BY KAYLA ZADEL | PHOTOGRAPH BY KAYLEE CURRAN

ICHOLE ELFF was drawn to drag racing , specifically the import scene , when she was in high school . Fast forward 20 years later , she ’ s made a name for herself in Xtreme Front Wheel Drive .

Elff purchased her first car after high school , an Acura Integra , to get her feet wet . “ I was one of the very few girls that were [ racing ] at that time ,” says the Ohio native .

When it came time for her to attend college in Indianapolis , Indiana , she got her second car , a Honda Civic , in 2005 after getting introduced to drag racing at the track . Since then , Elff has been the only female competing on a regular basis in XFWD . She won the 2021 World Cup Finals Import vs . Domestic and is the first woman to run 7 seconds in XFWD . Plus , Elff has the ninth fastest car in the world in the class .

“ I ’ m a sportsman racer that is partially pro ,” says Elff . “ I work a full-time job , so I ’ m doing all of this in addition to the marketing that I do for my business , trying to inspire women to pursue their passion , whether it be racing or something else .”

Elff has recently invested in her drag racing program by adding a new Precision 73.9mm Next Gen R turbo to her 1992 Honda Civic with a B18C engine .

“ I think that recognition of all the extra work I ’ m putting in to make my program successful would be really great ,” said Elff , referring to her inclusion in the Women of Power Issue . “ Then to recognize all of my partners that have been there have been supporting me because it takes a village to make a race car be as competitive as we are .”

Elff ’ s partners include Demon Motorsports LLC , Boston Scientific Corporation , Precision Turbo & Engine , Speedfactory Racing , 4 Piston Cylinder Heads , CP Carrillo , Driveshaft Shop , and Ramey Racing . Also , her husband , Damon Elff , has been an intricate part of Elff ’ s team as her support system and tuner .

“ I tap into a lot of great people that have , one , believed in a female being successful because not every male believes that a female can compete at the same level ,” explains Elff . “ I ’ ve had to fight a lot of those stereotypes .

“ A lot of times people ask me , ‘ Why are you doing this ?’ and I really kind of question , am I doing it for the right reasons ? Am I doing it because I love this sport ? I ’ m hoping by being that positive role model that more women will follow into the industry , and also that we can bring more fans ,” she said . “ I ’ ve seen that in engineering as well . Where we have female leaders , we attract more women and retain women in that portion of the function because they see the opportunity to advance .”

Elff has a Biomedical Engineering degree and works as a Materials Engineering Manager at Boston Scientific . She runs a global Women in STEM organization ( SWE-BSC ) within her company to advance and inspire women in STEM . Additionally , as the past president of her local SWE section , Elff recruits diverse talent through the co-op program she leads . The coop program had been nominated for the 2023 Indiana IMPACT Employer of the Year award .

Furthermore , Elff proves her power overlaps between drag racing and her career . She has been awarded the Manufacturing Institute Step Ahead Honoree award and the WE Local Elite award for her work in advancing women in engineering .

“ They see that women are successful in this [ engineering ] role and that people surrounding them see the value of women in that role ,” she says .

Elff was the only female to compete in the inaugural Xtreme Front Wheel Drive Challenge at the 2023 Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod . However , she ’ s happy to have been an inspiration in XFWD and has inspired two women that are getting ready to enter the class this year .

“ One thing I love about drag racing is we cheer each other on , even if we ’ re racing against each other ,” says Elff . “ I think that ’ s what we need to move the needle and get more women interested in racing from a spectator standpoint and a competitive standpoint .”

Not only is Elff pioneering her way into the history books , but her mission is to inspire more women and girls along the way .

“ It ’ s like , you know what , I ’ m super excited that you ’ re here because by being more than just one female , we ’ re showing all those girls and all the women that are wives to some of the racers here , you can compete just like us .” DI

114 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 181