PHOTOS : CHRIS GRAVES

“ I didn ’ t have a business plan per se , but there were a handful of people that asked , ‘ Hey , can you do this ?’ One thing lead to another ,” Sanders recalls . “ I definitely wouldn ’ t have guessed that I ’ d be doing what I ’ m doing now when I moved here , but dreams come true , right ?”

Sanders has had his hands on pretty much any type of drag racing vehicle that consumes blue barrels of nitromethane . From being part of wins and championships as a crew member on the Capco Contractors Top Fuel teams to building and tuning a variety of Funny Cars and Fuel Altereds , Sanders ’ drag racing education has developed through his own trial and error and from working

with Bobby and Dom Lagana , John Stewart , and other notable names in the industry . His drag racing-focused lifestyle is shared by girlfriend Katie Buttera , the creative force behind Apple Girl Art and granddaughter of the late , famed builder Lil ’ John Buttera .

Sanders faced a setback this summer on August 9 when he was a passenger with Dom Lagana and Richie Crampton in a highway accident in the “ Sh * tbox of Doom ” turbocharged ’ 57 Chevy station wagon . Miraculously , all three survived . Sanders was able to walk out of the hospital without surgery despite five broken ribs and a skull that had been broken in six locations .

“ The hardest part was the mental part of what happened ,” says Sanders . “ Trying to stay busy is the biggest thing . We very well could not be having this conversation . The repercussions and outcome of it aren ’ t the greatest , but it is definitely better than what it could have been . It ’ s good to hear that Dom is doing better and that Richie is back to work . We ’ ll get through it . We ’ d like to get Dom into rehab and into the direction that he is on . We ’ ll get there in due time .”

Unable to do anything strenuous while healing , Sanders kept his mind occupied by furthering his

CNC programming skills , a fascination he had limited time for in the previous season when he repaired 125 blocks and attended 33 events . Pandemic-related event cancellations had already freed him up to tackle more projects , such as creating a mold for the rear wing used on Billy Torrence ’ s Super Comp dragsters . Toward the end of the 2020 season , he was recruited by Nitro Harley racer Jay Turner to help oversee his stable of four entries . “ I ’ ve definitely used the break as a positive ,” says Sanders .

While Sanders continues to expand his capabilities at Snake Enterprises and takes delivery of a CNC lathe , he looks forward to racing in 2021 with Allen Middendorf ’ s American Outlaw team and continuing to be of assistance to racers Lyle Greenberg , Dave Hill , and others .

“ Allen ’ s car is pretty fun to run ,” says Sanders . “ There is a lot to learn there because it has all the managements , the all-valve , and timing control . It ’ s a nice little segue way into the possibility of being involved in a higher position on a Top Fuel or Funny Car team . We ’ ll do some more Funny Car Chaos action , do some match racing , and try to set the Fuel Altered record . I ’ d like to bring my dad ’ s car out a couple times if his business allows him time to do it .” – BRAD LITTLEFIELD DI

November 2020

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