In January 2022, Made In The USA, Inc., based in Westfield, Indiana, filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to trademark the term “DRAG-N-DRIVE.” This term, widely recognized in the drag racing community, refers generically to events that combine drag racing with road driving segments, racing at multiple venues while driving the race vehicle to each location with no support vehicles or towing allowed.

On May 2, 2023, the USPTO granted Made In The USA, Inc. the trademark on the Supplemental Register, a move that quickly sparked controversy within the drag racing world. The trademark encompasses entertainment services related specifically to organizing, promoting, and conducting automobile racing and exhibitions.

Community reactions were swift and critical, as the term “drag and drive” had been commonly used in a descriptive, generic sense by numerous event organizers and racing enthusiasts for several years prior. The initial enforcement actions by Made In The USA, Inc. included cease and desist letters to prominent entities such as the website “Drag and Drive Life,” compelling them to alter their branding and promotional materials. “Due to a cease and desist we have received from the owner of the ‘Drag-N-Drive’ trademark… we are being forced to change our name,” the website announced, highlighting the immediate impact of the trademark enforcement.

The resulting backlash within the community highlighted a broader debate on the nature of trademarking common-use terms. Several podcasts and YouTube channels, notably Cooper Bogetti’s show and “Trailer Burnouts,” hosted discussions featuring key stakeholders and legal experts, dissecting both the ethical implications and the legal grounds of the trademark claim. In an episode of the Cooper Bogetti Podcast, Heid, the owner of Midwest Drags, expressed concerns about the trademark’s impact, stating, “It’s not about the name; it’s about the culture and the people who built it.”

The controversy escalated significantly when, on March 3, 2025, a cancellation proceeding was initiated against the trademark by Adam Dorey, known as “Airborne Announcer,” citing grounds that the term is generic and widely used within the community. Legal experts have noted that the Supplemental Register offers limited protection, making the trademark more susceptible to cancellation if deemed generic or descriptive.

Detailed Summary of Petition for Cancellation by Adam Dorey: The petition, filed by Adam Dorey and supported by nearly 1,000 petitioners from the drag racing community, argues strongly against the legitimacy of the “Drag-N-Drive” trademark. According to the petition, “This mark has been, and still currently is, a generic and descriptive term referring to drag racing and then driving that same vehicle on the streets that was used in many circles well before ‘Made In The USA, INC’ claims to have used it in commerce June 5, 2019.” The petition highlights evidence of the term’s usage dating back to 1960, referencing a book titled Dragging and Driving by Tom MacPherson, thereby challenging the originality of the trademark.

Furthermore, the petition quotes Tim Heidenreich (promoter of Midwest Drags and associated with Made In The USA, Inc.) from a publicly available podcast, where he admits, “I wanted people to… what is it that we’re doing? We’re not drag racing… we’re not going out for a cruise… I mean we’re drag racing and then we’re driving, so what do we call it? How about Drag N Drive?” This admission underscores the descriptive and generic nature of the term.

The petition also accuses Made In The USA, Inc. of harming the racing community by charging license fees and reviewing and approving merchandise, thus impacting event organizers financially and operationally. The petitioner explicitly states, “They are preying on the small events and promoters… and have not tried to seek a license agreement with larger entities,” further alleging selective enforcement aimed at smaller competitors.

Ultimately, the petition strongly requests the USPTO to cancel the “Drag-N-Drive” trademark, stating that “nearly 1,000 additional members of this drag and drive community” believe the term is generic and that its trademarking is detrimental to the community’s interests.

As of early 2025, the trademark dispute reached formal legal proceedings, involving extensive documentation and submissions from both parties. The USPTO currently lists the trademark’s status as “CANCELLATION PENDING,” indicating that a formal petition has been accepted to challenge the trademark’s validity. Legal filings from the petitioner emphasize the historical usage and generic nature of “drag and drive,” supported by affidavits from various prominent event organizers and participants within the racing community. Conversely, Made In The USA, Inc. argues that their usage of “Drag-N-Drive” distinguishes their specific event series and brand, presenting evidence intended to demonstrate unique commercial identity and branding efforts.

This legal action is significant, as its outcome will likely set an important precedent for similar cases involving widely-used industry terms and their potential commercialization. Both sides await decisions from the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), whose ruling could influence future trademark strategies in niche communities.

