30 UNDER 30
PHOTOS: RICK BELDEN, DI ARCHIVES
JAMIE
HANCOCK
At just 17 years old, Jamie Hancock became the youngest-ever champion of a major, touring drag racing series when he won the 2007 ADRL Pro Nitrous world title. Fast-forward seven years to Hancock and his father and crew chief, James Hancock III, being the first to convert a full-on, tube-chassis Pro Mod to drag radial use and going on to win Donald Long’ s No Mercy 5 with the same nitrous-boosted 2004 Corvette and forever altering the radial racing landscape.
“ After the ADRL championship we had been running mostly local stuff, but that win really opened our profile up, especially in the drag radial world,” the Opelika, Alabama, native says.“ We actually won several races that year( 2014) and set a few records, so that was actually a pretty good time.”
Now driving a nitrous-huffing’ 68 Firebird, also converted from Pro Mod configuration that made its radial debut at Bradenton( FL) this January, Hancock earned his first win with it at Shadyside Dragway( NC) in April, and then went on to double up as champion of Huntsville Dragway’ s spring and fall Radial Fest races, after finishing runner-up in six previous, consecutive attempts.
In the meantime, Hancock, now 28, graduated as a machinist from Southern Union College in 2011, the same year he married longtime sweetheart Sydney, and this year became a two-time father when she gave birth in October to baby girl Jennings, joining big sister Julie Anne, born a little over a year earlier.
Now employed as sales manager for ASA Performance in Columbus, Georgia, Hancock plans to continue racing the Firebird in 2018, alongside the unique’ 68 Falcon Ultra Street entry campaigned by ASA owner Shaun Arnold.“ It works out great because we both love to go racing on the weekends and I think it gives us a lot of insight and credibility with our customers,” Hancock says.“ Between that and my family at home, things are going really good right now.” – IAN TOCHER DI
30 UNDER 30
TANNER GRAY
The youth movement has arrived in NHRA Pro Stock. As we see beloved veterans such as V. Gaines, Larry Morgan, and 2012 class champion Allen Johnson either retire or drastically reduce the number of races in which they participate, young drivers such as Alex Laughlin, Drew Skillman, and newly crowned NHRA Road to the Future award winner Tanner Gray make their presence known in a big way.
Gray, the son of Pro Stock standout Shane Gray and grandson of former Pro Stock and Funny Car veteran Johnny Gray, burst onto the scene in 2017 with five Wallys and very nearly a class title. All the more impressive is the fact the Mooresville, North Carolina, resident is barely old enough to vote.
“ It means a lot because I don’ t think a lot of people who come right out of the box maybe get the recognition that we’ ve gotten this year and the success we’ ve had,” Gray says of being named to the DI 30 Under 30 list.“ It’ s pretty special to me. To have Rookie of the Year on top of that, it’ s pretty special.”
The heir apparent to the family business, the Grays are a close-knit unit. Their bond was on display at this year’ s US Nationals when, for the first time in NHRA history, three generations – Johnny, Shane, and Tanner – all raced the same class at the same event. Tanner further cemented the Gray legacy when he won earlier this year at Las Vegas, becoming the first third-generation racer to earn a victory in the same class as his father and grandfather. Along with his win at zMAX Dragway in September,
Vegas is one of the highlights of an incredible rookie year.
“ Those were two pretty special things to me just because to go out there and win the first race of the Countdown and put yourself in the position to win the championship is pretty big,” he says.“ Especially with all the pressure that comes along with that is pretty significant. That was pretty cool. And my family was at both of those events, so that made it even more special.”
As one of the top prospects in a class struggling through challenges, including small fields and being on the receiving end of far less media attention than the two nitro classes, Tanner was happy to hear NHRA reverse its course on shortening the field to eight cars at select races in 2018.
For a family who made its bones in Pro Stock, the Grays’ support is important to the survival of the maligned class. The 19-year-old said there are hurdles to overcome, but NHRA’ s premier doorslammer class is looking good.
“ I think only time will tell,” Gray says.“ I definitely think it’ s one of the most competitive classes out there. Nine different winners this year which was more than any of the other classes and the racing out there is so tough. It’ s all so close.
A solid title contender in his rookie season, Gray has no plans to leave Pro Stock, at least not without a title for his team. One thing is certain, however; if Grandpa has any say, Tanner isn’ t going to graduate to nitro anytime soon.
“ Definitely not by his choice, I can tell you that much,” Tanner reveals.“ I’ m just going to focus on what I’ m doing and try to get everybody over a championship on the Pro Stock side and we’ ll see what happens from there.” – BRANDON W. MUDD DI
November 2017 DragIllustrated. com | Drag Illustrated | 87