way to start the season . We got lots of data . We learned a lot that week . I ’ m excited about the rest of the season now . Of course , anything can happen . You could have a good week and then have a bad week , but we just figured out a lot that I think helps set us up for the rest of the year .
The drag-and-drive format can present some frustrating challenges , but you and your group always seem to handle them well and have fun along the way . How important is it to you to be surrounded by your family and friends on these drives ?
If I wasn ’ t doing what I do with my family and my friends , it wouldn ’ t be as rewarding . You go home and you tell stories and I actually have all my people that were there with me and we can talk about those stories . But you go by yourself and then that stuff disappears because you don ’ t have anybody to even talk about it with .
But it ’ s hard sometimes during the week working with , say , me and my dad . We are both very passionate at what we do and we are very much alike . So , of course , we butt heads , but at the same time as soon as we do that , we ’ re like , “ OK , but how do we win ? How do we make this pass work ?”
I don ’ t have to question if somebody has malintent or any kind of negative intention with helping me . My dad , my sister and my mom and Nick being there , none of them are there for any benefit of their own . I don ’ t have to question that . And that ’ s something I realize not everybody has . We all can talk stuff out . We have the same train of thought , we have the same workflow , and having people that are actually on your page makes all the difference in the world . That ’ s what makes it possible . It ’ s a big part of it .
How did that win provide an early-season boost of motivation for the rest of the year ?
Because we built the car originally to run sixes , I hate having to say , “ Well , I ran sixes one time , but we ’ re going to run sixes again .” Now it ’ s like , “ Hey guys , we have a true 6-second street car .” I can tell our partners , “ Hey , we met our goals . We went out , we set these goals and we met them .”
I think it ’ s more of a mental thing . I ’ ve realized I ’ m a lot harder on myself . My dad ’ s a lot harder on himself . We ’ re just a lot harder on ourselves than the outside world is actually on us . I think it was big just for the internal confidence boost of being like , “ We set this goal , we met this goal .”
If we had gone out and had the same kind of season opener like we had the season before , it would ’ ve been like , “ Man , how long can you do this and it not work ?” Of course , people do it forever and stuff doesn ’ t always work . But you just need a morale booster every once in a while . You just need something to kickstart the positive energy again . OK , we did something , we fixed something , and it worked . You just need to see your hard work pay off every once in a while . And I think that ’ s what it did . DI
ANYONE WHO ’ S SPENT TIME IN THE TAYLOR PIT AREA AT DRAG-AND-DRIVE EVENTS
KNOWS NO ONE ELSE KNOWS THEIR WAY AROUND THE TWIN-TURBO ’ 55 CHEVY AND ITS SUPPORT TRAILER QUITE LIKE ALEX HERSELF .
100 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 181