Drag Illustrated Issue 125, September 2017 | Page 19

SUPER TUNED
Crew chief Todd Okuhara peers over the shoulder of Don Schumacher Racing
driver Leah Pritchett while warming up the 10,000-horsepower Hemi nestled
between the chrome moly frame rails of the Papa John’s Pizza-sponsored Top
Fuel Dragster. In mid-August the tandem were responsible for the quickest
elapsed time ever recorded in the eliminator, a stunning 3.640-second trip
down the 1,000-foot strip in Brainerd, Minnesota. “There’s a real sensation of
speed; the car gets much lighter,” said Pritchett, admitting there’s a noticeable
difference for her in the driver’s seat on a mid-three-sixty pass as compared
to the slew of quick, but considerably slower 3.7-second passes she’s made.
“Every time I get into the car it’s fast, but these runs definitely feel different.”
Photograph by Rick Belden
Bristol Dragway | Bristol, Tennessee | Saturday, June 17, 2017
September 2017
DragIllustrated.com
| D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 19