Drag Illustrated Issue 139, December 2018 | Page 93

30 UNDER 30 · 2018
JAKE
SIMMONS
■ JAKE SIMMONS, 25, is a rare find in that the young man from San
Marcos, Texas, is relentless in his drive to grow, learn, and be the best
when it comes to racing videography.
Born into the world of horsepower, Simmons was always obsessed with
drag racing. Around 2007, his father gave him a Kodak camera and he
filmed his first NHRA race. Later, he was approached by Ed Miller to
film and produce an event coverage DVD, and, although he didn’t know
the first thing about video production, Simmons agreed and used the
opportunity as an experience to learn.
Self-taught through countless hours of research and watching tutorials,
Simmons eventually met photographer Chris Graves. Graves had Simmons
shoot with him, and the young man excelled. Not long after, Simmons was
introduced to Les Mayhew and Mayhew got Simmons his first paid travel
gig for the 2014 March Meet in California. Inspired by Mayhew, Simmons
soaked up as much knowledge as he could from his mentor and role model.
When Mayhew left Competition Plus, founder Bobby Bennett asked
Simmons to join the team and the budding creative genius jumped at the
chance. As his reputation grew, so did the demand for Simmons’ cine-
matography. Soon, he was hired on by SpeedVideo and MotorManiaTV
to produce live feed broadcast footage. Now, Simmons is well known
and well respected for being at the top of the video game and has shot
everything from Pro Mods to Fuel Altereds, Funny Cars, and more. He’s
even been hired to shoot the WinterNationals in Australia – twice.
For him, getting the perfect shot with the perfect zoom and the
perfect focus is both thrilling and challenging. Despite his relatively
young age, Simmons is quite philosophical as he works to preserve
the history of drag racing along with its highs and lows, wrecks and
records. – AINSLEY JACOBS
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BRANDON
GRECO
■ BRANDON GRECO’S ASCENT to NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster hitter
status wasn’t always conventional, and it certainly wasn’t easy. It’s tak-
en a decade, but Greco has turned he and his father’s clutch-equipped
blown alcohol car into a consistent late-round player in the NHRA’s
North Central region.
Greco grew up working in his father’s automotive repair shop in Roscoe,
Pennsylvania, tagging along whenever his dad would go racing with the
family Top Dragster. He always wanted a Jr. Dragster, but it just wouldn’t
fit into the plan. Instead, Greco held out until he was 16 years old and
convinced the elder Greco to go in on a Top Alcohol Dragster with him.
The duo has been chasing the dream ever since Greco showed up to
Division 1 legend Mike Kosky’s shop with a pickup truck full of parts.
“It’s kind of wild how we just jumped into alcohol racing,” Greco
admits. “I always liked watching my dad. He has pictures of me giving
him the thumbs up to do the burnout, now he’s giving me the sign to
do the burnout.”
This season, Greco finished fourth in region points on the strength
of two consecutive runner-up finishes at Columbus and Norwalk. He’s
been to the Norwalk regional race final round each of the last three
years, always coming out as the bridesmaid. If anything, it’s only moti-
vated the 28-year-old to continue working harder in his pursuit of the
coveted NHRA Wally.
“It’s a heartbreaker because we haven’t won a final yet and we’ve come
so close,” Greco says. “It always seems like it’s the cheapest part that fails
in the final round. One time it’s not going to fail and we’re going to get
the win. Our day is coming soon.” – N AT E VA N WAG N DI
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December 2018
DragIllustrated.com
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