By any historical measure, drag racing has always evolved in waves – eras defined by cars, personalities, venues, and moments that only fully reveal their importance years later. But every so often, something emerges that refuses easy comparison, something that doesn’t fit neatly into the established timelines. According to Brian Lohnes, that’s exactly what’s happening right now with the Drag Illustrated Winter Series.
“I really thought about this,” Lohnes said during The Wes Buck Show. “And you can look at singular examples of singular races. You can look at what the March Meet meant to fuel racing in the sixties. You can look at the U.S. Nationals. You can pick these one‑off things. But in my estimation, for what this is, it is a unique phenomenon because it hasn’t really existed before.”
That’s not hyperbole coming from a hype man. Lohnes is one of the sport’s most respected historians and broadcasters, someone who has spent decades contextualizing drag racing’s biggest moments. When he says there is no historical comparison, it carries weight.
“I’ve got no reference point for it,” he continued. “Other than the fact that it was something that was needed.”
More Than Money, More Than Numbers
On paper, the Winter Series is easy to sell: massive car counts, record‑setting qualifying numbers, and some of the biggest payouts the sport has ever seen. But Lohnes is adamant that the money, while important, isn’t the real reason racers are flocking to Bradenton.
“As big as the money is, and as cool as the money is, that is not why all these people are there,” Lohnes said. “They want the money. They want to win the race. But it ain’t that at all.”
Instead, Lohnes believes the real draw is something far more primal — and far more powerful.
“It is that measuring stick that every single person in this sport wants to have and wants to be on,” he said. “The measuring stick is how good am I versus everybody else.”
That idea explains the raw emotion witnessed throughout the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals qualifying – crew chiefs pacing, racers barely able to watch the scoreboard, and teams erupting simply for making the field.
“Nobody drove out of the gate after the Snowbirds and said, ‘Gee whiz, I sure wish I had the 75 grand,’” Lohnes said. “They drove out of the gate looking at the winner’s circle, looking at guys spraying beer all over each other and going frigging berserk. And they want that.”
A Series Built on Pressure
The pressure, Lohnes believes, is precisely what separates the Winter Series from anything that came before it. With more than 80 cars fighting for 32 spots, qualifying itself has become a defining achievement.
“I’ve spent most of my life watching this sport,” Lohnes said later in the show. “And it is so rare when a guy comes in a position like Jason [Harris] was in and is able to lock in and execute five times. It is incredibly difficult.”
That pressure doesn’t ease as the rounds go on – it compounds. Lohnes noted that there was never a moment during Harris’ Snowbirds run where victory felt inevitable.
“There wasn’t a single round that I didn’t think he was being threatened,” he said. “There wasn’t a point in the day where it was just like, ‘Well, let’s write it off, baby. He’s just going to cruise through this thing.’”
Why It Grew So Fast
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Winter Series is how quickly it matured. Lohnes attributes that growth to the same force currently reshaping other parts of the sport.
“The double down as to why it grew so far and so fast and so quickly is for the same reason that Lil’ Gangstas has done the same thing,” he explained. “It provided people a home and something that they didn’t necessarily know that they needed until they saw it – and now they will never let it go.”
In Lohnes’ view, that sense of belonging – of finally having a place where effort, execution, and nerve are all tested equally – is what makes the series resonate so deeply.
“There is no real historical comparison here,” he said flatly. “I’m not even being overly dramatic.”
Watching It Happen in Real Time
Perhaps the most striking part of Lohnes’ assessment is his awareness that everyone involved may not fully grasp the magnitude of the moment yet.
“I had that same feeling driving out of the gate Saturday night at the Snowbirds,” he said. “This felt every bit like the World Series last year.”
To Lohnes, that feeling represents something critical – establishment.
“That second‑year establishment is real,” he said. “The inaugural thing is everybody looking around going, ‘Okay, this kind of feels like it should.’ And then year two, you go, ‘Okay, now I know what this is.’ And that’s what makes everything feel a little bit bigger.”
As the Winter Series moves forward, Lohnes believes its true legacy is only beginning to take shape. The records will fall. The winners will change. But the standard – the measuring stick – is already set.
And once racers experience that level of pressure and purpose, Lohnes doesn’t believe they’ll ever be willing to race without it again.
This story was originally published on January 8, 2026. 
The post “I Have No Reference Point for This”: Brian Lohnes on the Winter Series and Watching History Form in Real Time first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
