Bradenton Motorsports Park to make history with $1M prize for event series

Bradenton Motorsports Park, a drag racing facility off State Road 64, is poised to make history this winter. It is hosting an event called the 2025-2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series that will award $1 million to a Pro Modified driver who can win all three races. (Pro Modified is a class of drag racing with cars based on popular production vehicles that feature opening-and-closing doors with few restrictions on engine size, horsepower or body modification.)

“This is the largest performance-based payout in drag racing history,” writes Wes Buck, founder of the trade publication Drag Illustrated. The publication has partnered with racing operation Elite Motorsports to sponsor the winter series, which will consist of three races: the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals (Dec. 5–7), U.S. Street Nationals (Jan. 23–25, 2026) and the World Series of Pro Mod (Feb. 26–28, 2026).

“This isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re going to have to beat the best, on the biggest stage, under the brightest lights,” Richard Freeman, owner of Elite Motorsports, says in a statement. “But somebody out there is going to do it — and I can’t wait to shake their hand when they do.”

Historically, the prize money for drag racers has paled in comparison to other motorsports, according to Buck.

“This is about changing the trajectory of our sport,” Buck says in a statement about the Drag Illustrated Winter Series. “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. It motivates teams. It inspires dreams. And it tells the world we mean business.”

Bradenton Motorsports Park features a quarter-mile drag strip and is one of the premier drag racing facilities in the country, according to its website. It is open year-round and hosts approximately 300,000 visitors annually.

In December, YouTube star “Cleetus McFarland” became a 50% partner at Bradenton Motorsports Park with co-owner Victor Alvarez. Together, the duo is investing in upgrades to the facility, such as a $100,000 tech shed providing storage, tools and space for technicians to work on race cars on scales.