THE INTERVIEW ISSUE
IT’S
ELECTRIC
Steve Huff looks back on record-setting 200-mph
pass in his electric dragster
By JOSH HACHAT • Photographs by MATT DEYOUNG
IF THERE’S A conventional route to running an electric dragster,
Steve Huff surely didn’t take it. ¶ With a punk rock attitude, incredible
intelligence and a penchant for taking on virtually any
challenge, Huff has thrived in his myriad of racing endeavors. ¶ The
latest, though, may be his greatest. On a Wednesday night in May – as
the drag racing world was mostly silent due to the COVID-19 pandemic
– Huff went to Tucson Dragway with his electric dragster, hopeful he
could make history. ¶ As the clock approached midnight on May 13,
Huff unleashed a historic pass of 7.520-seconds at 201.07 mph in
his electric dragster, becoming the first racer to go 200 mph in an
electric car. The Seattle native did it before the legendary Don Garlits,
backed it up two nights later and has since
reveled in an accomplishment that still barely
seems possible.
“This is at the top of everything I’ve done,” says
Huff, who owns a motorcycle repair shop in
the Seattle area. “In today’s world, and with the
competitor like Garlits, he was the 900-pound
gorilla in this fight. But if I haven’t done it, I’m
down to try it.”
Huff ’s long, winding road in racing includes
testing for an IndyCar team, setting records in
the All Harley Drag Racing Association, enjoying
massive success racing hydroplanes in the
Pacific Northwest and setting land-speed records
at Bonneville, always furthering the sport with
an inventive mind and a deep dedication to the
78 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 157