“ Just as any parent , watching my kids win is much more gratifying than winning myself .”
How did finishin g second twice drive you to really fight for that first championship in 2016 ?
I honestly thought it would never happen . I thought it was just not meant to be . In 2014 , Jason Harris pretty much dominated in the PDRA . We were in second , but we were a distant second . Then in 2015 , we were actually racing against Rickie Smith for the championship . It came down to the final race and I had an opportunity to win , but I just kind of left that one sitting on the table . That gives you the drive to go back and continue .
I think what drives me the most is to be able to race guys like Rickie . You race these guys who are legends , guys who do this for a living . We try to race like we ’ re professionals and doing it for a living , but in all honesty , it ’ s a hobby for us . To be able to race against the caliber of teams that we are , that ’ s what drives me to do it . As a kid , you grow up dreaming of exactly that – setting world records , winning races and winning championships . To get that close , it really gives you a taste of it . It felt really good when we got it last year , almost like a relief . But then as the year started going on , you start having that desire to get back there . I think the worst thing is thinking that you might have to peel the number one off the window . I don ’ t want that . It all just drives you to step up your game and make it happen .
How rewarding has it been to win two championships during a time when Pro Nitrous has been at its best ?
Not taking away from any win at any point , but when you see the level of competition that ’ s so close , I think that says a lot for the PDRA and what it ’ s become . When you go out and win a round going 3.65 like we did at Virginia to finish the year , you didn ’ t just win the championship , you raised the bar to another level . I think that ’ s what ’ s more rewarding to me , to know that we ’ re winning championships at a time when the class is the most competitive that it ’ s ever been , I believe . I say that because you have parity between not only 16 cars , but really , probably 20-22 cars that show up and have an opportunity to win every single round .
Amber won the Pro Junior Dragster championship and Ashley won Rookie of the Year honors . How exciting is it for you to see your daughters reach levels of success alongside you like that ?
For all of us to be able to go out and race together at a high level means a lot . Growing up , my parents did the same thing with me – we did a lot of things together . There was never a time where I got left behind and they went and did the fun stuff . I think that probably kept me out of a lot of trouble at times . I ’ ve done the same thing with my family . Luckily , my kids enjoy it still and they enjoy being here with us . I recognize that that might not always be the case , but I ’ m trying to make sure it is always the case if possible .
Some people might say that it ’ s only Jr . Dragster racing , but the competition in the PDRA ’ s Jr . Dragster classes isn ’ t easy .
I think the Jr . classes can be tougher than the rest of the classes . Those kids out there are amazing . Ashley was in her first year of competition , really green to it . To see her come around from where she started the year off , she qualified for every single race . Top Jr . Dragster qualifies based on reaction time , so that says a lot for her . I believe she was No . 1 qualifier two or three times . I was really proud when they voted her Rookie of the Year . The last thing I would want is for my kids to get something they didn ’ t deserve , but she
“ Just as any parent , watching my kids win is much more gratifying than winning myself .”
raced hard , qualified for every race , had a few No . 1 qualifiers and even a couple perfect lights , so she definitely deserved it .
With Amber , she ’ s ate up with racing ... bad . It ’ s delighting to see , by all means . She ’ s very focused . It ’ s a learning time , so as the years started going by she would get her reaction times down , then we would talk about driving the finish line . As a parent , sometimes you think it should be easier for them to learn it . We came out this year and all of a sudden Amber is tightening up the finish line to a hundredth or so and I ’ m like , “ That ’ s a little bit tight ,” and she ’ s like , “ Oh no , Dad , I got it .” Her confidence level is really high , and I think any form of racing requires that . You have to be able to go in and be confident and know that you have a chance to win .
They ’ ve definitely impressed me more than I ’ ve ever impressed myself , that ’ s for sure . Being able to travel around with my family , including Judy and any of my other family members who come to the races , it ’ s just enjoyable . It ’ s memories that I hope they ’ ll recognize for the rest of their lives .
You and Amber made history when you become the first father-daughter champions of a national drag racing series . How did you two work together to accomplish that ?
All year long , we were in three or four finals together . The PDRA typically runs the Jr . Dragsters before Pro Nitrous , so she would win her rounds long before I won my rounds and put the pressure back on me and I let it down . We didn ’ t get to share the winner ’ s circle all year . It felt like another one of those things that wasn ’ t meant to be , but then the championships came along . Amber made a speech at the PDRA banquet that really summed it up : There were bigger things planned . To win the championship together , that ’ s much more memorable than one race would be . It ’ s exciting . Just as any parent , watching my kids win is much more gratifying than winning myself .
Amber is approaching the age when she ’ ll have to move out of Jr . Dragsters . What ’ s the next step for her ?
Eventually we ’ re going to put her in the car I drove for the past few seasons . I ’ ve got a new car for 2018 . I ’ m going to keep my old car for now for two reasons : it ’ s too good to race against , but also because there ’ s no sense in selling that car and buying another car for Amber . We don ’ t know exactly what the process will look like . She ’ ll get her license later this year , but I don ’ t plan on putting her in anything real fast real soon . We ’ re going to see what happens . She has a big interest in the Outlaw 632 class right now , which I think is a really cool class . Not that it ’ s cheap , but it ’ s a starter class . It looks like it ’ s something that you can get in and get your feet wet . The cars are running 4.20s and 4.30s . Whether it be that or Top Sportsman or something like that , I ’ m sure that ’ s the direction she ’ ll take .
We ’ ve talked about maybe putting her in a dragster for a little bit , but I ’ m not sure about that . She wants to be in a door car . She wants to run Pro Nitrous . I don ’ t think her mom is ready for that , and I ’ m not sure I ’ m ready for that , so we ’ ll take it slow and make sure she ’ s ready . At the end of the day , she ’ s still our daughter and she ’ s a kid . We ’ re going to try to protect her from herself as much as we can .
How have you prepared yourself for the tense moments that will come with putting Amber in a Pro Mod-style car ?
I ’ m not sure I ’ m completely prepared for it . My mom and dad told me it was the hardest thing in
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