Lee Craft, host of the CompetitionPlus Power Hour and a longtime drag racing content creator, said a break-in during a stop in Albuquerque wiped out nearly all the equipment he uses to cover the sport. Craft and his wife, Meaghan, were nearing the end of a Western road trip when they discovered their truck had been burglarized overnight.
The theft stripped Craft of roughly $20,000 in cameras, livestream gear, laptops and hard drives—tools he depends on to produce coverage across the drag racing industry. He said the loss hit hard but would not shake his faith or his resolve to rebuild.
The couple had planned to attend an early church service before traveling to White Sands National Park and continuing south into Texas. Those plans were immediately erased when Craft turned a corner and saw the rear truck door hanging open.
Craft said the truck was parked in what appeared to be a safe area, though he was aware of Albuquerque’s reputation for crime and homelessness. He believes the Tennessee plates made them a clear target for an overnight smash-and-grab.
He said he had hidden his equipment carefully, but the thieves broke the rear passenger window and emptied nearly everything related to his work in drag racing media.
Craft said he realized the situation instantly. “We were broke into,” he told Meaghan as they approached the vehicle. When he reached the door, he saw the extent of the damage and the missing gear.
“It was, yes, a smash and grab,” Craft said, “but they had the time apparently to grab nearly everything.” Clothing and travel bags were also taken, adding to the loss.
Rather than dwell at the curbside, Craft said they immediately called police and insurance because being more than a thousand miles from home left no time for paralyzing frustration. A responding officer helped tape the broken window so they could continue traveling safely.
Despite the disruption, Craft and his wife still made the 11 a.m. service at Del Norte Baptist Church—an anchor point that he said steadied the rest of the day. They left Albuquerque afterward and began the long drive back to Tennessee.
The hardest loss, Craft said, wasn’t the cost of equipment but the stolen hard drives. Years of filmed and photographed work documenting races, teams and events across the sport are gone with no way to recover them.
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Craft compared the theft to someone stealing a mechanic’s rolling toolbox. “My tools were took from me,” he said, describing the blow to his ability to work in an industry built on capturing and sharing content.
But the drag racing community responded almost immediately after he shared the situation later in the day. He said messages poured in from fans, racers and colleagues asking how they could help.
Many urged him to set up a GoFundMe, and the support began quickly. Within 24 hours, the campaign surpassed $10,500, with additional private contributions arriving separately.
“The reality of the generosity of the people that I do know personally, that also know me from a distance, have stepped up in this time of need,” Craft said. “It is a blessing.” He said he expects to eventually replace most of the stolen gear.
Craft said his faith framed his reaction from the beginning. He referenced Matthew 5:45 and said he and Meaghan prayed for the individuals who carried out the break-in, hoping the moment might ultimately lead them toward repentance.
He acknowledged the emotional sting—anger, disappointment, frustration—but said gratitude ultimately outweighed it because both he and Meaghan were safe. Their trip ended early but not in a way that compromised what he viewed as most important.
The theft also hit at a time when the couple had worked hard to reduce debt, making the sudden financial setback more painful. Still, Craft said the support from the racing community softened that blow and gave him confidence about rebuilding.
He noted that the vehicle had been parked in a decent neighborhood and that he believed he had concealed his belongings well. Regardless, he said the break-in will not deter him from continuing his work in the drag racing media world.
Craft said the Western trip included streaming duty at Chris Graves’ Funny Car Chaos event in Tucson and sightseeing through Sedona, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. Albuquerque was meant to be a quick overnight stop before heading to White Sands and Big Bend.
Instead, the stop became the moment that changed the trajectory of the trip and wiped out years of stored work. But Craft said it also revealed the depth of support around him.
In his words: “The Lord is faithful.”
