Few events on the outlaw drag racing calendar carry the mystique of the YellowBullet Nationals. Each Labor Day weekend, Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland, transforms into a festival of horsepower and community, and this year will mark the 16th running of the event. Track owner and Pro Mod veteran Jim Halsey has been there every step of the way, helping Monty Mikho turn what started as a message board gathering into one of the sport’s signature happenings.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Halsey said. “I get all jacked up the week or two before, nervous about how we’re going to get it done, but it always comes together. I remember the years when we had 700-plus cars here – it was out of control. We had to limit classes just to finish the event, racing until two or three in the morning. It was total chaos, but that was the magic of YellowBullet.”
Chaos is part of the charm, but so is the social aspect. For Halsey, the YellowBullet Nationals isn’t just about record-setting passes – it’s about culture, community, and keeping drag racing alive on the East Coast. “The purpose of the event is to be more of a social event,” he explained. “People come because everybody they care about is here. You can’t miss it.”
That spirit is reflected in the class lineup. This year’s event again features Pro Modified as the marquee attraction, with $50,000 on the line. Pro 275 racers will chase $20,000, while Limited Drag Radial, Ultra Street, Top Sportsman, and 8.50 Index racers will all race for $10,000. Warriors Outlaw, Pro Dial, and 10.00 Index round out the program, each offering serious payouts and plenty of grassroots energy. New for 2025 is a Pro Import category, bringing 2JZ and rotary-powered machines into the mix. “We’ve already seen some testing,” Halsey noted. “A couple of those cars have run 6.50s at over 210 mph in the quarter mile. They’ll be fun to watch.”
The event has become synonymous with Cecil County Dragway, a track Halsey has steadily improved year after year in partnership with Mikho. “When Monty first brought the race here, people thought the track needed a lot of work,” Halsey admitted. “We’ve continued to invest and make improvements so the event can stay here. With tracks closing across the East Coast, it’s important that Cecil County keeps thriving. That’s what keeps this race alive.”
Of course, Halsey isn’t just the track operator – he’s also one of the sport’s most accomplished Pro Mod drivers. A four-time PDRA Pro Nitrous world champion, he’ll roll his new “Blacklist” Camaro through the gates for this year’s YellowBullet Nationals. Built after a crash sidelined his previous ride, Blacklist has only about 20 test runs, but Halsey says the car came around quickly. “We ordered an exact copy of the one we wrecked because that was a really good car,” he said. “This one came around in two runs. When you know you’ve got something good, you know pretty quick.”
The shift in Halsey’s own program mirrors his vision for the event. “We want to show everybody what a nitrous car can do,” he explained. “Instead of being limited by rules that slow us down, we’re using the rules we’ve set up for YellowBullet to prove nitrous cars can still compete. It’s a lot of work – sometimes it means tearing an engine apart between rounds, swapping pistons in 45 minutes – but that’s how we run. We want to push the combination forward.”
Pushing forward has always been the DNA of the YellowBullet Nationals. When Mikho first scheduled the race opposite NHRA’s U.S. Nationals, it was a statement of independence – a gathering place for outlaw racers who felt outside the mainstream. Sixteen years later, it has grown into a Labor Day tradition, a celebration of every corner of the drag racing spectrum.
“YellowBullet is bigger than just racing,” Halsey said. “It’s about the people, the atmosphere, the memories. You can have the best on-track show in the world, but if you miss the social side, you’ll struggle. This event has both. That’s why people cancel plans, take off work, and make sure they’re here. You can’t miss it.”
With full pits, packed grandstands, and everything from Pro Mods to imports in the lanes, the 2025 YellowBullet Nationals promises another weekend of organized chaos in Rising Sun. For Halsey, that’s exactly the way it should be.
This story was originally published on August 20, 2025. 
The post Jim Halsey Talks YellowBullet Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.