Rene Gagner's engine design
Taylor Vetter - The Fastest Woman in a Blown Top Alcohol Dragster !
Welcome to another installment of Women in Drag Racing. This week we had a chance to get to know Taylor Vetter. She comes from a family that has Drag Racing in their DNA.
By day Taylor works for the city of North Las Vegas as an assistant to the city Director, on the weekends she
Taylor started racing JR. Dragsters when she was only eight years old and transitioned into a full scale car when she was just twenty. At that time she started bracket racing and started to race in Super Comp, then she moved up to Top Dragster for a couple of seasons.
Taylor set her goals high and she achieved them, she licensed in Top Alcohol in 2020 and she's now competing in a Blown (supercharged) Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Dragster full time. In her first season of competition she won the National Dragster Challenge for a Wally and the Thanksgiving Bracket Nationals.
When Taylor is not racing, she states that she is very passionate about working out even when she is traveling, it helps her get a competitive edge over the competition.
Taylor's boyfriend Nick Januik races a Top Alcohol Funny Car, they travel as a team and compete at events together.
Taylor thanks her sponsors: NGK Spark Plugs,
Torco Race Fuels & Permatex for all their help throughout the season. And all of her crew members.
We did a Q&A session with Taylor so we can get can get to know her better, here are the results.
ST:
How and when did you become interested in drag racing, and what are your goals for the future ?
TV:
I was interested in drag racing from the time I was born. My parents were fans of the sport and they had taken me to the races when I was a little girl. When I turned 8 years old, it was my turn to step into the racing world and be a racer myself. My goals for the future are to find a full time sponsorship so I am able to continue racing Top Alcohol Dragster. I love the class and I love the challenge.
ST:
Have you thought about moving up to the Nitro classes ?
TV:
My current goals do not include moving up to Nitro, but if the opportunity did present itself, I wouldn’t decline. I would like to continue gaining experience and becoming more comfortable racing in Top Alcohol Dragster class.
ST:
Can you tell me what tracks you race at, and are there any races that stand out in your mind, like any miss-hasps or major accomplishments ?
TV:
We race all over the country, LVMS (Las Vegas), Pomona (California), Wild Horse Pass (Phoenix), Pacific Raceways (Seattle), Woodburn (Oregon), Z-Max (North Carolina), Houston Raceway Park (Texas), Lucas Oil Raceway (Indiana), Bandimere (Colorado), Maple Grove (Pennsylvania), World Wide Technology Raceway (Illinois), Texas Motorplex (Dallas).
One of my favorite tracks is Bandimere Speedway and I would love to go to Chicago and Bristol.
I had two different major accomplishments, the first one would be my first two divisional wins in Top Dragster. The second would be making the finals at the 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte after we swapped motors and my crew guys worked so hard in between rounds.
Video by: jayork1347 from YouTube.
Taylor at the 4-Wide 2022
Video by: LitbyNoonroductions from YouTube.
ST:
Can you tell me more about your current car. For example: what chassis are you using, and what is your engine combination? Do you do any work on the car?
TV:
For top alcohol dragster, I am running a CNE chassis. We are running a 461 cubic inch Brad Anderson Motor with a PSI Screw Blower mounted on top. Whether we are in the shop putting motors together or at the racetrack servicing the car, I try to jump in wherever I can.
However it can be difficult running two cars and working on the alcohol dragster, so we bring enough crew guys to cover all of the duties on the alcohol car.
For top dragster, I'm running a Racetech Chassis with a 540 cubic inch Chevy with an F-1X ProCharger.
ST:
Can you tell us more about your boyfriend/ teammate ?
TV:
Nick Januik, currently races Top Alcohol Funny Car, he tunes his Funny Car and my Alcohol Dragster. He has been very successful in his own racing. Last year(2021) he finished #7 in the world, which is amazing!
Thank you Taylor for sharing your story with us. For more information visit Taylor's Facebook page: Taylor Vetter Racing
Photo's courtesy of : Taylor Vetter & Plan B Motorsports 2022
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