Eily Stafford will step into one of drag racing’s most volatile machines this weekend when she makes her AA/Funny Car debut at the Bakersfield March Meet at Famoso Dragstrip. In doing so, she will become one of the few women in recent years to command a Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car on one of the sport’s most revered stages.
The debut will come behind the wheel of the iconic California Hustler, a car with deep roots in West Coast nitro history. It will also mark the culmination of more than two decades of preparation for Stafford, who has methodically climbed through the Heritage Series ranks.
The March Meet annually serves as a proving ground for nostalgia competitors. For Stafford, it will represent both opportunity and examination.
“Honestly, you always have those jitters, but getting in the car for the first time last weekend, it felt right,” Stafford said. “I can’t even describe it. I was so excited and I put so much prep into the last few months, that I was ready for it.”
Her transition to a closed-body AA/Funny Car will follow four years in a blown alcohol altered competing in a 7.60 class. While the elapsed times and speeds will differ, the foundation she built in that 125-inch wheelbase car figures to carry forward.
“The last four years driving that blown alcohol altered. I know it was in a 760 class and obviously it’s a different ET and a different speed, but it was still a 125-inch wheel base,” Stafford said. “I think I learned so much from driving that car that I was really able to apply it to not only the Funny Car, but also stepping into the few altered rinks in 2022.”
Nostalgia Funny Cars present a different sensory experience from open-wheeled machines. When the fiberglass body drops and the starter motions the car forward, the cockpit environment changes instantly.
“But I don’t think there’s anything cooler when that body comes down, when they start you on the starting line, that Funny Car body comes out,” Stafford said. “It is so cool. There is nothing that compares to it.”
The confined nature of a Funny Car challenges even seasoned drivers. Stafford said she does not anticipate that aspect becoming an obstacle.
“It is, but thankfully I’ve never been that way, so I feel really comfortable inside,” she said. “It’s such a nice car. It’s probably one of the most comfortable cars I’ve ever driven.”
Comfort, however, will not eliminate responsibility. The difference between testing and eliminations at the March Meet will be more than symbolic.
“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Stafford said when asked about the distinction. “I know, every run I make, I’m going to get more comfortable in the car. So, I’m just going to go run by run, and we’re just going to see how the March Meet goes, and I’m excited to see where the season takes us.”
Preparation has extended beyond seat time. Stafford said she has rehearsed procedures and potential emergencies long before strapping into the car for competition.
“A lot,” she said when asked how often she runs scenarios in her mind. “You have to practice those too, and especially once I was able to get in the car and strapped it, I closed my eyes and you want to make sure that you know where everything’s at in case something ever happens and you get oil on your visor or anything like that.”
The opportunity materialized in December. From that moment forward, she said, the mental repetitions became routine.
“So definitely, when I got this opportunity in December, I started doing those runs in my head every single morning,” Stafford said.
Her husband, James Day, who has competed in the Nostalgia Funny Car class, has played a central role in her transition. Stafford credited him with accelerating her learning curve and reinforcing her confidence.
“Oh, there’s no jealousy,” she said. “He’s always been so supportive, especially over the last few years stepping into the nitro ranks.”
Day’s experience in nitro racing provides practical guidance on everything from pedal timing to decision-making at different points on the racetrack. Stafford said that mentorship will continue as she navigates her first March Meet in an AA/Funny Car.
“I mean, he taught me how to drive a nitro car and he’s done such a good job, and he’s been so helpful,” Stafford said. “Even just teaching me how to drive and then all of the questions that I have, putting myself in scenarios. What happens if I need to pedal it on the starring line versus 800 feet down track? He’s made so many laps. He’s so talented. I’m not just saying that because he’s my husband, but he has been nothing but supportive.”
Her arrival in AA/Funny Car will also carry broader significance. Women have appeared in the class before, but not consistently in recent seasons.
“Oh, that’s a good question,” Stafford said when asked what she brings to the class. “Gosh, I don’t know. I’m really excited. Hopefully we can bring some excitement to the fans to have another female in the class again.”
She pointed to the absence of a regular female presence in recent years. Visibility, she said, remains important.
“I think it’s been a while. I want to say it’s been since 2012 or 2013 since we had a female in the class,” Stafford said. “So it’ll be cool to get that girl power back in there for the wives and the girlfriends and the young ladies that are out of the track. So that’ll be exciting.”
Stafford’s career path has been incremental rather than abrupt. She has worked through the Heritage Series ladder, earning opportunities through performance and persistence.
The Bakersfield March Meet will provide the appropriate backdrop for that next step. Tradition and expectation will meet at Famoso, and newcomers are typically measured quickly.
When asked what she anticipates the moment the engine fires for her first qualifying pass, Stafford returned to preparation.
“I’m just going to just keep on doing what I’ve been practicing over the last few months, especially over the last eight weeks or so, and just go through my whole entire procedure like I’ve been practicing every morning and enjoy the moment because this is something that I’ve been looking forward to the past 22 years of my career,” she said. “So I’m definitely going to enjoy the moment, that’s for sure.”
The long-term dream extends beyond nostalgia competition. Driving a professional-level nitro car has remained the objective since childhood.
“That’s always been the dream,” Stafford said. “Ever since I went to my first Drag Race when I was 12 years old, it would be a dream to drive a pro car, but to have a full-time nitro ride is so exciting. I’m just over the moon.”
For now, the focus will remain on the March Meet. When the body drops and the engine fires at Famoso, Stafford will step into the moment she has envisioned daily since December — and, in her words, a career she has been preparing for 22 years.
