By Bill Braun, Guest Contributor, Owner, Tune Digital Marketing
For some, getting into the lanes has always been about the numbers. Earning the prestige of being among the loudest in a class, state, or even the world carries a nearly magical allure—especially with today’s ability to share scores almost instantly. At the 2026 IASCA & dB Drag Finals in Indianapolis, we asked a simple question: are trophies and meter readings the only reasons to compete? We asked a variety of competitors to find out what their reasons were.
For RP Patel, owner of Soundcheck Customs in Lafayette, Indiana, the pursuit began with a single, uncompromising goal: world records. For the past seven years, chasing the top spot was not just a personal challenge; it became the cornerstone of his brand. “The recognition from people based on ‘Oh, you’re the loudest in the world’ is what we were going for, and that’s what we accomplished,” Patel said.
Setting SPL records cemented his reputation in the lanes, Patel noted that customers do not necessarily choose his shop solely because of his status on the meter. Instead, the accolades serve a more practical purpose on the sales floor. “It’s a conversational piece to make them feel more comfortable with you as a seller, and as an installer.”
While some enter the lanes chasing records, Joe Mullen views the sport through three lenses—as a father, a seasoned competitor and as the Customer Service Assistant Manager for Systematic Holdings.
After stepping away from competition, Mullen eventually returned to the lanes when a family project drew him back in: building a Power Wheels project with his daughter. When she turned 16 and got her first car, the two teamed up to build a system that took her all the way to a fourth-place world finish in MECA Street 1 and a second-place world finish in dB Drag East Coast Finals, hitting 129.9 dB. For Mullen, navigating that journey alongside his daughter proved far more rewarding than the hardware they took home. “I was in the middle of a tough personal time,” Mullen said. “She and I needed that.”
Mullen added that the true draw of the show happens away from the lanes themselves. “I enjoy the competition side, but when it comes down to it, after-show is what I enjoy more than anything,” Mullen said. “The connections you make, the people you meet, that is what I enjoy. I have friends all over the world because of car audio.”
From a manufacturer’s perspective, Mullen noted that the intense pressure of the lanes drives technical evolution. “The biggest thing I see is innovation,” Mullen said. “Because people are trying to do bigger and better and badder and louder, it forces innovation. You have to one-up every year, because somebody will if you don’t. It proves what the gear is capable of, and it pushes R&D to make our gear better,” Mullen said.
According to Mullen, elite competitors showcase what their gear can deliver and withstand, fueling consumer demand. “When somebody sees RP Patel and they’re like, ‘Well, okay, he did 2 18s, he did 184 dB, what did he do it with?'” Mullen said. “‘Oh, he did it with 2 18-inch Sundown V3s and 4 Sundown Team 10Ks.’ Well, that’s what I want.”
Between high SPL runs and hours-long demo sessions, Mullen sees a strong benefit to competition, pushing the industry forward. Mullen understands elite builds often have equally elite price tags, but that doesn’t stop a consumer from buying. Instead, they start small. He often hears the comments directly from competitors and consumer alike: “That’s what I want,” they say. “I can’t afford that right now, so I’m going to go get that same brand, but I’m going to get the SA Classics. I’m just going to throw one 12 in the trunk, and then I’ll upgrade as I go.”
Donteay Jones has been competing for more than a decade. His journey began purely by chance. “I went to buy an amplifier from a guy at the gas station. He asked me if I competed, and I said I didn’t know what competition was,'” Jones said. “He told me to meet him back at the gas station the next day.” Jones returned to see a row of show cars coming down the road, all headed to a competition. He followed that group to the show. The experience there changed his impression of car sound forever, feeling a deep attraction to the pure test of craftsmanship over deep pockets. “Going against other people that have the same hobby, same passion—it all came down to skill,” Jones said. “It wasn’t about the money. It was about building your speakers, your boxes, and stuff like that to try to compete against somebody in your class that has similar things like you do.”
While Jones has earned plenty of hardware, he was clear that chasing trophies isn’t what keeps driving him to shows—it’s the friendship. “The community is a bigger part,” Jones said. “I’m happy to see everybody here. I could stop competing today and still walk around happy, because I’m with people in the same community. If I needed something, somebody would always step in and be willing to help, and vice versa with me. If I have it and I can go get it out of my trailer, I’m bringing it back in to help anybody.”
The evolution of competition has changed in many ways, but the most compelling reasons to compete remain, as do the benefits to the industry. Community remains at the core of the sport. Long after the meters are packed away and the fairground lots empty, what endures is the sense of belonging that keeps people coming back. That human spark is what makes a first-time spectator dream about their own build, pushes engineers to chase perfection in the lab, and keeps bay lights burning late into the night across the country. Trophies gather dust, but the friendships that pull people into this circle is what keeps the sport alive, thriving, and moving forward.
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