Drag Illustrated Issue 110, June 2016 | Page 44

JEFFREY & LINDSEY BARKER Park, and we were both in the finals again, and I won but and he lost, but he wins way more than I do anyway.” Once, before they ever even met, the two wound up racing each other at Silver Dollar Raceway during a Friday night bracket race. “She doesn’t remember this, but I was driving an old ’68 Camaro, and I went up against her. I knew who she was, but she didn’t know me. She red-lighted, and other that that, we’ve never raced each other – not even goofing around. It’s lends a hand crewing when he can. “I’m not going to say I handle the stress better than her, but I have so much to do that my mind just goes into autopilot mode and I get things done. After doing it for so long, it’s become a routine. We both know what we have to do, and we don’t get in each others’ way,” notes Jeffrey. Lindsey added that they both do well under pressure, and proudly shared that her husband is a natural when it comes to being mechanically inclined, which helps alleviate a lot of pressure. With two cars needing attention, one would suspect there’d be some squabbles over who gets probably best for the marriage that way,” laughs Jeffrey as he recalled the memory. Juggling a work-life balance for just one driver can be pretty challenging, but somehow Jeffrey and Lindsey manage to make it work for two. “It’s definitely hectic because of all the races we go to, and they run our classes pretty close together,” he admits. “Trying to get back to cool the car down, turn wrenches, and get the next one ready can be a lot, but we have a system and make it work.” Jeffrey himself manages the vast majority of everything for both his and Lindsey’s cars. He does all the maintenance – front to back – although is sometimes joined by his father, who what when it comes to spending, but for Jeffrey and Lindsey, it’s usually not a problem. “Even though we’re married, we still keep certain aspects of our finances separate so we can each spend our money doing what we enjoy. Most of the time, though, she gets the newer stuff – mine only gets updated if it has to,” shares Jeffrey in regards to parts purchasing. Both cars are nitrous oxide assisted, but the builds are quite different. His is a 2006 Chevy Cobalt built by Rick Jones Race Cars, while hers is a 245” wheelbase 2012 Miller Race Cars Top Dragster. Jeffrey’s Cobalt was originally built for his fa- ther to run Top Sportsman, and the carbn-bodied car was state-of-the-art back in 2005 when it was commissioned. Featuring a 5.0” bore space 747ci Reher-Morrison engine with three stages of nitrous and a three-speed Turbo 400 transmission with Coan Engineering torque converter, the combination made 1,450-horsepower while naturally aspirated on an engine dyno. When spraying two of the nitrous systems, Jeffrey estimates he adds another 700-horsepower to the equation. Moser Engineering components make up the Cobalt’s rear end; additional components were supplied from CSR Performance Products, and a set of Hoosier tires provide the traction necessary for Jeffrey to consistently run in the low six-second range on the quarter-mile. Lindsey’s four-link dragster, however, features an all-aluminum 632ci Brodixbased motor built by Hart Beat Racing & Competition Engines. With three stages of Induction Solutions nitrous oxide on board, Jeffrey estimates her car produces about 1,700-horsepower, which gets transferred to the track surface via a set of Mickey Thompson tires. Just like Jeffrey’s, the rear end is from Moser and a Coan converter is on board, however, it is bolted to a Powerglide transmission from FTI Performance. With both cars running under the Jerry Barker Motorsports flag, Jeffrey and Lindsey will each be chasing the NHRA championship in their respective classes, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster, this year. The season started out a little rough for each with some engine troubles and no wins (yet), but there’s still plenty of time left for them to make up lost ground. “I can tell you this – when I go to a race, I don’t go to be second. I go to win,” says Jeffrey. One determined driver can often achieve miracles on their own, but when a driver has the unwavering success of a spouse, especially one who shares the same dream a nd the same goal, DI DI DI greatness is all but guaranteed for all involved. DI DI DI DI DI DI DI 44 | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com Issue 110 PHOTOS: DRAG ILLUSTRATED ARCHIVES Dirt