Christian Rado (born July 30, 1975 in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

) is a professional racing driver from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He is chiefly notable for his participation in

import An import is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade. In international trade, the importation and exportation of goods are limited ...

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

, previously piloting a

factory backed In motorsports, a factory-backed racing team or driver is one sponsored by a vehicle manufacturer in official competitions. As motorsport competition is an expensive endeavor, some degree of factory support is desired and often necessary for suc ...

Scion tC The Scion tC is a compact car manufactured by Toyota under its Scion brand from 2004 to 2016 over two generations: ANT10 (2004–2010) and AGT20 (2010–2016). Both generations were built in Japan. The tC was introduced first in the United States ...

in the Pro FWD category in the

NHRA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...

Sports Compact series for his own team, WORLD Racing in addition to other series such as the NOPI Drag Racing Series and Battle of the Imports. In addition to this, Rado also participates in

time attack Time attack is a type of motorsport in which the racers compete for the best lap time. Each vehicle is timed through numerous circuits of the track. The racers make a preliminary circuit, then run the timed laps, and then finish with a cool-dow ...

events in a tC particularly in Global Time Attack (GTA)

and Super Street Super Lap Battles. Beside his factory sponsor, Rado's sponsors include WORLD electronics, Lincoln Technical Institute, Descendant Racing,

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" ...

, Alpinestars,

HRE Performance Wheels HRE may refer to: *Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award, an annual award ceremony *Hrê language, a North Bahnaric language spoken in Vietnam, mainly by the H're people * H're people, an ethnic group of Vietnam who largely speak the Hrê language ...

, Brian Crower (BC), STACK, ScionLife.com, Deatschwerks Injectors, Golden Eagle Mfg.,

Isha Foundation Isha Foundation is a nonprofit, spiritual organisation founded in 1992 near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. It hosts the Isha Yoga Centre, which offers yoga programs under the name Isha Yoga. The foundation is run "a ...

, JE Pistons, Turbonetics, Spearco Intercoolers, Need for Speed (video game), Mishimoto Automotive,

Brembo Brembo S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems, especially for high-performance cars and motorcycles. Its head office is in Curno, Bergamo, Italy. History Brembo was established in Paladina, Italy on January 11, 1961 ...

, Penske Racing Shocks and

Continental Tire Continental AG, commonly known as Continental or colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company specializing in tires, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis compo ...

History

Established in 1999 by Chris Rado, WORLD Racing and WORLD Motorsports are headquartered in Torrance, CA, with a second facility in Reading, PA.

Achievements

2012

• New FWD Record 1:25.555 Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA.
• New FWD Record 1:20.810 Palm Beach International Raceway, Jupiter, FL.

2011

• New FWD Record 1:05.481 New Jersey Motorsports Park – Millville, NJ.
• New FWD Record 1:47.394 Buttonwillow Raceway - Buttonwillow, CA.
• New FWD Record 1:45.320 Infineon Raceway – Sonoma, CA.
• New FWD Record 2:16.585 Sebring International Raceway - Sebring, FL.
• Rado to be featured in Need for Speed - The Run video game with his 2,500HP V-8 powered Supra street car.
• Rado to be featured in Shift 2: Unleashed video game in the Time Attack and spoke about it and with his 1,200HP Team Need for Speed AWD Scion tC.
• Rado to speak on Capital Hill regarding his Lincoln Technical Institute "Success Story" in early February 2012.
• Performance Auto & Sound Magazine – November 2011 Cover and Feature Article -Team Need for Speed, Fwing 2.0 Scion tC.

2010

• New FWD Record 1:21.910 Willow Springs International Raceway, Rosamond, CA.
• New FWD Record 1:46.730 Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Buttonwillow, CA - 1st Place
• New FWD Record 1:26.226 Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA
• New FWD Record 2:16.585 Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, FL
• August, 2010 competition debut for the 2010 Team Need For Speed All-Wheel Drive Scion tC - Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA
• Modified Magazine November, 2010 – Fire in the Hole – Cover/Feature - 2010 Team Need For Speed Scion tC

2009

•1st Place. New FWD Record 1:03.623 Phoenix International Raceway, AZ, taking first overall.
•1st Place. New FWD Record 2.27.xxx Spring Mountain Motorsprots Park Pahrump, NV.
•1st Place. New FWD Record 1:35.989 Carolina Motorsports Park, SC, taking 3rd overall.
•1st Place. New FWD Record 1:03.084 Nashville Super Speedway, TN, taking 2nd overall.
•1st Place. New FWD Record 1:22.623 Willow Springs, Rosemond, CA, taking 5th overall.
•1st Place. New FWD Record 1:30.717 Autobahn Country Club, Joliet, IL.

2008

• Broke his record from the previous year at

Willow Springs International Motorsports Park Willow Springs International Motorsports Park (commonly referred to as Willow Springs) is located in Willow Springs near Rosamond, California, about north of Los Angeles. It is the oldest permanent road course in the United States. Construct ...

. He currently holds the title of the fasted lap in the FWD Unlimited Class with a time of 1:27.30 • 1st Place FWD Record Summit Point Motorsports Park

2007

• Set a new lap record for FWD with a 1:29.34 and took first place at Willow Springs.
• Fastest in a FWD car 7.34 seconds in the 1/4 mile

2006

• Pepsi spokesperson for Car Culture & Street Motion Tour
• Factory Scion tC Drag Program spokesperson
• Raced in the NDRA &

Drag Series
• Large presence with race and project vehicles at major car shows including: DUB, Hot Import Nights, Hot Import Days & the Super Street Tour

2005

•

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Special: Life in the Fast Lane- documenting the wild lifestyle and heavy foot of Pro Drag Racer Chris Rado. The show has resulted in some of the highest ratings on MTV and MTV2, introducing the sport compact era to mainstream TV

2004

• 4 event Wins
• 2 event Runners-up
• #1 Qualifier in 8 straight events
• NHRA points Championship Runner-Up in Pro FWD
• NDRA points Championship Runner-Up in Pro FWD
• NDRA National ET & MPH record holder

2003

• First NHRA Sports Compact Toyota factory-team driver
•

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

development and transition year in NHRA
• 4 event Wins

2002

• "Quickest & Fastest Pro FWD unibody vehicle in the World"
• First PRO FWD into the "8s" (8.91 @ 159.8 MPH)
• Held the World Speed Record (8.94 @ 161.8 MPH)
• NIRA Points Championship Runner-Up in Pro FWD
• 6 event wins

2001

• "Quickest and Fastest Pro FWD uni-body"
• 8 event wins
• World Record Speed for uni-body Pro FWD (9.25 sec. / 159 MPH)
• NHRA Points Championship runner-up in Pro FWD

2000

1999

• 10 event wins
• Super Street "Rookie of the Year"
• First NHRA import winner WORLD Racing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rado, Christian Dragster drivers 1975 births Living people Sportspeople from Reading, Pennsylvania Racing drivers from Pennsylvania