Drag Illustrated Issue 139, December 2018 | Page 101

those friendships and alliances,” Santino says.
A one-time trip has turned into an annual one, as the team has made
a number of NHRA starts, including this year’s U.S. Nationals, where
Newby qualified No. 16 under the guidance of both brothers.
It’s led to advancements at every turn. Harris recorded the fastest
quarter-mile pass in history (336.99 mph) in 2016 and became the
first driver to reach the 4.40s a year later. In 2017, he became the first
to reach the 3.70s as the Australian Professional Drag Racing Series
moved to 1,000 feet.
“I feel that I’ve learnt how to be able to adapt between and un-
derstand different components, setups and make more educated
decisions over the last few years,” Santo Jr. believes. “It does bring joy
and a sense of accomplishment knowing that our team is recognized
as a high-caliber organization. We try our best to maintain a good,
clean image on and off the track, purchase good equipment, involve
reliable people from both the USA and Australia and do our best to
put up good performances.”
Santino has become adept running the difficult-to-master 6-disc clutch
in Newby’s standout Top Fuel machine, winning the most recent race
in early November, while the Rapisardas well-respected operation has
allowed them to work with top names, including Newby, Harris, Ashley
Sanford and Larry Dixon. It’s a testament to what the team has done and
continues to do for the sport in Australia, and that’s more than enough
motivation to keep both brothers pushing forward.
“We’re not afraid of advancing technology,” Santino asserts. “We’re
always trying our best to make as good of runs as we can. We’re always
very open to how we do things. We’ve now made all our best runs in
Australia and the U.S. with a 6-disc. You make a leap, stick with it, invest
time and money and now it’s started to pay major dividends. You can’t
be afraid to think outside the box.” – J O S H H AC H DI
AT DI DI
December 2018
JAKE
HOWARD
■ GETTING A WIN is a big deal. Getting a championship is a bigger deal.
But to get multiple wins and multiple championships all before turning
30 is a really, really big deal. Texas-based racer Jake Howard, 29, has
done just that since he started his racing journey in Jr. Dragsters when
he was eight years old.
Thanks to his father, Rob, Howard got a handle on things from an
early age and transitioned to a big car when he was in his teens. His 1976
Pontiac Trans Am, the same one he still competes today, slowly picked
up speed as the men poured their time and money into it over the years.
As Howard’s confidence grew, so did his success stories.
The challenges he faced in learning to race only served to inspire him
to rise to the occasion, and, as a result, he won quite a few local races
and track championships. In his 2016 season, Howard won an NHRA
Division 4 Summit Racing Series Championship. He secured a title
again in 2017, and two more in 2018 while also taking the 2018 IHRA
Division 4 Summit SuperSeries Championship. Additionally, Howard
has had the honor of representing Division 4 at the NHRA Finals in
Pomona, California, three years running, and has also scored wins at
several big-money footbrake races.
His current combination includes a 428 ci Pontiac bullet built by Long
Racing Engines and Powerglide transmission, which he and his wife,
Michelle, regularly work on together.
An electrical engineer by trade, the young man credits his success to
the help and encouragement of others who have helped him to come
up in the bracket racing world, including Eric Sandlin, Jeremy Falken-
bach, and Wendell Dunaway. Long-term, Howard is content to stick
with bracket racing and possibly pursue a career in the motorsports
industry. – A I N S L E Y JACO DI
B S DI DI
DI DI DI DI DI DI DI DI
DI DI DI DI DI DI
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