Drag Illustrated Issue 139, December 2018 | Page 112
30 UNDER 30 · 2018
ANDY
SCHMALL
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ASHLEY
PRITCHETT
■ THE ONES WHO STRAP on helmets for each run are often the first to
receive recognition, but it’s remiss to think of drag racing accomplish-
ments only in terms of drivers. Ashley Pritchett, 24, has taken a path
not ventured by many women in the industry and, through her journey,
has successfully turned tragedy into triumph.
Her father, Tom Neubert, raced on and off during her younger years,
but when Ashley’s mom passed away unexpectedly in 2002, Pritchett and
her father funneled their grief into a passion for racing. When her father
had an opportunity to run Roger Sellers’ SoffSeal ’57 Chevy, Pritchett
noticed a need for a 4.70 index series. She soon took matters into her own
hands, and, in 2014, Quick Outlaws was born in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Since then, Pritchett has expanded the series, which now extends from
Alabama to Ohio.
“I’m so thankful for the opportunity and to both my dad and Roger,
as well as the support from the racers that have helped me get to where
I am now,” Pritchett says. “The biggest reward to me personally is the
friendships I’ve made over the years.”
Pritchett also recognized her husband, Kole, and sister, Haley, for their
contributions both to her personally and to the series.
Pritchett is no stranger to overcoming difficulty. She was born deaf
and has had a series of cochlear implants over the course of 23 years.
She’s met head-on the various challenges associated with promoting a
series – securing tracks and sponsors, keeping racers happy, growing the
series and scheduling and running successful events.
While she does hope to end up in the driver’s seat one day, Pritchett is
content with her current roles of series promoter, working at Knoxville
Dragway and serving as crew chief for her father. – L I SA CO L L I DI
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I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 139
■ IN THE CUTTHROAT WORLD of bracket racing, Andy Schmall, 28, is a
rising star. Growing up in Minnesota, Schmall’s father, Joe, piqued his
interest in racing and his mother, Patti, supported his efforts. Schmall
actually won at his very first race back in ’99; From racing a rented Jr.
Dragster at eight years old to acquiring his own a year later, Schmall
moved into full-sized door cars at 16.
Starting with this father’s ’69 Plymouth Fury, Schmall had some success
and won a few events locally. His brother, Brandon, also races, so the
family purchased a Chevy Vega for the men to share. With it, Schmall
won the NHRA Division 5 ET Finals in Pro and went on to compete in
Pomona, California, in 2007. He earned a return trip the following year
to race once more, but was unable to seal the deal. In 2012, Schmall won
both the Pro and Super Pro points championship at Cedar Falls Raceway
in Iowa and picked up several wins throughout the season, each adding
a few thousand bucks to the bank. After graduating from the University
of Minnesota in 2013, Schmall moved to Idaho for a government job as
a nuclear engineer then won the Pro and Super Pro points titles at Lost
Creek Raceway in Montana.
Now, with his and his wife’s two-car stable consisting of their tube
chassis ’88 Chevy Beretta and a back-half ’72 Chevy Nova – both with
similar big-block Chevy combinations – Schmall is proving he can go all
the way in bottom bulb bracket racing. With his Beretta in 2018, Schmall
won Pro 38 of the Spring Fling Million in Las Vegas twice for $24K, the
Firecracker Bracket Nationals at Byron Dragway for $30K, and a $5K
race in Salt Lake City where he raced himself in the final.
Over the years, Schmall’s mentality has changed from focusing purely
on win lights to instead enjoying time spent with good friends and family
at the track and making memories to celebrate. Between working full
time and helping run his family’s performance wiring business, Fastronix
Solutions, it’s impressive that Schmall finds time to race and maintain
his small fleet.
Schmall’s life simply revolves around racing, though, and he even met
his wife, Jamie, at the track. The couple recently had a daughter, Rylee,
and while Schmall is open to change, he hopes to stick to the big-money
bracket racing scene for the foreseeable future. – A I N S L E Y JACO DI
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