There lots of traditional things to do around Christmas time, but until recently, most wouldn’t say “drag racing, jets cars or big burnouts” as something associated with Christmas. But, the crews at Bradenton Motorsports Park and the Freedom Factory are working to change that, with the increasing popular Christmas Tree Drag Racing World Championship.

Originally the brainchild of Cleetus McFarland and good friend Victor Alvarez, partners in Bradenton Motorsports Park, the Christmas Tree Drag Racing World Championship has grown from a small gathering of friends, to a full-tilt sold-out show in 2025. The sixth edition of the show would include two new classes to the original Christmas Tree Challenge class, as well as a pair of jet-powered dragsters, and a twin-engine jet truck.

Although some tracks are in full swing when summer comes around, Florida can slow down a bit during the summer months due to the heat and rain showers that are commonplace during the season.

This proved to be right time for Bradenton Motorsports Park and their next-door neighbor, the Freedom Factory, to make some upgrades around the facility. Co-owner Victor Alvarez recently updated what’s going on, as well as some new updates they didn’t mention initially.

Since its opening in 1971, Bradenton Motorsports Park has hosted a lot of solid racing, including ground breaking events, world records and even teamed up with their next-door neighbor, the Freedom Factory.

Recently, co-owner of Bradenton Motorsports Park Victor Alvarez announced some updates that will affect both tracks, and we talked with general manger Josh Dauta to expand on them.

These upgrades don’t come as a surprise to some, as both tracks have seen some major changes in the last five years. “You have two owners that are motivated to bring motorsports at these tracks to the next level,” said Josh. “We always have ideas in the pipeline.”