30 UNDER 30 |
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ALEX TAYLOR
until 2015 , though , when she first dipped into the eights while running at Indianapolis , Indiana , and also improved by finishing sixth with an average of 9.1212-seconds .
With a goal of eventually winning her class , Taylor participated in her fourth consecutive HOT ROD Drag Week in 2016 with her daily-driven street car . Although she didn ’ t win class , she showed significant improvement as her 4,000-plus-pound , air conditioned “ Badmaro ” was consistently in the eights and clicked off
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an impressive personal best of 8.584 at 161.93 mph pass while racing at Michigan ’ s US 131 Motorsports Park to round out the event with a much-improved 8.6806-second average . “ It ’ s not just a test of your car , it ’ s a test of yourself ,” she explained of what keeps her coming back . “ You ’ re running on no sleep and adrenaline , and the whole time you ’ re wishing it ’ s over but it ’ s the best feeling ever at the same time .”
Taylor knows that she wouldn ’ t have gotten to where she ’ s at by such a young age if it weren ’ t for the help of certain people and companies . “ In addition to my parents , Crower , Aeromotive , Borg Warner , Tial , and Holley have all made this
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possible ,” she said thankfully .
Perhaps more impressive than Taylor ’ s performance history is her commitment to being a well-rounded racer . “ I don ’ t want to just be a driver , I want to know what ’ s going on ,” said the talented young woman who is hands-on with every project and does her own maintenance . Both her father , who is a talented fabricator and mechanic , as well as Barbara Hamilton , the first woman to receive an NHRA license for driving supercharged cars , have influenced her heavily over the years . “ Barb told me not to just be a driver , but to know what I ’ m doing and to know my car , and that ’ s stuck with me .” – AINSLEY JACOBS DI
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PHOTOS : KEVIN COX , ROB PEARSON |