PHOTOS : NATE VAN WAGNEN , FREER RACING |
Looking at Lauren Freer ’ s success as a racer , one might assume she , like many racers today , grew up in the sport as a secondor third-generation racer . While it was her father who introduced her to the sport , she lays claim as the first in her family to stomp on a drag racing pedal . Despite being completely new to the sport , Freer started winning in Junior Dragsters right away and hasn ’ t stopped since . She was a cheerleader in high school , but when her father , who used to work on a Top Fuel Hydro team , brought home a Junior Dragster , Freer quickly gave up her pompons to devote all her extra time to racing . She never looked back , winning points championships and a world championship
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in Juniors before moving to Super Comp , Super Gas and Top Dragster .
She won two IHRA divisional championships , a $ 25,000 bracket race in Atco , N . J . and a handful of NHRA national events . This season , Freer won Top Dragster at the NHRA Summit Nationals in Norwalk , Ohio , and was runner-up at the PDRA event in Maryland . Her current aim is to be the first female to win The Million Dollar Race .
Her story is undoubtedly unique . Not only does she stand out as a successful female racer , her passion for the sport outpaces many others who have much deeper drag racing roots . She credits this passion as one of the reasons for her success .
“ Racing every weekend and having people who supported me , learning from racers who had been around for so many years really helped me ,
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I think ,” Freer said , also thanking her new husband for his support . “ Stuart Smith helped me a tremendous amount , and Glenn Ferguson . My parents and I were always at the race track doing something every weekend , Thursday nights , Friday nights . I think my success comes from just living at the race track .”
The North Carolina resident is a Radiation Therapist by trade , working at Carolina ’ s Medical Center in Charlotte . While beating some of the top names in drag racing is no easy feat , treating cancer patients is most assuredly more grueling . Freer ’ s gentle-but-determined nature helps her excel in both , with a disarming smile that quickly puts others at ease and a resolve that never quits .
- LISA COLLIER DI
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