Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The Snowbird Outlaw Nationals from Bradenton, Fla..
1 – HARRIS CAPTURES SNOWBIRD TITLE – Jason Harris closed out a dominant weekend by winning the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks on Saturday night at Bradenton Motorsports Park, one day after qualifying No. 1 in what officials called the quickest 32-car Pro Modified field in history. The four-time PDRA world champion sealed the $50,000 victory with a 3.561-second pass at 211.06 mph in his “Party Time” Harold Denton tribute ’69 Camaro, defeating Brazil’s Sidnei Frigo, who posted a 3.570 at 211.33.
“This is my pinnacle,” Harris said after the run. “I’ve been coming down here for years. I won it years ago in a nitrous car, but this right here is the baddest racers on the planet, and I just qualified No. 1 and won the race, so I can get the million and the Jerry Bickel car, but I’m telling you, I’ve gotta thank everybody. Harold Denton, thank you, Lord. He’s been riding with me all day. It was God’s will that this car was gonna make it. I can’t thank everybody enough.”
Harris’ No. 1 qualifying status didn’t guarantee an easy elimination ladder. The Drag Illustrated Winter Series uses random chip draws, pairing Harris with Mark Micke in the opening round. Micke, the top qualifier at all three Winter Series events last season, lifted early to a 4.345 at 121.29 while Harris advanced with a 3.579 at 210.64.
Harris next faced Jimmy Taylor, who entered the event after making doorslammer world-record runs in both eighth-mile and quarter-mile categories. Taylor also had to lift, posting a 4.365 at 149.02, while Harris moved on with a 3.607 at 209.79.
Harris then delivered low elapsed time in the quarterfinals and semifinals. He used a 3.584 at 210.28 to hold off Randy Weatherford’s 3.598 at 210.11 before running a 3.576 at 210.44 to eliminate Kevin Rivenbark’s 3.658 at 205.47.
The final paired Harris with Frigo, a veteran of Brazilian and U.S. Pro Mod competition. Harris left first and never trailed, though he later admitted the run felt closer than the numbers showed. “Truthfully, it was tighter than I thought it was,” he said. “I knew he was there and I wasn’t sure if I took the win or not because the car wheelstood a little bit and I was trying to pay attention.”
Harris credited his crew for steadying the program after early-week testing struggles. “We’ve worked really hard this weekend,” he said. “We had a bad test session the first couple of days, but it just fell together and my team is so great. We’ve been doing this a long time.”
2 – HARRIS STANDS TO WIN BIG – Jason Harris’ Snowbird Outlaw Nationals victory made him the only driver still eligible for the inaugural Elite Motorsports Million, a $1,000,000 bonus awarded to any racer who wins all three events in the 2025/2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service. To claim the bonus, Harris must also win the U.S. Street Nationals in January and the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod in February.
Harris’ performance at Bradenton also put him in position to sweep another major prize. As the Snowbirds’ No. 1 qualifier, he is the lone driver still in contention for the Jerry Bickel Race Cars Clean Sweep Challenge, a program awarding a new Pro Mod rolling chassis to any competitor who qualifies No. 1 at all three Winter Series events.
3 – AND THEY WALKED AWAY – A frightening top-end crash paused Friday night’s second Pro Modified qualifying session at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks, as drivers Jeff Rudolf and Jim Halsey made heavy contact with the retaining walls in the shutdown area at Bradenton Motorsports Park. Track officials reported that both racers exited their vehicles under their own power before being evaluated on-site by EMS personnel.
Halsey was released after initial assessment. Rudolf, however, was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation following the impact. His team later confirmed he was admitted to Blake Trauma Center, where doctors began managing significant pain while awaiting a full review of MRI results.
Rudolf’s camp has used his public social media channels to update supporters, noting there has been “no change in condition” since treatment began Friday night. The team originally anticipated clarity by midday Saturday on whether surgery would be necessary, but medical staff requested he remain hospitalized overnight for continued observation.
A subsequent update detailed early findings from imaging scans, showing a stress fracture at the T4 vertebra and a bulging disc at T11 affecting a nerve. Doctors are expected to brief the family on Saturday regarding next steps and the likelihood of surgical intervention.
Although the extent of Rudolf’s recovery timeline remains unknown, his team emphasized appreciation for messages pouring in from racers, fans, and teams across the country. “We appreciate everyone’s continued support,” the update read. “The drag racing community is one of a kind.”
