Drag Illustrated Issue 151, December 2019 | Page 86

30 UNDER
30 30 / 2019
30
UNDER
HALEY JAMES
■ HALEY JAMES has enjoyed a tremendous
amount of success in her young career, picking
up a third championship in the NMRA ranks
this year.
But it’s perhaps in James’ most trying moments
as a racer where her true spirit and character
has been most apparent. After winning a cham-
pionship in her first year in 2015, the next two
years were a struggle. She responded by winning
back-to-back championships, but adversity struck
in 2019 with a crash at the season-ending race in
Bowling Green, Kentucky.
It was James’ first crash, but it wasn’t long
before the Albuquerque native was back to having
a good time with her father and team. She even
signed a door of the wrecked car, giving it to a
young fan, who promptly burst into tears. But it
was James at her finest – holding her head high
and representing the sport well, even in the most
trying times.
“It’s just really cool this sport has such an
impact on people,” James says. “The fans are so
genuine and that forces you to be genuine as well.
If you’re not having fun, then there’s no point
being out there. Even after the wreck, and that’s
by far the worst thing that’s happened to us at the
track, we’re still cracking jokes and trying to move
forward. In adverse time, we seem to thrive there.”
It’s why James is already so excited for 2020,
where she’ll debut a new car. Before that, though,
there’s plenty to celebrate from her 2019 cam-
paign, including another world title and a spot
on the 30 Under 30 list.
“That’s a really cool thing to achieve,” James
says. “Even though we’ve had success with cham-
pionships, this is something I hadn’t achieved yet,
so it’s a huge accolade.”
In a style distinctly her own, James has made a
positive impression on the younger crowd, while
the older generation has a strong affinity for the
nod to Americana on James’ car.
Combined, James’ no-nonsense style has al-
lowed her to carve out a noticeable spot in the
sport, thriving with her family-based B-Team
flying the Hellion Turbo flag. James and her fa-
ther, a longtime successful driver, have been a
formidable duo, and never one afraid to speak
her mind, James is confident she’ll be back in
championship form in 2020.
“With the new car, our plan is the same and we
plan on being competitive by the end of qualify-
ing at the first race,” James insists. “We’re excited
to think about the future and we’re going to
continue to prove people wrong who are hoping
for us to fail.” – J O S H H AC H DI
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BOBBY INCE JR.
■ IT'S NOT OFTEN that you see a Jr. Drag-
ster driver hop right out of their car and get in a
door car to race another class – or two. But that’s
been a theme this year for 18-year-old Illinois
racer Bobby Ince Jr.
Ince grew up watching his uncle and his dad
race, so he’s always had a love for high-perfor-
mance race cars. When he was 11, he got his first
Jr. Dragster and he has been hooked ever since.
This was his last year competing in the Jr. Drag-
ster class, but he’s also racing a 1973 Nova in
No-Box/Pro, as well as his dad’s 1966 Chevelle
in the Ozark Mountain Super Shifters series.
Sometimes he races all three cars on the same
day, which would no doubt be a challenge, even
for the most experienced driver.
Ince says that going from Jr. Dragsters to one
of his door cars is “one extreme to the other,” and
that you really have to pay attention. “The big-
gest difference is your focus,” Ince says. “There’s
a lot more going on in a big car. You’ve got a lot
more switches, you have to pay attention to the
crossover. Focus is really important.”
As for his competitors in the Jr. Dragster class,
he says they usually don’t seem intimidated by his
experience in the faster classes, but he definitely
turns some heads. “A lot of Jr. parents come up to
me and say ‘Didn’t I just see you in the other lane?’
They usually pay attention to how I’m doing in
all of the classes, but they’re all really supportive.”
And Ince’s skills on the track aren’t all that
he’s known for. Competitors say that he has
sportsmanship and wisdom beyond his years,
and respect for opponents – whether they’re 6
or 60. Ince hopes to compete in NHRA’s Super
Street class in the future, and hopes to knock a
divisional and national event win off his bucket
list. – A L LYS O N J O H N S O
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