For 2014 Weld Racing has stepped things up for their Sportsman Drag series wheel adding many high-end features from their professional series wheels to give sportsman racers even more for their money.

The most noticeable change is the upgrade of the bead-loc on 16-inch models to an Ultra Lite design. This is the scalloped design, with Weld Racing USA engraved into the bead-loc. “We’ve had a lot of racers ask about upgrading to the Ultra Lite bead ring. It does significantly reduce the weight of the wheel, which in turn improves it’s performance,” says Weld Racing VP of Marketing Chris Bovis.

“The Sportsman Drag wheel takes all of our technology, all of our build quality, and simplifies the construction which drives the price point down for the sportsman level racer. So you get all the pro-level technology, material, build quality, and testing at a much more affordable price,” explains Bovis.

The Sportsman Drag wheel is welded together instead of bolted together. According to Bovis this reduces complexity of the wheel and decreases the cost to manufacture it. It also still keeps the wheel lightweight, and also allows it to be SFI 15.1 certified. “Even though most sportsman racers won’t need a wheel that is SFI 15.1 certified it still gives them the security and safety, and it’s all tested to the same level as our more expensive drag race wheels.

The Sportsman Drag wheel is available in 15×16-inch and 16×16-inch designs. Wheels without a bead-loc feature a knurled bead area to allow for extra bite on the bead helping to prevent it from slipping under hard acceleration. These wheels are designed for use with a 5/8-inch drive stud or short shank, mag style lug nut. They come with a polished or black center, and 5×4.5-inch or 5×4.75-inch bolt pattern.