CLOSE-UP

Shot by Kris Ledford of O . G . Media while Steven Little fielded his twin-turbo and nitrousinjected 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 at the War in the Woods No Prep race at Brown County Dragway in Indiana , 3-year-old Hadley proudly donned her favorite princess dress and backed her father up after his burnout with her mother , Lexi , overseeing just a few steps behind .

Under the hood of “ Tha Kraken ,” a stock bore 5.3-liter LS engine built by Steven with a complete Brian Tooley Racing rotating assembly , is boosted by a set of Forced Performance 7875 turbochargers and gets an extra jolt from the integrated Nitrous Express system . The old-school , back-halved , small tire Camaro utilizes a ladder bar-style suspension with 2JMFAB shocks at all four corners along with a Freakshow Performance 2-speed Powerglide transmission and torque converter .

It wasn ’ t the car that stole the show , though , as Hadley easily outshone her father simply by standing on her own two feet .

Walking without issue was a monumental occasion for Hadley , as the child had been plagued with intrauterine growth restriction ( IUGR ) and was born with severe bilateral club feet . Ironically , the day the photo was taken – June 3 , 2023 – was also World Clubfoot Awareness Day .

“ Hadley has been on the starting line since I was pregnant with her ,” shares Lexi , 27 . Lexi ’ s pregnancy coincided with the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the mother-to-be was met with all sorts of unprecedented challenges in addition to her child ’ s complex complications .

In addition to Hadley ’ s IUGR and club feet , Lexi suffered from several other issues which made for a high-risk pregnancy . Coupled with the fact that Steven , 32 , was not allowed in for any of the appointments due to the COVID-related restrictions , Lexi had to go through all of the stress on her own .

“ I was at the doctor ’ s or hospital three times a week getting transfusions , having check-ins , and making sure she [ Hadley ] was still alive ,” Lexi recounts of the trying times . “ She was born very early and that was traumatic , too , to where we weren ’ t sure she was alive during birthing .”

Fortunately , Hadley made it through and came to life happy and healthy – but it wasn ’ t clear if the newborn would ever walk on her own . Five days later , Hadley was asleep in her mother ’ s arms on the starting line as Steven – who has appeared on Street Outlaws : Fastest in America and has racked up some seriously impressive wins over the past three years – continued to chase his passion and promote his race parts distribution and consulting business , Kraken Race Supply .

After years of traveling hours from their home in Austin , Texas , to see specialists , multiple surgeries , extensive , physical therapy , and poor Hadley being in leg casts for the first nine months of her life , the sweet little girl has graduated to wearing braces only at night . While she still has years to go before the family will know if her condition will return , the fact that Hadley is now able to walk and play is one of the greatest gifts the Little family has ever received .

“ People get held back with excuses , but when it ’ s your child , you have no choice – you have to do whatever it takes ,” notes Lexi , who works both at the couple ’ s Premier Restoration water restoration company and as a life coach and encourages people to believe that it ’ s possible to overcome any limitation . Steven , too , agrees that the strategy is effective both in life and in racing .

After dealing with their daughter ’ s tumultuous journey , the Little family , which also includes two young sons , Hunter and Bradley , has taken a harrowing experience and turned it into a lesson of courage that extends far past their own involvement . No matter how dark a situation may seem , there ’ s always hope for a happy ending . And for a win light . DI

PHOTOGRAPH BY KRIS & TASHA LEDFORD OF O . G . MEDIA

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