{"id":101393,"date":"2025-06-24T06:18:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T06:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/tommy-hoskinson-reflects-on-scoring-5000-inaugural-brian-tooley-racing-lil-gangstas-points-series-title\/"},"modified":"2025-06-24T06:18:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T06:18:23","slug":"tommy-hoskinson-reflects-on-scoring-5000-inaugural-brian-tooley-racing-lil-gangstas-points-series-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/tommy-hoskinson-reflects-on-scoring-5000-inaugural-brian-tooley-racing-lil-gangstas-points-series-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Tommy Hoskinson Reflects on Scoring $5,000 Inaugural Brian Tooley Racing Lil\u2019 Gangstas Points Series Title"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tommy Hoskinson is no stranger to the drag strip. Raised on bracket racing, well-schooled in drag racing, the Ohio-based driver has spent his life chasing win lights. But this past weekend, he became something more \u2013 the first-ever Lil\u2019 Gangstas points champion, walking away with the $5,000 payday and a Brian Tooley Racing sponsorship for 2026 to prove it.<\/p>\n<p>The Lil\u2019 Gangstas class \u2013 introduced in 2023 and drawing 77 cars for its debut \u2013 has quickly become one of the hottest tickets in drag racing. With roots in index racing but a vibe that leans heavily on no-time culture, it\u2019s a pro tree, 5.30-index shootout where drivers <em>don\u2019t<\/em> get time slips and the scoreboards stay dark. Racers are forced to \u201cdrive blind,\u201d relying on instinct, experience, and \u2013 at best \u2013 a GPS-based Dragy device.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Lil\u2019 Gangstas class has been a nice change of pace recently,\u201d Hoskinson said. \u201cNot every weekend do I wanna be running the car on the ragged edge at some of the most sketchy tracks in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The reinvention of index racing is intentional. Designed by class creators Jimmy Dale (Tom Gunner) and Michael Poland to be more accessible than heads-up, high-dollar racing \u2013 and a hell of a lot more exciting than the usual sportsman fare \u2013 Lil\u2019 Gangstas has carved out a niche almost overnight. It\u2019s already shared the stage with marquee events like the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod, made noise at outlaw havens like Yello Belly, and is even being tested at Street Car Takeover Charlotte this weekend, hinting at an even bigger 2026 season.<\/p>\n<p>For Hoskinson, the class plays right into his wheelhouse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBilly and I grew up bracket racing in junior dragsters when we were little, so index racing comes pretty natural to us. We watched and learned from my dad for years, and he was a great coach for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>His consistency across the Speed Promotions &amp; Racing mini-points series was unmatched \u2013 three finals in seven days, culminating with a Friday night final-round appearance at Beech Bend Raceway that locked up the title.<\/p>\n<p>But Tommy isn\u2019t just out here winning \u2013 he\u2019s growing the game, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m happy to be involved in the class, especially having a decent-sized [YouTube] channel,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople that might not understand the class can watch us break down our races and see just how interesting it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for the future?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d love to see more points championships,\u201d Hoskinson said. \u201cIt adds another layer of excitement, gives us something to chase.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Michael Poland, who announced Hoskinson as the champ via Facebook, the class is just getting started.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTommy showed up ready to lock in the championship in Bowling Green. He managed to make it to the finals and secure the BTR championship, the $5,000 on the line, and the BTR sponsorship for the 2026 season,\u201d said Poland. \u201cThank you to BTR &amp; Speed Promotions Racing for this opportunity to showcase Lil Gangstas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Final 2025 BTR Lil\u2019 Gangstas Points Series Standings:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tommy Hoskinson \u2013 2000 pts<\/li>\n<li>Jimmy Dale \u2013 1600 pts<\/li>\n<li>Billy Hoskinson \u2013 1100 pts<\/li>\n<li>John Sahli \u2013 900 pts<\/li>\n<li>Aiden Ellington \u2013 800 pts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whether it\u2019s the appeal of a 5.30 index or the thrill of racing blind, Lil\u2019 Gangstas is more than a class \u2013 it\u2019s a movement. And at the center of it, at least for now, is Tommy Hoskinson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-modified-info\">This story was originally published on June 24, 2025. <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/DI_flat_red-e1711481551475.png\" width=\"20px\" alt=\"Drag Illustrated\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/tommy-hoskinson-reflects-on-scoring-5000-inaugural-brian-tooley-racing-lil-gangstas-points-series-title\/\">Tommy Hoskinson Reflects on Scoring $5,000 Inaugural Brian Tooley Racing Lil\u2019 Gangstas Points Series Title<\/a> first appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/\">Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tommy Hoskinson is no stranger to the drag strip. Raised on bracket racing, well-schooled in drag racing, the Ohio-based driver has spent his life chasing win lights. But this past weekend, he became something more \u2013 the first-ever Lil\u2019 Gangstas points champion, walking away with the $5,000 payday and a Brian Tooley Racing sponsorship for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101393\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}