LIGHTS OUT VIII
PRESENTED BY
Not Alone
JOE ALBRECHT
“I have to thank Eddie [Whel-
an] and Al-Lee Motorsports,
because none of this would have
been possible without him,”
exclaims Albrecht, who also re-
ceives support from New England
Race Fuels, B&J Transmissions,
ASI Raceware, Red Line Oil,
and SK Speed.
The aftermath of the race
has kept the celebrations going,
as Albrecht is now a certified,
Duck-approved, radial-tire rock
star. “It’s crazy. You get a new level
of respect from people who never
looked at you twice before. I got
like six-hundred friend requests; I
can only imagine what the Street
Outlaws guys go through on a
daily basis!” Albrecht declares of
his newfound stardom, which also
included countless text messages,
phone calls, and well-wishers
stopping by his shop. “It’s awe-
some because I get to hold on to
it for a little longer. In this sport,
you’re only as good as your last
race, and that’s the worst thing
about it. You go from ‘you’re the
man!’ to ‘you’re the chump going
home;’ instant gratification to
instant devastation.”
The motivation to stay on top
means that most of Albrecht’s
winnings will be reinvested
straight into his racing operations.
“You gotta’ use it to feed the ad-
diction. It costs a lot of money to
keep rollin’ and stay competitive,”
keepin’ on, and work hard.”
However, he also expresses con-
cern that too many young racers
seem preoccupied with how many
online “likes” they can receive, and
while he recognizes social media
can play a major role in obtaining
and maintaining helpful spon-
sorships, he also emphasizes the
importance of simply developing
the skills to be a good driver,
“You gotta use [the prize money] to feed
the addiction. It costs a lot of money to
keep rollin’ and stay competitive.”
Albrecht bluntly states. “We’re
always trying something new, so
that means we’re always replacing
something.”
Albrecht hopes his commitment
to his racing program and his
unrelenting pursuit of success is
inspirational to other racers, too.
“I want to give hope to the other
guys out there who don’t think it
can happen for them. Just keep on
tuner, or whatever else is required.
He claims “racers are worried
about what they look like instead
of winning races,” and suggests
they should concentrate more on
being at the track than on social
media. “Put in the hard work and
be the person you say you are,”
he says, providing sage advice to
those wondering how he was able
to achieve so much in such a short
period of time.
After initially being unsure
about how his radial tire rac-
ing endeavors would pan out,
Albrecht is now moving forward
at full speed. He’s got a busy 2017
schedule planned, with stops at
many of the biggest stand-alone
radial races on his calendar.
“Eddie loves to race, and I love to
race, so it’s a great combination.
It’s possible we might dabble in
Outlaw 10.5 because it’s close to
home, but we’ll definitely be at
Petey Smallblock’s TakeDown
race, the Yellow Bullet Nation-
als, and Duck’s race in October,”
he confirms.
In just one year, a young,
hands-on builder and fabricator
who can walk the walk just as well
as he talks the talk has gone from
knowing practically nothing about
radial racing or blower cars to
being one of the best in the world.
Albrecht never dreamt he’d drive
at the top level, let alone win, but
his hard work and a never-quit at-
titude has propelled him to a level
that is now undeniably real.
DI DI DI
DI DI DI DI
DI DI DI
64 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 119
A mass of team members and supporters joined Albrecht in the winner’s
circle celebration after he earned the biggest win of his racing career
so far. Team owner Eddie Whalen, tuner Jon Salemi and the Al-Lee
Motorsports crew piled in for a photo and their share of the glory,
rightfully earned after a grueling week in South Georgia.