Drag Illustrated Issue 139, December 2018 | Page 98
30 UNDER 30 · 2018
MADYSON
AYESH
DI DI DI DI
DI DI DI
JIMMY
PLIMPTON JR.
■ IN A SPORT where so many are laser-focused on their own success,
Jimmy Plimpton Jr., 26, is like a refreshing breath of air as the young
man is completely dedicated to putting the needs of others before his own.
Living in Minnesota by way of Wisconsin, Plimpton’s father, Jim Sr.,
raised him to be considerate of others and to be a positive influence on
the world. When Plimpton was in his early teens, the two built a car for
HOT ROD’s Pump Gas Drags. Later, when Plimpton was in high school,
they acquired a ’79 Ford Fairmont (from a priest, nonetheless) with no
intention of it being a race car, but that plan quickly went by the wayside.
Racing locally in True Street-style events, Plimpton soon graduated
to grudge races and went from the index circuit to heads-up outlaw
racing. Now, the Authentic Automotive-backed Fairmont – which is
known as the “Fearmont” and is a mainstay in the X275 world – features
a nitrous-huffing 588 ci big block Ford engine from BES Racing, RPM
three-speed transmission, Neal Chance converter, and Menscer Motor-
sports shocks. To date, Plimpton has run a personal best eighth-mile
time of 4.41 at 161 mph with an impressive 1.07-second short time and
set several track records along the way.
During his decade of driving and being hired on to help set up other
racers’ chassis, Plimpton has learned a lot, but his attitude of wanting
to do right by his community has never changed. A graduate of the Mil-
waukee School of Engineering, Plimpton even spent a summer interning
at Menscer. He regularly watches motivational videos to put him in the
right frame of mind for achieving success while lifting up others along
the way, and focuses on the family aspect of racing. For him, wanting to
see others succeed and to be a part of something bigger is what drives
the young man.
Thinking ahead, he plans to open his own business, Plimpton Inno-
vations (Pi) to build sensors and make parts more affordable for racers.
Drawing from his engineering education and racing experience, Plimpton
wants to elevate the industry and give back to the sport that has created
who he is by donating a portion of each sale.
With a quiet maturity and wisdom well beyond his years, Plimpton
has embraced the fact that there’s always a lesson to be learned in any
success or failure, and that in itself is always a win. – A I N S L E Y JACO DI
B S DI DI
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98 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 139
■ MADYSON AYESH was in high school and she didn’t like the path she
was on. One trip to the drag strip seven years ago changed that.
Ayesh made a trip to Kansas International Dragway with her parents
in 2011, soon started working in the concession stand at the Wichita,
Kansas, facility and has been passionate about the sport ever since. She
moved from the concession stand to the sales and marketing manager
position and was named the track manager in 2015. As of November,
Ayesh is now the CEO at the track at just 24 years old.
“I loved racing so much and it saved my life when I was 18,” Ayesh says.
“Being able to get involved at the track, I’ve been able to devote my life
to it and it’s been great. I eat, sleep, and breathe drag racing.”
That much has been evident in Ayesh’s rapid progression at Kansas
International Dragway, with her passion and enthusiasm shining through
in every conceivable way.
As track manager, she was never afraid to think outside the box, start-
ing the RIOT (race it on the track) program to help curb the big street
racing problem in Wichita, including a number of other initiatives – like
midnight grudge racing events – that have breathed life and interest
into the track. As CEO, Ayesh now talks about doing whatever she can
to “make drag racing fun again.”
That’s the next direction she plans to take at the track, again working
nonstop to make the facility a fun and family-friendly destination.
“Drag racing absolutely isn’t just a sport,” Ayesh believes. “These racers
put their whole lives in it, and put so much time and money into it, and
they need a track that recognizes that. When they come to the track, I
want to give them an experience. I want to make it feel like Disneyland
when they go to the track. When I see people laugh and smile at the
track, that’s what I live for. They’re going to have fun and I feel like big
things are going to happen.” – J O S H H AC H DI
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