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MECHANICSVILLE, MARYLAND (December
5th, 2023) - This year’s Drag
Illustrated (DI) 30 Under 30 brings
many people we see at MIR. Racers,
Tuners, Photographers, and others
have all made for an interesting
list showcasing the talents in drag
racing and the personalities of
those that are based in the
Mid-Atlantic region. Drag Racing is
alive, well, and growing, and if
anyone says otherwise, then they
need to look no further than with
DI’s 30 Under 30 List.
Two men close to home made this
year’s coveted list. Our very own
Darrel Jackson Jr of JRC Photos made
this year’s list. Spending just a
handful of minutes with Jackson, you
can see his talent and passion for
the sport he has been involved with
for most of his life. In a short
number of years, he has grown
tremendously as a photographer and
as a person at his home track here
in Southern Maryland. After working
under the wing of Maryland
International Raceway (MIR) track
photographer Anthony (AJ) Pinder of
AJ Pinder Snapshots, he branched out
to grow his brand, talents, and
showcase the many different angles
of photography in drag racing.
Jackson and Pinder have a large
following with the racers at MIR,
and it is great to see one of the
rising stars in the media world get
the recognition he deserves.
 Another
man who made the list is Late Model
Performance owner Alec Bledsoe. He
started out as a GM tuning
specialist, but his passion for
bringing the best to his customers
has helped him grow his knowledge in
ways few can rival. He has grown
from streetcar tuning to also tuning
in multiple radial tire heads-up
categories. Tuning for racers Johnny
Haislip, Buddy Buser, and others
competing in Warriors Outlaw, MPC
Real Street, and other categories
not just at MIR, but at different
tracks on the East Coast. He has
also expanded his capabilities to
Pro Mod, tuning the nitrous
flame-slinging machine of Jack Ford,
who primarily runs with the
Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association
(NEOPMA) and the PDRA in the Pro
Nitrous category. For the last three
years, Bledsoe and Late Model
Performance have been the primary
sponsor for the Midnight Madness
streetcar program, which runs at MIR
on select Friday nights.
A Front Wheel Drive (FWD) racer who
frequents MIR at multiple events
also made the cut. The only driver
to go into the 7’s on the ¼ mile
with the Honda B-Series and K-Series
motors, Bradley Dillon. Dillion put
 himself
on the map after taking the first
Dodge Neon into the 8’s and was able
to go as quick as 8.2 at 180 miles
per hour. Dillon would not be able
to reach the 7 second zone with the
Neon, as he would be involved in an
on-track incident while chasing the
elusive number. Two weeks after the
accident, Dillion was standing in
the winner’s circle at MIR after
winning the Xtreme Front Wheel Drive
(XFWD) category at the Fall 2019
HDay event while driving a B-Series
powered Honda Civic for Import
superstar Shawn Ramey. Dillon’s
first trip into the into the 7’s
would come with the Ramey Racing
team. In doing so, he was the second
driver ever to accomplish the feat
and quickly became a household name
in the Import world. He also
garnered the attention of the
legendary Norris Prayoonto.
Prayoonto dubbed Dillion to drive
Goldie, taking over for the late
Robert Mapps. Dillon went to the 7’s
with the K-Series powered Civic,
becoming the first, and only driver,
ever to do so with both the B-Series
and K-Series power plants. It won’t
be long before he takes his new Neon
into the 7’s, and when he does, he
would be the first driver to take
both Import and Domestic FWD cars
into the 7’s on the ¼ mile.
The list continues with racers that
we see here consistently at MIR.
Former full time XDA Pro Street
racer Gaige Herrera, who currently
runs NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle, and
has been nothing short of the word
dominating on the Vince and Hines
Suzuki. 2-time Haltech World Cup
Finals presented by Wiseco winner
and YouTube sensation Garrett
“Cletus McFarland” Mitchell, 2023
Wild Street winner Ronny Rhodes,
World Cup Qualifiers Mac Brosnan,
and Kiefer Simpson also made the
cut. PDRA regulars Alan Drinkwater,
Blake Denton, and young aspiring
tuning sensation Evan Salemi were
also named. While we may see the
later once per year, they are
regulars with their series have been
able to showcase their talents at
their home series, and also here at
MIR.
To read the full story on all of
this years 30 Under 30
CLICK HERE
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