Edwards’ parents introduced her to racing at a young age when they went as a family to spectate. That was all it took for the starry-eyed young girl. She was hooked.“ When I was a kid I wanted to try everything, but it would last like a week,” she storied.“ So [ my parents ] figured I would outgrow this racing thing. But I didn’ t. Every year on my Christmas list would be something to do with racing, like a fire suit, even though I couldn’ t use it without a car. I just wanted some part of the sport, somehow. The deal was I had to graduate high school. I finished with great grades, graduated in June of 2010. That July I was allowed to attend Frank Hawley’ s Drag Racing School. Up until then, I’ d only been a spectator. I’ d never sat in a car, never started a car, never even stepped on the track to realize it’ s sticky when you get out there.”

None of the Edwards family had more than general spectator knowledge of the sport. So when they decided to jump in feet-first with a Top Dragster, they were all in for a big learning curve.“ After I completed Hawley’ s course I went out and purchased my own Top Dragster,” the Connecticut native continued.“ I bracket raced for four years in Atco, New Jersey. I never raced anywhere else. We would go out once a month when we could. That was it.

“ I don’ t come from a racing family. Starting this was a learning curve for everybody involved; my mom, my dad, and my boyfriend. My dad is very mechanical. My boyfriend is, too, and is great with the electronic aspect, but they had never really worked on this motor or a dragster before, nor understood the game we were trying to play. I didn’ t really even understand bracket racing until I finished my fourth year. I finally got the hang of it then.”

By last October, Sarah and her family were truly getting a feel for bracket racing, and although she hadn’ t won a race, she went to the quarter-finals and semi-finals of two events held in the same day. The Edwards family was elated. But they could never have guessed that things were about to drastically change.

“ We finished last season so strong and were excited for the next year,” Sarah continued.“ A week and a half later I am putting Halloween decorations out in my yard and my phone buzzes and I look at it and it’ s a message from Al Hanna. It was a shock. Come to find out their driver, Jill [ Canuso ], of eight years had resigned and they were in search of a new driver. My name had come to them from a couple of people, so Al got in contact with me. We took a phone call and then a few days later we all met, my family included. Then we tested the car four weekends in a row, I signed a contract, and I’ m the driver of the Queen of Diamonds.”

In the blink of an eye, Edwards went from a novice driver finally getting the hang of bracket racing, to a star exhibition driver piloting a jet dragster. Some things in life are just meant to be.“ I saw the Queen of Diamonds dragster the first time I visited a track. When I was about 12 my parents took me to Englishtown for a Night of Thrills event. The Queen of Diamonds was there, naturally. The driver was a really young female, Jessie Harris, with long blonde hair, young and energetic. I saw her and said,‘ That’ s what I want to do one day!’ It’ s really amazing that how it all came full circle. It’ s truly an honor that I was asked to be their driver. We really had a phenomenal season. It’ s been a whirlwind.”

Fittingly, Edwards dream-come-true story hit a pinnacle when, on July 20th of this year, she returned to Englishtown’ s Night of Thrills event, this time piloting the new sidecar configured Queen of Diamonds dragster that made her passion first come alive. And just like her role model from over a decade ago, Edwards is an inspiration to the next generation of race fans.

“ I love, love, love kids,” she emphasized.“ With my first dragster I was insistent on getting them as close to the dragster as they wanted to be. If they showed any bit of interest looking into the cockpit, that was it. I would get the OK from the mom and dad and put them in the car. Once I caught the fever when I was young, I would walk around those pits and would hover by the car hoping somebody would let me sit in one. With the jet car it’ s a little different. It’ s a more formal program and it’ s a bigger machine, so we can’ t put kids in the car, but I still absolutely make the time to talk to everybody. It’ s never just sign a hero card and brush it off. I love to talk to them, answer questions, take pictures. I really try to make sure everybody that comes to us has that one-on-one special experience, because that’ s what you take home with you. I love what Wes [ Buck ] said one time about never putting a car on the cover of Drag Illustrated, because you

84 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 115