Leah Pritchett has got some serious talent behind the wheel of her NHRA Top Fuel Dragster. In this Hoonigan video from a few years back, we get an inside look at the steps taken by the racer and her Don Schmacher Racing team as they prepare a 11,000-HP drag car to lay down an insane record-breaking run!
The video awesomely provides a detailed, up-close look at what these crews are doing to get these insane cars ready for racing. It shows everything from gearing up, setting up communication with the driver, making sure the car is running properly, and getting those tires nice and clean for a run down the track. It's intense, and it really makes you feel like you're part of the team for a little bit.
It also includes Pritchett's POV as she makes her high-speed pass. She reaches scary fast speeds in a matter of a couple seconds. She's no rookie to the drivers seat of these Top Fuel cars, so let's take a more in depth look at what she's accomplished during her motorsports career so far.
Leah Pritchett NHRA Career
Born in Redlands, California, Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett is an American drag racer who currently drives for Don Schumacher Racing. She worked under Bob Vandergriff Racing until the company was shut down in 2016. That didn't stop this drag racing phenom, though, because also in 2016, she gained her first NHRA national event career win as a professional when she took down Brittany Force at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Arizona.
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In 2018, Pritchett won the NHRA SAMTech Factory Stock Showdown championship. It was Don Schumacher's first year racing his cars in this class, and Pritchett brought home the first series championship. Not only that, but she's the only female champion in the history of this class.
Even before the big-time accolades, Pritchett made a name for herself back in 2010, when she won the Nostalgia Funny Car title in the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage series. Throughout her career, she's earned 11 event wins, with eight of those coming from Top Fuel and the remaining three from Pro Mod. Now, she also claims the title for the fastest E.T. of 3.631 seconds at a high speed of 334.15 MPH!
There's not many people that can handle this type of racing. Think about the amount of Gs that these cars and drivers endure. It's no joke, but the Leah Pritchett thrives in this environment. The badass racer has even more great racing ahead of her, and we can't wait to see more from her in the future.
This post was originally published on May 12, 2020.