4 – FRIGO’S RUN TO THE FINAL – Sidnei Frigo delivered one of the strongest elimination-day performances of the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, driving his screw-blown Artivinco Racing ’23 Camaro from the No. 23 qualifying spot to the Pro Modified final. Frigo qualified with a 3.607-second pass at 210.08 mph before beginning a steady advance through a ladder stacked with past champions.
Frigo opened eliminations with a 3.620 at 209.46 to get past Isaias Rojas, who posted a 3.630 at 208.20. From there, the competition tightened as Frigo lined up against three of the most accomplished racers in the Drag Illustrated Winter Series.
Tuned by the Killin’ Time Racing group led by Jeff Pierce and Stevie “Fast” Jackson, Frigo used a 3.627 at 209.20 to defeat 2025 World Series of Pro Mod champion Steve King, who slowed to a 5.106 at 95.77. He followed by matching his qualifying effort with a 3.607 at 210.08 to edge defending Snowbirds winner Kye Kelley, whose 3.608 at 208.14 made for one of the closest side-by-side pairings of the weekend.
The semifinal round showcased Frigo’s best run of the event. He stepped up to a 3.594 at 210.54 to eliminate Ken Quartuccio, the reigning Winter Series champion and 2025 U.S. Street Nationals winner, who clocked a 3.601 at 207.69.
5 – A THIRD-GEN PRO MOD DRIVER MAKES THE FIELD – Samuel Peterson arrived at Bradenton Motorsports Park expecting to service a Pro Modified car, not drive one. When team owner Joel Wensley Jr. suffered a sudden back injury en route to Florida, Peterson — a third-generation member of a family rooted in Pro Mod history — was summoned to the starting line.
Peterson, 24, had never driven anything quicker than a 10.5 car before this week. He responded with a full-power 3.610-second pass at 209.95 mph to complete his licensing run and secure entry into the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, the opening race of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Services.
“We barely made it to the track,” Peterson said. “His back got worse, so they threw me in there.” He added that the phrase “threw me in there” was literal. “It was pretty much like getting tossed in the deep end,” he said. “Definitely overwhelming, but I’m feeling comfortable.”
Peterson had previously tested Wensley’s 10.5 car, but nothing prepared him for his first Pro Mod launch. “First time I let go of that button, everything got real blurry,” he said. The run stabilized around 150 feet. “It cleared up and I could really see where I was at, and they told me if I felt comfortable to take it all the way.” The parachutes delivered their own surprise. “I was not ready for those.”
Despite limited seat time, Peterson said he feels prepared for the weekend. “Treading lightly here, keeping the equipment shiny and right side up,” he said. His biggest challenge has been avoiding automatic corrections. “Twice I pedaled it without thinking,” he said. “Then I’m like, ‘What are you doing, stupid? They told you not to do that.’”
What Peterson lacks in Pro Mod experience he offsets with lineage. He is the son of US 131 Motorsports Park General Manager Jason Peterson and grandson of two men with deep Snowbird ties. His paternal grandfather, Chuck Peterson, won Pro Modified at the 1994 Snowbirds, a landmark moment during Pro Mod’s IHRA boom.
On his mother’s side, his grandfather Steve Earwood promoted the Snowbirds from 1975–84, helping stabilize the event in a formative era. His great-uncle Terry Earwood reached the Super Stock final in both 1972 and 1973.
Peterson credited immersion over instruction for his path to the moment. “Being around tuners and drivers all summer long for years really gives a good insight to everything,” he said. He progressed through junior dragsters, radial cars, a front-engine dragster, and finally a 10.5 car before this unexpected step.
After qualifying No. 17 with a 3.601, he lost in the first round to two-time NHRA Pro Modified champion Stevie “Fast” Jackson.
6 – LUTZ WINS PRO 10.5 – Pro 10.5 joined the full three-race Drag Illustrated Winter Series lineup this season, and Ohio veteran Bill Lutz made the most of the expanded schedule with a $10,000 victory over NFL Super Bowl champion Fletcher Cox in the final round. Lutz entered the weekend aiming to capitalize on past near-misses and delivered throughout eliminations in his screw-blown “Big Boost” ’67 Camaro.
“We’ve had a car to win here multiple years and either the driver messes up or something happened to the car,” Lutz said, crediting his team led by his son Kenny and tuner Patrick Miller. “The car was just phenomenal from the day we unloaded it, and I told them after the first run, I was like, ‘This is our weekend. We’re going to win this damn thing,’ and here we are.”
Lutz qualified No. 3 before posting low elapsed time of the first round with a 3.935-second run at 192.66 mph to defeat Jerry Morgano’s 3.966 at 195.79. He advanced through a quarterfinal bye, then recorded a 3.969 at 183.24 to move past Nick Agostino, who slowed to a 4.077 at 176.42.
