Spencer Hyde will take over driving duties for reigning U.S. Street Nationals winner and Winter Series points champion Ken Quartuccio beginning with the U.S. Street Nationals, scheduled for Jan. 23–25, 2026. Hyde will pilot the screw-blown 1969 Camaro from the Scott Tidwell Racing camp, tuned by Steve Petty, that carried Quartuccio to the Winter Series championship last season.
Hyde is the 2023 World Series of Pro Mod winner and will step into a car that has already proven capable of winning at the highest level of outlaw doorslammer competition. The move places one of the sport’s most versatile drivers into a championship-caliber program for the final two races of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series.
“This isn’t a decision I take lightly,” Quartuccio said. “After winning the U.S. Street Nationals and the Winter Series championship in 2025, it is very important for my business that I step back to focus on expanding new opportunities there.”
Quartuccio, who operates East Side Auto Transport, said increased business demands prompted the decision to step away from the driver’s seat. He made the call after a semifinal finish at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals in December, citing the need to prioritize multiple new ventures.
“Spencer Hyde is the only driver I trust to take this car forward,”
Quartuccio added. “He has the talent, work ethic, and respect for what this car is and what the team represents. Putting him in my seat for the rest of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series is passing the torch to someone who can honor the legacy Scott Tidwell and Dustin Nesloney have built in this series and keep winning.”
The transition places Hyde back into a screw-blown Camaro, a combination that helped define his rise in the Pro Mod ranks. In 2023, Hyde drove his own “Jack & The Green Stock” Camaro from the No. 32 qualifying position to the winner’s circle at Bradenton Motorsports Park, a performance that elevated his national profile.
Since that breakthrough season, Hyde has expanded his resume by driving the Head Racing nitro Funny Car and was recognized as the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year. The Winter Series opportunity allows him to return briefly to doorslammer competition ahead of his second full season in nitro racing.
“After watching the Snowbird Nationals from my couch, after Q1 I’m like, ‘Dang, I need to be there,’” Hyde said. “I’m not gonna lie – I called Lyle and said, ‘Man, I gotta find myself a hot rod.’ He said Tommy [Youmans] had another one, and I did briefly talk to Tommy. In the middle of all that happening, Scott Tidwell called – Ken Quartuccio did as well – and told me what was going on and that they wanted me to drive that car. It was a pretty cool phone call to get.”
Hyde has already logged seat time in the car, testing with the Tidwell team in Bradenton shortly after the announcement. With a proven driver, championship-winning car, and one of the sport’s most respected tuners, expectations are high entering the final two Winter Series events.
“Obviously Steve Petty, he’s arguably the best to ever do it,” Hyde said. “The Tidwell camp is known to win some races, and I’d like to think that I’ve got a little bit of clout with winning back in 2023. I think it’s a pretty good combination of people and we’ll see what can happen.”
