PHOTOS : DRAG ILLUSTRATED ARCHIVES

“ I know I might get criticized for saying it , but I feel like it ’ s harder to move up in sportsman racing , so I chose nostalgia racing because my end goal is to race NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car ,” he explained honestly of his long-term objective . Wise words from a relatively young man , and despite the unique way in which he selected his chosen class , Serpahine is fully committed to giving it all he ’ s got .

Initially , Serpahine got involved with racing through his father , Jeff , who raced Funny Cars . When Seraphine was ten , he started racing Junior Dragsters . He found success early on , and racked up many notable achievements including the NHRA Division 7 championship in 2008 , the Western Conference Final championship and Junior Dragster national championship in 2009 , and , in 2013 , the American Nostalgia Racing Association ( ARNA ) track championship , Barona Raceway track championship , and Firebird Raceway track championship . “ I was also driver of the year for Division 7 in 2013 when I won three track championships , and finished in the semifinals at the Western Conference Final that year , too ,” added Seraphine , proud of yet humbled by his accolades .

“ When it was time to make the transition into something bigger and faster , we used the motor and trans from my dad ’ s old Funny Car and bought a roller ,” he shared of the change that went down in 2013 . With his father ’ s old , blown alcohol 511 big block Chevy engine and Powerglide transmission refreshed and updated , and with help from sponsor Bar ’ s Leaks as well as Scott Mika at Leonard ’ s Custom Fabrication , Seraphine ’ s new altered came together . While getting his license with the new car when he was only 19 , Seraphine put down a string of impressive 7.30-second passes in the quarter-mile .

In 2015 , Seraphine ’ s rookie year racing with the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing series , he finished third in points overall for Nostalgia Eliminator 1 ( NE1 ). Perhaps his most prestigious honor to date , though , was winning NE1 at the revered March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in

Bakersfield , California in 2016 . “ There ’ s so much history behind that race ,” said Seraphine , who was floored by the fact that he was able to add that win to his growing list . That season , he finished second in points for the NE1 in the NHRA ’ s HRHR series . “ I also won a $ 5,000 Thanksgiving bracket race in Super Pro in Las Vegas a few years back driving Curtis Garceau ’ s car .”

His performances have been noticed by many ,

and Seraphine ’ s been fortunate enough to have picked up several major sponsors along the way as a result . Among them are Bar ’ s Leaks and Rislone , who have been on board since he was ten years old . “ George Striegel and Nic Woods of Clay Smith Cams helped me a lot in the Juniors . Tom Bogner at Lucas Oil , and Zac Bogner , have also been a big influence on me ,” he added .

To have done so well so early on in his career didn ’ t happen by chance – Seraphine ’ s got focus and determination in spades . He works hard every step of the way , and it shows . “ I try to be perfect on the tree every run , I want to be deadon ,” he noted of his relentless push to improve .

It isn ’ t always an easy job to get ahead , though , as the NE1 class does not allow electronics to be used and everything on the car is manually controlled . “ We play with the blower , with the jet , with the timing . It gets a little tricky when the air changes quickly , and we ’ re usually making last-minute changes in the lanes and hoping for the best at the big end ” he laughed of the never-ending rush to get it right , and it was his father who instilled that attitude in him . “ He taught me that hard work gets you where you ’ re going . I never thought I ’ d make it as far as I have , and it ’ s a dream come true .” – AINSLEY JACOBS DI

November 2016

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