{"id":102833,"date":"2026-01-09T04:44:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T04:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/i-have-no-reference-point-for-this-brian-lohnes-on-the-winter-series-and-watching-history-form-in-real-time\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T04:44:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T04:44:04","slug":"i-have-no-reference-point-for-this-brian-lohnes-on-the-winter-series-and-watching-history-form-in-real-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/i-have-no-reference-point-for-this-brian-lohnes-on-the-winter-series-and-watching-history-form-in-real-time\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI Have No Reference Point for This\u201d: Brian Lohnes on the Winter Series and Watching History Form in Real Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

By any historical measure, drag racing has always evolved in waves \u2013 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\u2019t fit neatly into the established timelines. According to Brian Lohnes, that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening right now with the Drag Illustrated Winter Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really thought about this,\u201d Lohnes said during The Wes Buck Show. \u201cAnd 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\u2011off things. But in my estimation, for what this is, it is a unique phenomenon because it hasn\u2019t really existed before.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not hyperbole coming from a hype man. Lohnes is one of the sport\u2019s most respected historians and broadcasters, someone who has spent decades contextualizing drag racing\u2019s biggest moments. When he says there is no historical comparison, it carries weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got no reference point for it,\u201d he continued. \u201cOther than the fact that it was something that was needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jason Harris squares off with Sidnei Frigo in the final round of the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks in Bradenton, Florida.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More Than Money, More Than Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

On paper, the Winter Series is easy to sell: massive car counts, record\u2011setting qualifying numbers, and some of the biggest payouts the sport has ever seen. But Lohnes is adamant that the money, while important, isn\u2019t the real reason racers are flocking to Bradenton.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs big as the money is, and as cool as the money is, that is not why all these people are there,\u201d Lohnes said. \u201cThey want the money. They want to win the race. But it ain\u2019t that at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Lohnes believes the real draw is something far more primal \u2014 and far more powerful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is that measuring stick that every single person in this sport wants to have and wants to be on,\u201d he said. \u201cThe measuring stick is how good am I versus everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

That idea explains the raw emotion witnessed throughout the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals qualifying \u2013 crew chiefs pacing, racers barely able to watch the scoreboard, and teams erupting simply for making the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody drove out of the gate after the Snowbirds and said, \u2018Gee whiz, I sure wish I had the 75 grand,\u2019\u201d Lohnes said. \u201cThey drove out of the gate looking at the winner\u2019s circle, looking at guys spraying beer all over each other and going frigging berserk. And they want that.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Series Built on Pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent most of my life watching this sport,\u201d Lohnes said later in the show. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

That pressure doesn\u2019t ease as the rounds go on \u2013 it compounds. Lohnes noted that there was never a moment during Harris\u2019 Snowbirds run where victory felt inevitable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t a single round that I didn\u2019t think he was being threatened,\u201d he said. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a point in the day where it was just like, \u2018Well, let\u2019s write it off, baby. He\u2019s just going to cruise through this thing.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Why It Grew So Fast<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe double down as to why it grew so far and so fast and so quickly is for the same reason that Lil\u2019 Gangstas has done the same thing,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt provided people a home and something that they didn\u2019t necessarily know that they needed until they saw it \u2013 and now they will never let it go.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Lohnes\u2019 view, that sense of belonging \u2013 of finally having a place where effort, execution, and nerve are all tested equally \u2013 is what makes the series resonate so deeply.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

\u201cThere is no real historical comparison here,\u201d he said flatly. \u201cI\u2019m not even being overly dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching It Happen in Real Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most striking part of Lohnes\u2019 assessment is his awareness that everyone involved may not fully grasp the magnitude of the moment yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had that same feeling driving out of the gate Saturday night at the Snowbirds,\u201d he said. \u201cThis felt every bit like the World Series last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

To Lohnes, that feeling represents something critical \u2013 establishment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat second\u2011year establishment is real,\u201d he said. \u201cThe inaugural thing is everybody looking around going, \u2018Okay, this kind of feels like it should.\u2019 And then year two, you go, \u2018Okay, now I know what this is.\u2019 And that\u2019s what makes everything feel a little bit bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 the measuring stick \u2013 is already set.<\/p>\n

And once racers experience that level of pressure and purpose, Lohnes doesn\u2019t believe they\u2019ll ever be willing to race without it again.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on January 8, 2026. \"Drag<\/p>\n

The post \u201cI Have No Reference Point for This\u201d: Brian Lohnes on the Winter Series and Watching History Form in Real Time<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By any historical measure, drag racing has always evolved in waves \u2013 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\u2019t fit neatly into the established timelines. According to Brian Lohnes, that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening […]<\/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-102833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102833","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=102833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102833\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}