{"id":103100,"date":"2026-02-24T14:44:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:44:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/running-the-numbers-a-look-at-the-di-winter-series-championship-contenders-heading-into-wsopm\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:44:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:44:33","slug":"running-the-numbers-a-look-at-the-di-winter-series-championship-contenders-heading-into-wsopm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/running-the-numbers-a-look-at-the-di-winter-series-championship-contenders-heading-into-wsopm\/","title":{"rendered":"Running The Numbers: A Look at The DI Winter Series Championship Contenders Heading Into WSOPM"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The numbers are clear and the possibilities are wide open as the\u00a0Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&amp;A Service\u00a0heads into its championship decider at this weekend\u2019s\u00a0Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil, Feb. 26-28, at Bradenton Motorsports Park.<\/p>\n<p>With a maximum of\u00a0957 points available at WSOPM\u00a0\u2014 including\u00a0900 points for the event win (1.5x points), 32 for No. 1 qualifying, and 25 for tech-in\u00a0\u2014 the richest and most prestigious race of the series also carries enough weight to dramatically reshape the standings. In fact, mathematically, even a newcomer who didn\u2019t score points at the first two races could still steal the championship under a highly unlikely \u201cchaos scenario,\u201d as Winter Series Race Director Gavin Carter described it, though it would require a perfect storm of early exits for the leaders.<\/p>\n<p>In reality, the title fight is expected to come down to a handful of leading contenders \u2014 but the path each driver must take varies significantly depending on where they sit entering the finale.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Front-Runners<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/USSN_Jason-Harris-Sat.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91421\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Jason Harris, Steve Jackson (-19), Eric Gustafson (-106)<\/strong><br \/>For the top three in points, the formula is simple:\u00a0whoever goes the farthest in eliminations wins the championship.<\/p>\n<p>Just 19 points separate Harris, the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals winner, and Jackson, the U.S. Street Nationals winner, with Gustafson still well within striking distance at 106 points back. Because the gap between them is less than a round,\u00a0qualifying points will not swing the outcome\u00a0\u2014 it will be decided strictly by round wins.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Within One Round<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USSN_Sidnei-Frigo.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91945\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Sidnei Frigo (-132)<\/strong><br \/>Frigo, the Snowbirds runner-up, sits less than a round behind Harris and enters the weekend with a clear but slightly more complicated path.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If Frigo qualifies\u00a0within 18 positions of Harris, he only needs to\u00a0go farther than the top three\u00a0to claim the title.<\/li>\n<li>If he qualifies\u00a0outside that range, he effectively falls more than a round back and would need to go\u00a0one round further than Harris \u2014 and still beat Jackson and Gustafson.<\/li>\n<li>Should Harris reach the finals while Frigo is outside that 18-spot window,\u00a0Frigo would be eliminated from contention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Next Wave of Contenders<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USSN_Randy-Weatherford.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91947\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Randy Weatherford (-206), Derek Menholt (-235)<\/strong><br \/>Both drivers remain firmly in the hunt but will need help.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Each must\u00a0advance at least one round farther than the top four in points\u00a0to win the championship.<\/li>\n<li>If any of the top four reach the\u00a0final round, Weatherford and Menholt are mathematically eliminated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Long-Shot but Alive<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USSN_John-Doc.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91944\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>John Doc (-317), Kye Kelley (-320), Kallee Mills (-330), Peter Norton (-340), Billy Banaka (-417)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This group faces a steeper climb:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They must go\u00a0two rounds further than the top four\u00a0and\u00a0one round further than Weatherford and Menholt.<\/li>\n<li>If the top four reach the\u00a0semifinals, this group is eliminated.<\/li>\n<li>If Weatherford or Menholt reach the\u00a0final, their hopes are also over.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Deep Outside Shots<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USSN_Spencer-Hyde.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91946\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Positions 12\u201321: Ken Quartuccio, Kevin Rivenbark, Jimmy Taylor, Justin Bond, Shawn Ellington, Steve King, Brylon Holder, Brandon Snider, Lyle Barnett, Spencer Hyde<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For this tier to claim the title, they must:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go\u00a0three rounds further than the top four,<\/li>\n<li>Two rounds further than Weatherford\/Menholt, and<\/li>\n<li>One round further than the Doc\/Kelley\/Mills\/Norton\/Banaka group.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If the top four reach the\u00a0quarterfinals, or Weatherford\/Menholt the\u00a0semis, or the next group the\u00a0final, this tier is eliminated.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Extreme Long Shots<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Positions 22\u201332: Melanie Salemi, Victor Alvarez, Kurt Steding, Tommy D\u2019Aprile, Mike Decker III, Jim Halsey, Robin Roberts, Greg Blevins Jr., Mark Micke, Scott Taylor, Rian Hayward<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Their path requires a near-perfect weekend:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Four rounds further than the top four,<\/li>\n<li>Three rounds further than Weatherford\/Menholt,<\/li>\n<li>Two rounds further than the Doc group, and<\/li>\n<li>One round further than the 12\u201321 group.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If the leaders advance to even moderate depths \u2014 such as the round of 16 \u2014 this group\u2019s title hopes disappear quickly.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Chaos Scenario<\/h2>\n<p>Because of the massive points available, drivers outside the top 32 technically remain alive, but only if the standings implode \u2014 requiring multiple early exits across nearly every contender group. While improbable, the math underscores just how impactful WSOPM is within the Winter Series structure.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/running-the-numbers-a-look-at-the-di-winter-series-championship-contenders-heading-into-wsopm\/\">Running The Numbers: A Look at The DI Winter Series Championship Contenders Heading Into WSOPM<\/a> first appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/\">Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The numbers are clear and the possibilities are wide open as the\u00a0Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&amp;A Service\u00a0heads into its championship decider at this weekend\u2019s\u00a0Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil, Feb. 26-28, at Bradenton Motorsports Park. With a maximum of\u00a0957 points available at WSOPM\u00a0\u2014 including\u00a0900 points for the [&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-103100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103100","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=103100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103100\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}