Photos courtesy of Krista Baldwin Racing
In many aspects, Krista Baldwin could be considered the O.G.
The term usually means Original Gangster. In Baldwin’s lane, it means something else entirely. She’s the Original Giddy, a Top Fuel driver who never learned how to act like this is just another day at the office, and never plans to.
That identity, once viewed as an outlier in the NHRA pits, has become something closer to a shift in tone. Not overnight, not clean, and not universally embraced at first.
It’s also why Baldwin watches the rise of Maddi Gordon a little differently than most. There’s recognition there, and maybe a little validation, too.
“There’s definitely a place. This is what the sport needs. We have to keep pushing forward, and to push forward, you have to do it authentically. And I love seeing the fun come back into the sport. Because I felt like five years ago when I started doing all the fun stuff, everyone’s like, ‘Dang, that girl’s crazy.’ And now it’s kind of the norm. And it’s kind of cool that like-minded individuals are with me in this journey, too.”
The resistance she remembers wasn’t loud. It was quieter than that. More of a shrug, maybe a sideways glance, the kind that says keep it down and just drive.
“That’s what is needed. The fans have to know that we’re doing something so extraordinary that it is hard, but the benefit of it, of hitting that gas and experiencing what we get to experience is absolutely out of this world. And how can you not be excited? Sometimes it makes me mad that some of the other drivers, it’s just another day in the office for them, which it’s true. It is another day in the office, but you just never know when that last ride’s going to come, and you got to enjoy it every single second.”
She didn’t try to change anything. That’s probably why it worked.
Next weekend at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals, Baldwin returns to Top Fuel, and she won’t ease back into it.
There’s a car to unveil. There’s a moment to manage. And there’s a name on the side that doesn’t need much introduction. Chris Karamesines is a name that still carries weight in the sport.
“It’s obviously a huge honor that NHRA selected Grandpa to be the legend of the weekend. And I knew that we had to celebrate him. He has over 70 years in this sport. And being alongside him the last few years have been absolutely, tremendously exciting. And I love it so much because of him. And I wanted to just give back to him and be able to give him the honor that he needs or that he is warranted for all this hard work.”
There are easier ways to say that. She doesn’t use them.
“Shoot, 70 years, that’s absolutely crazy. And the fact that he still is the oldest top field driver in the world. It’s a testament to what his grit and what his determination has brought him. And so, I feed off of that so much. And to go to Chicago, go back to his home track, I’m super excited to unveil this race car. I think it looks awesome. It’s a little bit of a modern twist on the legendary, the Greek, and I think the fans are going to love it. It’s really going to pop off the side of the car.”
The racing relationship between Baldwin and Karamesines didn’t arrive fully formed. It had to be argued into existence.
Different eras. Different expectations. Different ideas about who belongs in a Top Fuel car and how they’re supposed to act once they’re there.
“Sometimes it’s a little too much for him. But you got to understand, he started when the race cars were only going 140 miles an hour back in 1955, and now they’re going 340 miles an hour. So him coming into the scene that kind of surprised him, but I think my giddiness also still proves to him that this is where I want to be.”
It wasn’t just about emotion. It was about proof.
“If I wasn’t getting out of the race car excited to just experience what I just did, I don’t think he would have handed over the keys per se in a different way. I still love it and I love that he loves it for me. And don’t get me wrong, he still pays attention. He still watches every single run I make, and he still critiques me to this day of if I didn’t leave on time, if I went out of the groove, if I didn’t shut the car off on time, he is still so part of what my organization is.”
The acceptance didn’t come with a speech. It showed up in runs down the strip.
“He did say that up until I started racing when I was 18, I drove a front engine dragster, and then I went into the injected nitro race in the Top Alcohol. And it wasn’t until my third or fourth season driving that A/Field car for Anthony Dicero where he finally saw that this is what I wanted to do, that I had the capability to navigate these rocket ships down that racetrack and to be smart about it.”
Her license run in 2020 settled whatever was left of that debate.
“And then when we finally made that transition back in St. Louis in 2020, when I got my license, the fact that the first run I made, first full run I made, it was a 3.99 and that was quicker than what he did the whole last year. He finally, he’s like, ‘All right, I guess she’s got the bug. I guess I’ll let her do this.’”
After that, things changed in ways that don’t show up on a timeslip.
“It was literally like a light switch. He would call me every single day to talk about the race car. He would call me, and he’s like, ‘Hey, we need to make this improvement.’ … It almost made us not equal, but I was right there with him, and I was learning how to run a Top Fuel team from him.”
There’s a line she comes back to when it starts to wear on her. It’s not written down anywhere.
“The biggest thing is that you got to be tough, because this is a dog-eat-dog world. And I’ve been chewed up, spit out so many times in the last few years that honestly, some of it made me want to stop. But I knew deep down that I wanted to keep going. So I just had to find that next layer of grit to be like, ‘What would Grandpa do?’ And I’d keep going.”
This season, she’s had more time than she wants to think about that.
Limited races. Fewer chances. A lot of watching instead of driving.
“It is tough. It is so hard, but I know deep down that I’m going to do it. And my situation has changed over the last couple of years where now I’m down to only a few races I’m going to make this year. And that’s not for a lack of effort. Let me tell you, I’m trying as hard as I can to be out there more.”
There’s no clean way to sit on the sidelines in this sport. You either admit it bothers you or you don’t.
“Yes, I’m jealous, but then again, I’m so excited for them. Maddi Gordon has become a good friend of mine. Jordan Vandergriff, I’ve been friends with him since the A/Fuel car… So for me to watch him pick up that first victory on Sunday, I was so proud. I know how hard he’s worked to get where he is now.”
That part lingers a little. It should.
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