2022 DragChamp Class Racer of the Year

Jimmy Hidalgo Jr. wins the NHRA Stock world championship to earn the NHRA Class Racer of the Year title presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance

12/14/22 – Welcome to the 2022 DragChamp NHRA Class Racer of the Year Top 10 List presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance. We ranked the best class racers of the year from the following NHRA classes: Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, and Stock Eliminator. Read below to see which racers made the biggest impact over the 2022 season.

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Want to check out previous Top 10 Lists, click here.

DragChamp Top 10 List

1 – Jimmy “Cooter” Hidalgo Jr.

Cooter Hidalgo is your 2022 DragChamp NHRA Class Racer of the Year after winning the NHRA Stock World title and finishing #8 in the Super Stock standings. The Stock Eliminator champ won four times in six finals between Stock and Super Stock while also earning national event victories in both classes. Hidalgo also finished second in both classes in the Division 4 points chase. In route to his first national championship, Cooter was a perfect 3 for 3 in his Stock Eliminator GTO.

2 – Pete D’Agnolo

Pete D’Agnolo grabs the #2 spot in the Class Racer of the Year Top 10 after earning the NHRA Super Stock world title. D’Agnolo picked up four wins in five finals including a huge victory at the U.S. Nationals. In addition to his success in Super Stock, D’Agnolo enjoyed success on the big money bracket racing scene earning a $30,000 payday at the Summer Fling in Ohio.

3 – Ryan McClanahan

Ryan McClanahan was dominate on the West Coast Class racing scene this season. Between Stock and Super Stock, McClanahan won five times in eight final rounds including two national event victories. On the Super Stock ledger, Ryan posted a perfect 4 for 4 final round tally while going 1 for 4 in his Stocker. Those final round finishes propelled him to a third place finish in Super Stock and a fourth place finish nationally in Stock.

4 – Ryan Priddy

Ryan Priddy went from Crew Chief to World Champ when he locked up the NHRA Comp Eliminator title. Priddy won five times in six finals in the exotic, go-fast class to earn his first world title.

5 – Greg Stanfield

Greg Stanfield came within one round of winning what would have been a sixth Super Stock championship and second consecutive title. Stanfield battled eventual champ D’Agnolo until the last race of the season where he lost a do-or-die round to end his championship run. Following his fifth championship last season with a second place finish in 2022 proves he’s still at the top of his game nearly 30 years removed from his 4 championships in 5 seasons run from the early 1990’s.

6 – Adam Hickey

Adam Hickey may not have won the battle, but I believe he won the war. After winning 5 times in 6 finals, Hickey cashed in for $100,000 when he won the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund program. Hickey finished the season in strong fashion winning back-to-back nationals as St. Louis and Dallas to collect the huge payday!

7 – David Eaton

David Eaton has been one of the winningest Comp racers over the last couple of seasons. After a huge season in 2021, Eaton picked up where he left off racking up five wins on the season including the Gatornationals. His on track success pushed him to a second place finish in Comp.

8 – Brad Burton

Brad Burton made a big run at a third Stock championship but ultimately came up a round or two short at Pomona. Burton strung together another impressive season posting a perfect 3 for 3 final round record in the Lucas Oil divisional series. He added two semifinal finishes on the national event level to finish #2 nationally.

9 – Cody Lane

Cody Lane continues to collect wins in an impressive fashion. During the 2022 campaign, Lane won five times in six finals between Comp and Stock. His five finals in Comp propelled him to a 5th place finish nationally.

10 – Joe Santangelo II

Perennial Top 10 finisher Joe Santangelo II made yet another impressive run at the Stock Championship this season where he ultimately finished 3rd. Santangelo won twice in four finals in Stock while also posting two national event runner-ups in Super Stock.

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And remember, look for our DragChamp Top 10 List nominations Facebook post every Monday evening. You can nominate your favorites in the comments of the post for consideration on the list.

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