This was definitely the race day that I didn’t know I needed…I went into this race with absolutely no expectations or goals other than I JUST WANNA DRIVE MY CAR DOWN THE TRACK!
I was so nervous because I have been out of the car for 371 days (lol yes I had a counter on), and that means my race routine was going to be rusty, maybe my driving skills, my lights, everything!
I was so nervous the first pass, I decided to turn the car down a little so I could get a feel for it again…and it didn’t matter. My car decided it was going to welcome me back with open arms by climbing the ring gear on the first rip…and I drove through it as if I was never away.
The next pass, I put my “LET'S GO” tune back into it, and went a new PERSONAL BEST of 4.48 at 156 mph! Yes, we made it INTO THE 4.4x’s! woot woot! Oh, and every single time I went over the scales, I laughed with the tech guys, as I was constantly 215 lbs OVER our minimum weight...3065 lbs (class min weight is 2850). Can you imagine if we were at weight?!
At this point, I was happy, I got to drive my car, a new PB, so the day was a success…I didn’t feel good at all, all day, and it was getting worse as the day went on…and by round 1 of Eliminations, I was literally like “I want to go home...”
But that's not what happened…I told myself, you're here, let's go…and I cut a light and won on a hole shot. A year off, and I could still cut a “decent” .039 light? Ok…sweet.
Then, onto Round 2…I was up against the #1 qualifier, and he had a TENTH on me all day…well, for sure this was my time to go home right…there’s no way my car had much more left in it as far as ET/conditions/suspension situation etc…the air/conditions were changing a little, and I still don’t have a ton of good data on how this car really reacts yet…so, I guess my only chance was to cut a light, and it was damn near a perfect light… a .0018 RT and I was GONE! I saw my win light and couldn’t believe what happened, but god damn. Now the adrenaline was overtaking my crappy sickness I was feeling.
Round 3, the weather was changing more, and I made the decision to pull some power just in case the track was going away, and tune it the best I could to the conditions and do my job as a driver & tuner…and I did, with a .011 reaction time and a quicker ET.
Round 4…the FINALS…are you serious, how am I here? Water grains going up, temp is coming down, track getting cooler and I knew the prep would change slightly based on the number of cars left/going down, so I made some smart decisions, took a breath and let the button go…I was gone, I saw no one next to me, and BANG…right around the 500 foot mark, I heard a BANG and got thrown forward in the car, lost power, but coasted through the stripe and saw my win light come on, THANK GOD!
WE WON! WE DID IT! But uh oh…the highs and the lows of drag racing is crazy!
What an absolute RIDE on every level…god I missed this, I missed my car, all the feelings, but it is exhausting. Rewarding on multiple levels.
When we went into the winners circle, I had no idea they were giving out an IHRA Ironman (trophies)…so, that was a bonus, this race is definitely one that I will NEVER forget. I feel like God planned all the events out that took place to remind me and give me that push. I missed Ford Fest and was devastated, but because of that, I was able to experience this…
Also, something super cool, there was a young girl who was waiting for me at the winners circle, who asked for a picture with me there, she begged her parents to stay and watch until the end and rooting for me all night…which I will tell you is THE MOST heartwarming part of racing! Inspiring young women to follow their dreams too! If anyone knows who that girl was, or has the picture of us, please send it to me!! I hope she sees that she can do anything she sets her mind to, no matter the odds.
And for those wondering what happened to the car at the end on the last pass, I have no idea yet. It’s still in the trailer and I will figure it out this week at some point…that's racing! I am hoping it’s something simple and not bad, but we will see. For now, I am enjoying the moment!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this year, even when I wasn’t racing…you mean the world to me!
10/13/2026 Update: GUESSS WHATTTTT!!!! ENGINE IS FINE!!!!!!! Woot woot! I checked everything, pulled plugs, borescope, compression/leakdown test, pulled valve covers, no broken chains or nothing! Soooo then I decided to start it and WAAABAMMM! It’s fine. Thank God! I have a hunch to what happened, but need to confirm it is what I think it is. Anyway, I do love how this engine sounds, it hits so hard. LOVE ITTTTTT!! Missed it. Can’t get enough of it!
More updates about our 2027 plans coming soon…until then, remember, we are RELENTLESS!
Be sure to check out the videos below!!