The drag racing community remains deeply invested in the outcome. If upheld, Made In The USA, Inc.’s trademark could significantly influence the branding and promotional activities of numerous drag-and-drive event organizers nationwide. Conversely, a successful cancellation could reinforce the community’s view of such terms as fundamentally generic and integral to the sport’s culture, limiting future attempts at exclusive commercialization.

Ultimately, this trademark dispute underscores critical issues regarding intellectual property rights, community ownership of widely-used terminology, and the fine line between commercial interests and cultural expression within niche automotive communities. 

What does Adam Dorey say?

I’m a drag and drive dude. I sold my soul to drag and drive in 2014, where I competed in Hot Rod’s Drag Week. The next year Rocky Mountain Race Week (RMRW) was born, and as it was put on my friends of mine, and it was in my backyard, I competed in that one just about 8 months after Drag Week completed. I made the 32 car “daily driver” shootout at Drag Week and won the 13.0 index class in my Malibu at the inaugural RMRW. Fast forward to 2020, and RMRW and the inaugural RaceWeek event gained a livestream by way of Bangshift.com and they needed an announcer. I had been running the “RMRWer’s” social media pages, which was the first public drag and drive social media page that existed as well. This movement has brought me wins, losses, friends, enemies, and a career to boot. I started announcing more seriously at these events when Matt Frost, promoter and creator of Rocky Mountain Race Week, gave me the opportunity. I’ve watched drag and drive actually evolve from “Drag Week” to something that needed a new name because it was a movement now and not just an annual race anymore, and it’s where the core of my life and income come from. 2019, Tim Heidenreich (Just Heid on social media) launched Midwest Drags, and claimed, at that point, that he utilized the “Drag-N-Drive” (and it’s derivatives) in commerce June 5, 2019.

He applied for the TM January 12, 2022, and was awarded the mark July 11, 2023. He holds two marks under his company “Made In The USA, INC.”, one for “Printed good, namely, decals, and yearbooks in the field of drag race driving; printed calendars; printed posters” as well as “Entertainment services in the nature of automobile racing and exhibitions; entertainment services in the nature of organizing automobile racing and exhibitions.” The mark became very aware to the community following a dustup with Donavan Linwood over a sticker he printed with “Drag-N-Drive” on the top of a cartoon of his car he intended to give to kids and stick to gas pumps. Tim wanted a signed trademark usage agreement and wanted a percentage of the sales of the sticker. Then a few others came out of the woodwork saying they had been hassled as well, and asked to pay a percentage or fee or both. This was met with resistance and Tim eventually tucked tail and said in a post on “Drag and Drive Addiction” on May 31, 2023 (his FB group):

I want to leave this last thought with you. Third parties with bad intentions may take the TM and force their will on our community. But I would never force my will on our Community. What is worth promoting is worth protecting so I would like to find a way to donate the TM to the Community so that we may stand in unity as one Drag-N-Drive community. Sincerely, Heid / Founder

Fast forward to late last year, I got a call from Porscha Densman, who is the promoter for Wild West Drag Fest, which was to be Wild West Drag & Drive, and she had been approached by Tim wanting them to sign an agreement for $1, see and approve of their merchandise, and utilize the (R) on anything with “Drag-N-Drive” or anything near it that he deemed as his property. Porscha had hired me to announce her race and called me asking for advice on the situation and I decided to take this fight on, but not do it alone. I gathered nearly 1,000 people willing to give me their name and address to add them as petitioners to my petition to cancel his trademark as a generic term for a type of drag racing, and a descriptive term for a class of drag racing. I also found a book published in 1960 utilizing the verb form titled “Dragging and Driving” (ISBN B0007DYKD8) published and available for commerce January 1, 1960, so I felt like I had enough to file a cancellation to return the term to the community it belongs to again. It’s my, and everyone signed up to cancel this trademark’s opinion, that it’s not Tim Heidenreich’s property to own, or pretend to protect, or attempt to make even a single dollar off of.

What does Heid say?

The man known as “Just Heid” and the representative for “MADE IN THE USA, INC” could not be reached for comment. Below is his post made in the public “Drag-N-Drive Addiction Group” on Facebook as well as his interview on Bogetti’s podcast. We welcome his response at [email protected].