Lincoln Electric, Moser Engineering, P2 Contracting, PEAK Performance, Red Line Synthetic Oil, Stroud Safety, Strange Engineering and VP Racing Fuels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re incredibly grateful to these companies and individuals who support the 30 Under 30 program,\u201d stated Wes Buck, Drag Illustrated <\/i>founder and editorial director. \u201cThese partners believe deeply in the value of celebrating the next generation. Their support allows us to give these honorees the recognition – and the rockstar treatment – they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten PRI shows ago, the 30 Under 30 honors were delivered in a single room of the Indiana Convention Center. The need for larger and larger quarters has ensued annually, and this year, the 30 Under 30 press conference takes place on Friday, December 12 at 1PM ET in the Sagamore Ballroom of this huge convention center. All honorees and their supporters are invited to attend. Group and individual photos of the 2025 30 Under 30 class will take place on-stage immediately after the program is completed.<\/p>\n

By Anne Proffit<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2025 Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 List<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n
    \n
  • Lainey Abney, Lil Gangstas racer<\/li>\n
  • Brandon Barker, bracket racer<\/li>\n
  • Scott Chitty, bracket racer<\/li>\n
  • Brayden Davis, NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider<\/li>\n
  • Zane Diamond-Odell, Pro Mod and small-tire crew member<\/li>\n
  • Austin Flemming, chassis builder and racer<\/li>\n
  • Devin Grace, no-prep racer<\/li>\n
  • Austin Hayward, timing system specialist<\/li>\n
  • Billy Hoskinson, small-tire racer and content creator<\/li>\n
  • Melanie Johnson, NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver<\/li>\n
  • Austin Kardules, promoter and team marketing<\/li>\n
  • Jeff Kline, photographer<\/li>\n
  • Scotty Kruck, Lil Gangstas driver and tuner<\/li>\n
  • Jack Line, engine builder and crew member<\/li>\n
  • Jordan Manton, manufacturer<\/li>\n
  • Trevor Manton, manufacturer<\/li>\n
  • Sydney Marshall, track prep specialist<\/li>\n
  • Mikel McQueen, bracket racer<\/li>\n
  • Bryce Micke, Pro Mod crew member and manufacturer<\/li>\n
  • Brandon Miller, Pro Stock driver and NHRA Top Sportsman world champion<\/li>\n
  • Samuel Peterson, track prep specialist and driver<\/li>\n
  • Robert Richard, photographer<\/li>\n
  • Jack Roberts, no-prep tuner<\/li>\n
  • Bobby Savedra III, Pro Mod crew member and aspiring driver<\/li>\n
  • Mellie Snedeker, photographer and writer<\/li>\n
  • Taylor Strange, Pro Mod crew member and small-tire racer<\/li>\n
  • Megan Taylor, photographer and manufacturer rep<\/li>\n
  • Johnny Thompson, Pro Mod tuner and driver<\/li>\n
  • John Vergotz Jr., PDRA Pro Nitrous tuner and bracket racer<\/li>\n
  • Kyle Wade, import racer and content creator<\/li>\n
  • Joel Wensley Jr., PDRA Pro Street driver<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Drag Illustrated released it’s annual 30 Under 30 list ahead of the Performance Racing Industry Show in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":103921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3465,3470,5029],"tags":[3811,12817,5687,7,295,74],"class_list":["post-103752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drag-racing","category-news","category-racing","tag-30-under-30","tag-brayden-davis","tag-drag-illustrated","tag-nhra","tag-performance-racing-industry","tag-pro-stock-motorcycle"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/30-Under-30-2025-class.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-qZq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103752"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103922,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103752\/revisions\/103922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}