30 UNDER 30
30 UNDER 30
RYAN RAKESTRAW
Ryan Rakestraw began his drag racing fame early , winning the 2007 ORSCA Modified Street Championship while driving for Scott Taber . He continued driving for customers on occasion for a few years , but he truly began developing his skill and passion for tuning when he teamed up with Keith Berry .
“ When Keith started , that thing was my baby and everywhere it went , I went ,” remembered Rakestraw . With Berry ’ s turbo-powered beasts , Rakestraw was able to learn more about that side of power management in addition to the nitrous setups he was used to . “ When Keith ’ s car started coming along - and Todd ’ s car - I wanted to learn more about the turbo side of it . I ’ ve always worked on them and built them , but wanted to learn more of the power management and fuel injection and stuff like that . I learned a lot watching over the shoulder of Derek and Steve and Jamie Miller and all those guys for years .
“ It came to a time where Keith decided we ’ ll just do this on our own . So right about the middle to beginning of 2014 is when I started doing Keith ’ s car full time . We still talk with all the Pro Line guys , whether it be Jamie or Josh or Steve or Eric , whoever is up there . We still talk . It ’ s always a team effort .”
Keith Berry ’ s accomplishments over the last few years need no introduction . And Rakestraw ’ s part in that success earned him numerous bids in this year ’ s 30 Under 30 nominations . But beyond his association with Berry , Rakestraw has set himself apart as a respected entrepreneur .
He worked for Bell Chassisworks for years and noticed a niche in the industry begging for another business . In September of 2013 he started RK Racecraft with a small two-bay garage . The startup company took cars from rolling chassis to finished product , ready to race . Under the mentorship of Pro Line ’ s Eric Dillard , Rakestraw continued to grow the business , hiring additional help and moving to a 5,000-square-foot shop .
“ We do all the turnkey work for the NHRA Pro Mod stuff out of Pro Line and all the drag radial stuff . We keep seven to eight cars here at all times .
We stick the motor in it , hang the turbos and complete the kit , all the plumbing and wiring . Basically , we take the chassis and turn it into a turnkey car . We crank them , set them up , figure out the Racepaks , stuff like that . When they leave here , they ’ re ready to do a burnout .”
RK Racecraft also handles light chassis work , including wreck repairs . Although Rakestraw had to step back from Berry ’ s operation to focus on work , he still makes it to several events a year and talks business regularly with Dillard .
“ Me and Eric probably talk about business every week still ,” added the Georgia native , who puts the biggest emphasis in his company on quality and a strong work ethic . “ You learn from your mistakes , but talking things through with somebody like Eric can point you in directions that ’ ll keep you from making the mistakes maybe they learned from .
“ But business is always going to be a struggle to a certain point . Anytime you ’ re dealing with somebody ’ s hobby instead of their necessity , it ’ s hard to make money at it . I mean , we do good here , but if you ’ re doing something that somebody has to have , it ’ s always a lot easier to make money than doing something somebody doesn ’ t need . Even though drag racing is like a drug , at the end of the day you ’ re still working on somebody ’ s hobby . But if it wasn ’ t a challenge , it wouldn ’ t be fun .” – LISA COLLIER DI
PHOTO : RK RACECRAFT
92 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 115