Jake Sanders went looking for a trailer. Somewhere along the way, he ended up with a Top Fuel dragster.
Now the longtime nitro crewman, fabricator and business owner is preparing to make his NHRA Top Fuel debut on drag racing’s biggest stage, the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Sanders will drive his own entry, named “The Menace,” a car previously campaigned by Dom and Bobby Lagana as the Nitro Ninja. The deal came together while Sanders was negotiating with the Laganas to purchase the Nitro Ninja trailer for his front-engine dragster.
There is another facet to the story. Sanders spent years working alongside Dom Lagana on the car, learning the operation from the crew side before eventually finding himself strapped into it.
“It’s a little wild. I got this car back from front-half and 26 days later was hitting the gas for the first time in Columbus. I always figured I’d get here but had no idea it would be right now,” Sanders said. “The goal is to go to Indy and make all five qualifying runs and just go up and down the racetrack. If I rip off a couple of 3.90s at 300 mph, it will be a win for me. I’d love to qualify and be a menace to the full-timers.
“You only get to do your first race once. What’s cooler than being able to say you did it at the U.S. Nationals?”
Sanders isn’t arriving at Indy without driving experience. He spent the past two seasons racing his outlaw front-engine dragster in Nitro Chaos, where the original Menace became a two-time winner at Texas Motorplex.
Going Top Fuel, however, brings another level of speed, expense and preparation. Sanders understands all three from years spent working on nitro cars.
His Snake Enterprises CNC machine shop has helped make the move possible. Sanders spends his days running the business before the shop essentially changes shifts after 5 p.m. and becomes a Top Fuel operation.
Apple Girl Art, 142 Speed Shop and Spell Paving have also stepped in to help Sanders reach Indianapolis. Much of the work still falls to Sanders and his wife, Katie.
“It takes a lot of inventory to do it right. We’re a small team. My wife, Katie, and I do all the prep and service work,” Sanders said. “It was important to me to be able to have the depth and quality of parts to come run and be a respectful opponent to the big teams at the biggest race of the year.
“I’d love to run a few more this year but will need to find a little help to keep the dream alive. The goal was Indy; we’ll see what happens after that.”
