JOANNA IACOBELLI may have not been down the track as much as she ’ s wanted in the past two seasons in her ’ 18 Ford Mustang

Coyote , but she ’ s learned a great deal about herself in the process .

Iacobelli has also made sure to focus and enjoy the journey , one that has helped make her a popular driver on social media . She has nearly 30,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 20,000 subscribers on You- Tube , giving Iacobelli further credence that it ’ s not always about the destination . Her fans have enjoyed the ups and downs of her journey , helping Iacobelli appreciate the road she ’ s traveled .

“ Looking back , all of this led me to where I want to be ,” says Iacobelli , a content creator for Ford Performance . “ I ’ ve been able to make my own name in the industry and I ’ ve been able to focus on the good . I ’ ve got great relationships with my family , with my husband and I ’ m glad to be where I ’ m at . It ’ s been kind of surreal .”

Iacobelli has dealt with a variety of transmission issues with her Mustang in recent seasons , but she ’ s forged ahead . Her passion for Mustangs hasn ’ t changed , either , following along in her parent ’ s footsteps . They met in their Mustangs in the late ‘ 80s and her father opened his first Ford Performance shop in 1990 .

Iacobelli has been at the track since she was 2 years old , and her first car love has always been a Mustang . She met her husband at a car show – reminiscent of how her parents met – and it ’ s been a racing predominant marriage .

Her blue Whipple Mustang has been popular on social media and she ’ s been in the 8.60s in it , showing major performance gains after it was running 10.00s when she first purchased it .

After being part of Mustang Week this year and making a handful of solid runs in 2021 , Iacobelli also has big hopes for next year and into the future .

“ I would like to see the car go in the 8.30s or 8.40s next year , and 7.00s would be the goal at some point . But I also don ’ t want to turn it into a car where I can ’ t drive it on the street ,” Iacobelli adds . “ The time we were able to get in the car this year was great and I definitely had a better mindset this year , so hopefully we can have a great 2022 and get into the 8.30s .” – JOSH HACHAT DI

THE RECENTLY crowned Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Dragster national champion has an interesting story in that he hadn ’ t won a race until this year . Once second-generation racer Blake Peavler did win , though , the wheels were set in motion for not only additional victories , but also the first NHRA world title for the family .

For his efforts , Peavler claimed his position as one of Drag IllustrateD ’ s illustrious 30 Under 30 .

“ There are so many good names that have been on this list , so it ’ s incredible and humbling to even be thought about for this ,” he admits . “ I never dreamed I ’ d be here , but we ’ ve had a pretty good year so far . This is definitely awesome .”

Peavler comes from good racing stock ; his father , Al Peavler , is a threetime NHRA North Central Division Top Dragster champion .

“ My dad has always raced , but he sold his car to raise us kids when we were little ,” explains Peavler , 28 . “ When I was about 10 , he got a race car again and ran local bracket races for years , then he built a dragster and starting running JEGS Super Quick and a little bit of Top Dragster . It was an easy decision for me , once I started racing . He was already at the division races , and I like to go fast .”

Now competing in his third season of Top Dragster , the younger Peavler was 18 when he first started bracket racing a dragster at a casual pace . For nearly a decade , he was a part-time competitor – mostly at the division level – until 2019 when he stepped into Top Dragster and ran a full schedule .

The next season , Peavler upgraded to a new dragster and installed a ProCharged engine , and , he says , “ the car has been phenomenal . We got all the bugs ironed out in 2020 , got the tune-ups , and this year it all came together . It ’ s been deadly consistent .”

Peavler ’ s triumphs in 2021 have included division wins in Indianapolis and St . Louis , as well as his first national event trophy in Columbus at the NHRA JEGS SPORTSnationals .

“ That big national event Wally is definitely my proudest achievement so far ,” says Peavler . “ I would like to run Top Sportsman , but I ’ m going to continue running Top Dragster as long as we can . I really enjoy this class .” – KELLY WADE DI

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEX OWENS

94 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 172