YOUTHFUL DRIVERS RELISH BEING ON '30 UNDER 30' LIST

 

The sport of drag racing is full of bright young stars as evident by Drag Illustrated magazine’s inaugural ’30 Under 30’ list.

Topping the list in NHRA’s Pro classes were Top Fuel drivers Brittany Force and Leah Pritchett, along with Pro Stock standout Vincent Nobile.

Force, 28, finished a career-best seventh in the 2015 point standings as the driver of the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster for her father’s John Force Racing team. Force’s season was highlighted by two runner-up finishes and a No. 1 qualifying spot.

“It's such an honor to be mentioned in 30 under 30 recognizing my third season driving in Top Fuel,” Brittany said in a press release. “To be on a list with so many inspiring names and especially teammate Jon Schaffer proves John Force Racing has still got it. My team and I have worked incredibly hard and had our strongest finish in 2015. It feels great that our efforts over the past three seasons haven't gone unnoticed. The 30 Under 30 honor is something I am very proud of and only motivates me more going into next season.”

Schaffer, who is also 28, completed his first full season as crew chief for 16-time Funny Car champion John Force in November. Schaffer helped guide Force to two wins, two runner-up finishes and a seventh-place finish in the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car point standings.

“I am honored to be included on this list. I have had some great mentors and I want to thank all my crew guys and especially John Force for giving me the opportunity to be a crew chief at John Force Racing,” Schaffer said. “I have spent a lot of time in the shop learning from some of the best people in this sport and I want to continue to work hard, win races and championships.”

Pritchett, 27, had a solid 2015 season, finishing 14th in points while competing in a limited schedule for Dote Racing.

Nobile, 24, came on strong at the end of the season after joining the Elite Motorsports team, finishing sixth in the points. Nobile is joined on the list by his Elite Motorsports teammate Drew Skillman. Skillman, 27, was a rookie sensation in Pro Stock, finishing fifth in the points.

The rest of the list consists of Rickie Jones Jr., Megan Fessel-Schumacher, Troy Coughlin Jr., and Steven Whiteley. The Sportsman racing ranks are represented by Jonnie Lindberg, JP Gutierrez, Corey Michalek, Ashley Sanford, Mia Tedesco, Cameron Ferre, Justen Moser, Kirk Wolf, and PJ North. The PDRA, nostalgia and small-tire racing representatives are Lizzy Musi, Kyle Dvorak, Preston Tanner, Matt Sackman, Mark Savage, Jimmy Sackuvich,  Tyler Crossnoe, Daniel Pharris, Jared Johnston, Audrey Worm, Tera Wendland-Graves and Donovan Stott.

Coughlin Jr., 25, already has a NHRA divisional championship and several national and divisional victories in his young career. In 2015, he finished ninth in the NHRA Pro Mod standings and captured "Rookie of the Year" honors.

"It's a huge honor to be voted upon by your peers in that manner for a sport that I've held near and dear my whole life," Troy Jr. said in a press release. "To be brought into something like that is, I can't even really fathom it. I'm used to reading about this: I'm the kid at the fence who's the fan - and I'm still a fan. This is really big. It's kind of a surreal feeling, and it's something that will never leave me. I'm extremely honored to be a part of it. Special thanks to Drag Illustrated and Wes Buck."

Troy Jr. won the 2013 Division 3 Super Gas championship and has won the U.S. Nationals twice in his Sportsman career.

Troy Jr. is following in the footsteps of his accomplished father, Troy Coughlin Sr., the two-time Pro Mod champion. The Coughlins are one of drag racing's first families, with patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. establishing JEGS High Performance as the premier source for high-performance parts for racing enthusiasts around the world.

 

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