This trio of father’s and their talented daughter’s competing in NHRA’s Super Comp class are as different as the car’s they drive.
Beginning with the Larson’s (Mark&Sherri) and their youngest daughter Amanda the path to her seat in the Super Comp as a competitor took the longest path. Mark’s path to the drag strip took him to the water at Green Lake in Seattle in a “Cracker box boat” his father and he put together. Realizing early on the wetness and at speed the water is real hard if you go in it out of the boat. Shifting to the pavement briefly in a 67 Camaro Mark crossed paths with a chance to get a front motor dragster. With numerous changes over the years to pretty much what the car is today Mark campaigned (at times quite successful) through the 80′ and into the 90’s, with wife Sherri and oldest daughter Nikki in tow. Amanda came along in 87′ putting a bit more emphasis on his right foot to be the best he could be. The racing winnings helped allot with two girls to bring up.
With Amanda turning 8 during the Winternationals, and Dad calling her from said “races” to wish her ‘Happy Birthday” all she wanted to know is if he went to the NHRA trailer to turn in her paperwork for her license. Jumping into a car owned by Dad’s friend Jim Ronan, Amanda began her Jr. Dragster days. Learning to build motor’s for the Jr. Amanda got a taste of what her hard work could do. Getting their own car in 1997 and running their built motor’s it did not take long for her talent to shine. Winning two championships in 2001(one for the track and one for the NWJDRA) Amanda was really hooked then. Building her own motor’s Amanda was at first a little leery about letting people know what she was doing until she seen how well it ran. The combination she put together took her to the age out in the Jr’s. Having now outgrown the Jr. it was sold to the Div.7 Director who has put his three daughters’ into, see a pattern here?
The jump into the Super Comp dragster was not an automatic. With many hours in the garage sitting in the car, going through the procedures of what it takes just to get to the pre-staged point. Then add the what if’s Mark thru at her to think about. Muscle memory plays a big part in racing and wanting Amanda to understand the workings of the car with the involvement in tearing it down and putting it back together helped prepare her for what the car is telling her on a run. With only limited seat time the first couple of years all the learning in the garage took time to transition.
With all the seat time now the “learning” in the garage is beginning to show as it has caught the attention of her competitor’s. Some honestly saying “she is a force to be reckoned with”.
Taking a similar but quite different path to Super Comp Jamie Drzayich’s start came in Jr Dragster classes. With her father Nick guiding, drawing on his own racing experience that began in 1961 with a Corvair of the same year in Ohio to the silver Cadillac here in Seattle he knew the feeling his children were having. Being 20yrs. removed from racing, the “Cad” brought the pure fun and family feeling to the outings at the track. A number of improvements to the 4000 plus pound Cadillac made racing it “pure fun”. Progressing thru a number of cars and even a “Pro Stocker” the “Cad” became the learning car for the kid’s. Mike and Adam taking the “cad” to Canada and returning with hardware while still in high school showed Nick what his car and the talent his kid’s had.
When her older brother’s were in the Jr. ranks Jamie was everywhere soaking up everything she seen and heard gaining the nickname “dirt magnet”. See she knew soon enough it would be her turn.
Older brother Adam had his own Jr. and Jamie and sister Amy shared one when it came their turn. Adam had the alcohol powered and the sister’s the slower. Soon becoming “if he can do it so can I” felt Jamie of her older brother’s. Seeing her brother’s go through the Cadillac’ 16 could not come fast enough. Now having a driver’s license she wanted her turn in the “Cad”. Knowing the power of the car Nick said “not so fast”. Let’s start out on one of the Wednesday night street drags and see how you do. Good thing! See the inside of the car is pretty much like it came out of the factory, and that includes a telescoping steering wheel that because of her firm grip and the hard launch it popped the lock and it expanded toward her. Not expecting that to happen but recovering quickly by half track dad had to tell her to lift to not exceed the ET limits of having a passenger in the car and no helmets. Dad knew after that she could handle it.
With older brother’s Mike and Adam getting the first “big dragsters” in the family the influence on Jamie became a lot stronger. Aging that “if they can do it, so can I” comes into play.
Dad now is driving a dragster having fun again after his time out of the seat of a race car. Now Jamie’s eye’s turned to the big seat. Watching everything her father was doing soaking it up as her turn was coming. With only a seat pad addition to the car, Jamie fit right in the car as this is the only change between her and her dad driving it besides the competition number.
With brother Adam letting her first drive his car for the first time, he snared his dad’s radios to talk her through the procedures knowing already from his time in the car what it would do. Soon these talks on the radio ended as she said “let my do this on my own”. It then became apparent of her talent behind the wheel.
Her seat time being limited due to her work and getting a new house, the time at the track is really 100% fun family time. No sense in going if you are not having fun say’s Jamie.
That brings us to the last of this trio, the Lea’s, Tory and Megan. Tory got his entrust in racing while still in high school. Racing everything his parent’s had until he got his Camaro he was hooked. A by chance dent in his door of the car brought him mind you while still in high school to Frank Nelson Sr. That’s right the father of our now Div.6 director. Frank took him under his wing as he did with another friend letting him work on the car and teaching him along the way. Spending so much time over there Tory’s mother would call making sure he was not becoming a bother. Said Frank “don’t worry we fed him and he will be home by 10 o’clock”. Frank became a very good teacher and kept me out of trouble say’s Tory. Building that bushes find car and racing under Frank’s guidance turned into a 13 second car he raced until the dragster came along. Buying a new Neal Parks car that he raced for 17 yrs. brought much fun and success. While at a race in Woodburn with daughter Carina the chance to get a new car came around. Having already spoke to another racer about his car this brought a dilemma. After gracefully backing out of that deal and looking at the car his friend was talking about on Sat. Sunday night it was his. Not following her sister Carina thru the Jr. Dragster program Megan had school on her mind first. With Bachelors in Communications and Advertising in hand looking for employment Megan had more opportunity’s to get seat time though not a lot it was still seat time.
In 38 yrs. of racing 2012 say’s Tory was his best ever. Megan learned to drive and the girls were quite involved in the racing. Listening to his girls on what they were saying plus changing his driving style a touch paid off quite successfully by winning the Pacific Northwest Super Comp Association’s season’s championship. Celebrating with daughter Carina, Megan had the dilemma. Remember WSU, the school sticker proudly rides on the front of the dragster; huge fans of that collage are both Tory and Megan. That dedication to the school took Megan to a game in Seattle and Carina with dad.
Having neck surgery this off season for Tory will give Megan most of the seat time in the car as no changes to the car are needed. Carina on the other hand will require some. Still in her infancy as far as seat time Megan has shown her father that she has the raw talent to handle the car though standing behind watching her Tory still tries to drive the car with body English. Seems to work as Megan makes pass after pass.
Good luck to all in the upcoming season to all and to their competitors “LOOKOUT” they are coming and hungry to “WIN”.
With the bright spring sunshine in their eyes, the classroom time could not go by fast enough for those high school drag racers. Then it was off to Pacific Raceways for an afternoon and evening of racing with girlfriends and other cohorts at the drag strip. More than 80 students from 26 different cities tested their skills on racing the track.
