Nate Sayler Believes Big Changes Will Lead to Success at U.S. Street Nationals with his QM built Mustang

Former No Prep Kings star Nate Sayler arrived in Bradenton, Florida last December for the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks with high hopes. Piloting his brand-new screw-blown ’67 Mustang, built by Quarter-Max Racing and powered by a ProLine MH8 4.9 Hemi, Sayler appeared primed for a breakout performance.

Unfortunately, the car backfired on the starting line in Q1, forcing the team to ship in parts overnight and putting them behind the eight ball all weekend. In the final qualifying session, Sayler laid down a respectable 3.660 e.t. at 206.16 mph – but with 80 top-tier Pro Mods fighting for 32 spots, the run was only good enough for the No. 56 spot.

Luke Nieuwhof photos

“After not qualifying at the Snowbirds, I decided I needed a big change,” said Sayler. “We changed the car’s setup completely, from top to bottom. I mean, we left nothing unturned. We knew we had all the right pieces; we just needed to get them all in the right places.”

Getting those pieces in place required multiple days of testing at Bradenton Motorsports Park in preparation for the upcoming U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission, the second race of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service.

It also required the right people – whether it was advice from ProLine Racing co-owner Eric Dillard, assistance on the keyboard from championship tuners Steve Petty and Brandon Stroud, or chassis adjustments from RK Racecraft’s founder Ryan Rakestraw.

That wealth of knowledge produced results immediately, with Sayler continuously making the quickest passes of his career – passes that would’ve put him in the top 10 on the qualifying sheet at the Snowbirds.

“We hot lapped this car just like we were going rounds,” Sayler said. “I was running new career bests every other pass. Once we started chipping away at the number, we had more and more people helping and joining in. We brought an army testing with us and we were on a mission.”

Sayler is no stranger to fast doorslammer racing, having won NPK events and a team championship in the past with his steel roof and quarters ’67 Chevy Nova. However, the Snowbirds was just his second appearance in his purpose-built Pro Mod. He debuted the Mustang last November at the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series event in Benson, North Carolina.

Now, with a car that is finally running the way he wants it to – and plenty more left in the tank – Sayler is primed to make some noise at the second race of the Winter Series.

“We had the best crew, the best tuners in the business, and one of the best chassis guys around working on this car for two days straight,” said Sayler. “We now have a race car that I’m looking forward to putting in the beams during Q1 of the U.S. Street Nationals in a couple weeks. I say it to my guys all the time: ‘Don’t bitch about it – do something about it.’ And we did.”

The 2025/2026 DI Winter Series presented by J&A Service will continue Jan. 23-25 with the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission at Bradenton Motorsports Park.

This story was originally published on January 8, 2026.