After five consecutive runner-up finishes this season, Top Alcohol Dragster standout Jackie Fricke landed in the winner’s circle most recently at the NHRA Northwest Nationals. This win marks the second consecutive year for her to nab the national event title at Pacific Raceways. It’s an accomplishment she doesn’t take lightly.
“Last year, I feel like we almost snuck in the win,” Frickie said. “We didn’t have the best car last year. But this year, we did. We’ve been trying a lot of different things, and it really came together. We qualified No. 1 and had the top speed and low E.T. of eliminations as well. Last year, I felt like I was chasing the win. This year, I felt more like if I didn’t screw up, we might win. This was our first win after five consecutive runner-up finishes, so it was big for everyone.”
Fricke dominated the event this year, entering race day at the top of the ladder thanks to a stunning pass of 5.237 seconds at 277.26 mph. But she will be the first to tell you it was a team effort. And for Fricke, “team” is synonymous with “family,” which makes sense because she is part of an ever-expanding drag racing family dynasty started by her father, Rich Rogge.
When Rich and his wife, Mimi, got involved in drag racing years ago, they likely had no idea what a huge family tradition they were starting. But his four daughters always wanted to be at the track with their dad. Always a family man, he loved spending time with them, teaching them about the sport he loves. Drag racing became a way to incentivize good behavior within the family.
“All four girls would beg, borrow, or steal to get to the track,” said Rich’s granddaughter, Taylor Nobile. “And my grandfather would take them, but he was very strict. They had to do well in school. They had to be good kids, and they all had to go to church. So they would actually go to church really early on Sunday morning before heading out to the track. They were like, ‘We have to go confess our sins, and then we can go race!’”
The love for all things drag racing took root early in Rogge’s daughters: Jackie, Barb, Sandy, and Amy. As the girls entered their teen years, they were at their local track, Maple Grove, so often that they ended up working there. Not surprisingly, all four of the Rogge girls married drag racers. Jackie married Shawn Fricke, Barb married Lee Ream, Sandy married Ron Richardspri, and Amy married Tony Iacono.
All of Rich’s grandchildren are involved in drag racing, with four of the six grandkids competing in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Chase and Cory Ream bracket race while Tori Iacono and Taylor Nobile participate in Division 1. The oldest granddaughter, Taylor, married Pro Stock driver Vincent Nobile and one day, their daughter Riley will likely be behind the wheel.
With so many family members competing, the Rogge Racing legacy members like to keep in touch via a massive group text so everyone knows how things are going.
“It’s just so cool to have such a family full of racers,” Fricke said. “The day that I won, my brother-in-law (Lee Ream) won at Maple Grove (for the Dave Stine Memorial Race). We have such a big family that on any given weekend, there are probably four or more of us racing in one day. So the group text messages are always flying at the end of the day, saying who did what. It’s super cool to have that family support for each other.
“There are 14 people in the group text. We talk a lot. Different people send videos. There is just such a fun family dynamic. At one point this year, at a race, we had three of the seven final cars in Super Comp. That was pretty cool.”
Collectively, the family has (at last count) 36 divisional wins, 24 national event wins, and a slew of other accomplishments, including victories at specialty events and bracket racing competitions. In addition to Jackie’s national event win and five runner-ups this season alone, Taylor was a runner-up at a divisional race in Maple Grove; Shawn has two runner-ups from the Cecil County and Columbus divisionals. Ron has a win and a runner-up from the doubleheader in Norwalk. Lee won the Numidia divisional points race and the Dave Stine Memorial race, while his son Cory scored a runner-up finish in a Super Pro event.
Family legacies in drag racing have always played a significant role in shaping the sport’s history and perpetuating a fierce passion for quarter-mile action across generations. The strong roots developed in family race programs are a testament to the enduring spirit and heritage of the sport. And, as the Rogge family can attest, racing with family is just plain fun.
