NICOLE LIBERTY

632 at a number of other tracks . What ’ s it like having that kind of flexibility ?

I really love it . When we first built this car , I was very new into heads-up racing . I raced Jr . Dragsters and bracket raced since I was 16 . Being new in heads-up , I didn ’ t realize all the different rules and things you have to factor in when building a car . Thankfully , my dad [ Craig Liberty ] has enough experience with it . He knew what we were doing . It is nice that you can jump from sanction to sanction . For us , it ’ s just a matter of weight changes . Everything else in the car is legal in every other sanction that is built around the 632 type of class .

Some people see the Outlaw 632 class as a stepping stone to maybe Mountain Motor Pro Stock or Pro Nitrous . Is there another step beyond this class that you ’ re looking at down the road ?

We haven ’ t really talked about it . We do feel that the 632 class is growing and as long as it continues to grow , we see a benefit in staying in it . The biggest factor in what class we pick to race is it has to do with our business and where it might look best for us to show up , even just for our customers ’ sake . We go out to the track and our customers will come over needing help and we ’ ll go help them at their pit . It ’ s not just a hobby for us . As along as 632 continues to grow , we ’ ll be in that class .

I could see us wanting to go to Mountain Motor at some point just because that ’ s a favorite class for me and my dad because we enjoy it . I could see us hopping over there , but I don ’ t think it ’ s going to be anytime within the next year or two .

You ’ re very involved in different sides of the business at Liberty ’ s Gears . What are the challenges or the projects you enjoy taking on the most ?

I actually really enjoy problem solving . We had a customer who had an issue with getting snap rings in our trans to live , so we designed heavy duty hubs that lock the snap rings in , just to get the transmission to live longer . Any problem solving like that , that ’ s what I really enjoy . The projects from scratch are fun too , but I like being

able to see a result from “ This is our problem , how do we fix it ?”

As a young person in the industry not only as a racer but also a manufacturer , what excites you about being a part of the next generation that will help carry the industry into the next 15-20 years ?

What ’ s most exciting for me is this is my normal

daily life . I don ’ t look at it as anything special because it ’ s just what I grew up around . But if you step back and look at the bigger picture , it impacts what could be the future of racing . If we don ’ t continue to develop better products , you ’ re not helping the industry grow . That ’ s the most exciting part . Even though it ’ s my normal daily life , every little bit of progress that we make impacts the industry . DI

34 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 168