D.I. COLUMNIST
The Enders Elevation
R
ewind back to the Gator-
nationals in 1992, the year
the Jr. Drag Racing League
was born. Randy Shipp was attend-
ing the race with the late Pro Stock
legend Bob Glidden, with no inten-
tion of changing the entire trajec-
tory of his family by purchasing a
Jr. Dragster for his daughter, Randi
Lyn. Once she stomped the throttle
one time, she was hooked, and the
rest is history. Literally.
“I started racing a few months
after Dad bought the Junior just
for fun, but I won my
third race out at the age
of 8 and it’s like we just
never stopped,” Shipp
says of her early years in
the NHRA. “My entire
childhood was racing.”
Like most JDRL rac-
ers, Shipp dreamed of
following in the footsteps
of her idol, Shelly Ander-
son, to become the next
female Top Fuel champi-
on. That dream faded as
her career matured and
she quickly realized that
there was more to this gig
than being famous and
winning a big race.
“It just wasn’t impor-
tant to me once I got out
of Juniors and into ‘big
cars.’ I instantly found
the class that I was born
for when I started racing
Stock Eliminator and I
wouldn’t trade one run
for a win in a Top Fuel
dragster,” says Shipp. “I
am so happy with my role
out here. I have so many tasks that
fulfill me that I don’t need anything
else.”
I could fill up every page of this
magazine with Randi Lyn’s accom-
plishments on-track. She’s raced
everything from Juniors, Super
Comp, to Stock Eliminator and
beyond. With six national event
wins, two national opens and one
divisional title, the list of accolades
is ever-changing, but that’s for an-
other column.
Randi Lyn is many things. She’s a
racer, yes, but so much more. She’s
a sister (Joey and Kristi), daugh-
ter, champion’s fiancé
(Pro Stock’s Bo Butner),
motorhome inventory
control, team manager,
travel coordinator, Nitro
Fish Merchandise Queen,
team chef, NHRA royalty
in her own right, Bo’s
“door girl” on the line and
more. If you’ve ever seen this girl
during the day, you can tell she is
going 300 mph on her feet, but as
usual, the behind-the-scenes work
goes unnoticed to the untrained eye. If you think she just
orders shirts and counts
the money, you are mis-
taken. This girl designs
it all, and actually “be-
dazzles” every shirt in
between everything else.
I have literally walked
in on her mid-bedazzle
between rounds on Sunday. The
merchandise she produces isn’t your
standard fan apparel. No other ven-
dor offers the personalized touches
that Nitro Fish offers, and that is
Aside from winning Wallys in the
Stocker and managing Bo’s team
while on the road and at the track,
the task Randi Lyn has really fallen
in love with is running the Nitro
Fish merchandise trailer. “The Ni-
tro Fish trailer is what I use as my
creative outlet. Aside from all the
logistics of getting there, inventory,
pricing, hiring, etc., I really enjoy
making a product that the NHRA
fan will be proud to wear,” Shipp
beams. “I feel in a way that this is
my small part in making the NHRA
Drag Racing experience better for
fans.” all Randi Lyn. Not only is the Nitro
Fish merch trailer wildly successful,
but she keeps it all in the family by
continuing to hire people within the
NHRA family to man the booth so
they can be out here and enjoy life
on the road with their family and
friends who race or work in and
around the NHRA.
Through all the years in the
NHRA, the thing that stays constant
for Randi Lyn is the competition
and the people. “I have committed
my life to this simply because I love
it. I love the sportsman competi-
tion, the people and sometimes I
even get a little bit of time to en-
joy racing from the stands like the
race fan I am,” Shipp says. “I have
amazing life-long friends that I’ve
met all over this country and rac-
ing wouldn’t mean as much with-
out them. Especially Bo and Darrel.
Every day with these guys is a field
day. I wouldn’t have success or fun
without either of them. We are the
true definition of a team.”
For a 33-year-old from Whiteland,
Indiana, Randi Lyn sure does have
a lengthy career in NHRA Drag
Racing. With so many in-
credible wins, moments,
people and trips, it’s hard
for her to nail down her
greatest accomplishment
to date. “In March, Bo
and I both won the 50th
Gatornationals together.
This was something so
special for both of us
for so many reasons. It’s
hard to say that win isn’t
my greatest accomplish-
ment, but I can’t say it is,”
Shipp says.
“When Bo won the Pro
Stock championship in
2017 I feel like we all
won,” Shipp continues.
“Not just our team, but as
a grassroots racer com-
ing up to the ‘big leagues,’
this was a win for all of us.
Every sportsman racer, Jr.
Dragster racer, bracket
racer, or any kid with a
dream should feel a win
with us here and it’s not
just about me, or us. Sure,
my wins are important,
but there’s a bigger picture here. I
know I had a lot to do with the man
Bo is today and together we accom-
plished great things. Being able to
stand by him that day and really see
how far we’ve all come, now that’s a
great accomplishment!”
If it wasn’t for that first “bug” to
be the next big champion in drag
racing, we may not have folks like
Randi Lyn Shipp changing the face
of drag racing in and out of the seat.
Although her dreams evolved, it’s
clear she is exactly where she needs
to be, doing all the things we didn’t
even know needed to be done.
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58 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
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Issue 143
with Courtney Enders-Lambert