In the final, Cox left first in his nitrous-assisted “Training Day” ’69 Camaro, but Lutz quickly reeled him in. Lutz posted a 3.886 at 193.88 to drive around Cox’s 3.951 at 182.11 and close out the opening weekend of the Pro 10.5 Winter Series campaign.
“To race somebody of his caliber, obviously an elite athlete, and I don’t care what anybody says, that all transfers over into this type of deal,” Lutz said. “He’s felt pressure, he knows pressure, and I have too. I’ve raced in every type of racing you can do and I feel we can excel at anything, so I never let pressure get to me, but to beat a guy that is quite possibly one of the best NFL linemen ever, it means more than just outrunning a typical guy.”
7 – LARSON WINS TRUE 10.5 N/T – Chassis builder Larry Larson extended his run of success in 28×10.5 slick-tire no-time racing with a $40,000 True 10.5 N/T victory Saturday night at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals. The win follows his $75,000 triumph at the King of the South event at Shadyside Dragway in May.
Larson worked through a deep field at Bradenton Motorsports Park, advancing past Ryan Martin, Ryan Hendrickson, and Memphis Raines before receiving a semifinal bye when Cole Pesz was unable to make the call. He closed out the night by defeating Russell Stone in the final round.
“It was just a good day,” Larson said. “There’s some fast, fast cars out here. People would be astonished how fast you can go on that little bitty tire, but it’s a cool class. I think it’s going to be the up-and-coming thing.”
Larson said the Snowbirds win reinforced his growing confidence in the combination. “It’s cool,” he said. “I think we proved that the King of the South wasn’t a fluke.”
8 – HOSKINSON WINS LIL GANGSTAS – Two rising drivers from different corners of the sport met in the $20,000 Lil Gangstas final round Saturday night at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals. The class, which keeps times hidden and imposes a 5.30-second eighth-mile minimum, saw Ohio’s Tommy Hoskinson and Florida’s Gage Burch navigate the format cleanly to reach the last pair.
Hoskinson wheeled his Gen 2 Garage Ford Falcon against Burch’s Motion Raceworks “El Toro” Mustang in a close race that ended with the win light in Hoskinson’s lane. The victory capped a weekend in which Hoskinson said he felt steady control over both the car and the moment.
“You don’t want to go out first round, but we made an awesome pass first round, took out a really tough competitor, and then it was just a domino effect,” Hoskinson said. “I didn’t lose on the tree a single time this weekend. The car did exactly what I told it to do all weekend.”
Hoskinson added that confidence carried him through the late rounds. “I expected my win light to come on every pass,” he said. “I didn’t think anybody could beat me, and the confidence was just through the roof. We felt like underdogs a little bit, but we’ve won some races locally at home. I felt like this was a big stage, I felt like I deserved to be here, and I felt like we did a really good job of proving it.”
9 – WEDDLE WINS LIMITED DRAG RADIAL – Brian Weddle continued his strong transition from PDRA Pro Street to Limited Drag Radial with a $7,500 victory at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals. Weddle, who set a class E.T. record and scored wins on 33×10.5 slicks earlier this year, kept his screw-blown “La Flama” ’67 Camaro in the 3.90-second range through eliminations.
That consistency gave Weddle lane choice going into the final round against former LDR season champion Shane Stack. Weddle left first and delivered a 3.932-second pass at 186.87 mph to secure the win.
Stack, driving his turbocharged “Thrillbilly” ’86 Monte Carlo, lifted and slowed to a 4.960 at 101.28. The result marked Weddle’s first major LDR victory of the season and underscored the momentum behind his switch to radial racing.
10 – GREATHOUSE WINS ULTRA STREET – Joel Greathouse and Brian Keep appeared evenly matched entering the Ultra Street final, but Greathouse found the advantage when it mattered Saturday at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals. Greathouse, driving Davey Hull’s turbocharged ’90 Mustang, left first and posted a 4.460-second run at 153.72 mph to defeat Keep’s 4.565 at 154.65 in his ProCharged ’98 Camaro.
The win capped a consistent day for Greathouse, who advanced cleanly through eliminations before edging ahead of Keep at the starting line and carrying that lead to the stripe. Keep remained close through the first half of the run but was unable to close the gap.
Four additional class winners also claimed hardware on Saturday. Hunter Patton won Super Pro, Malcolm Ricks scored in 6.50 Index, Peyton Shook prevailed in 7.50 Index, and Jeff Jones collected the 4.60 Bikes title.
The 2025/2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service continues Jan. 22-25 with the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
