Dirt
19-Year-Old Cody Krohn Heads for Top Fuel with Hard Work and Hustle
By Ainsley Jacobs
With veteran drag racer Rich Krohn as his father , it ’ s no surprise that 19-year-old Cody Krohn is hungry to accelerate his own career . Now , Cody is going flat-out to make the most of every opportunity he ’ s able to get his hands on in hopes of making it stick .
Although he ’ s not yet old enough to legally drink alcohol , Cody definitely knows how to handle an alcohol-fueled machine . From his start in the Jr . Dragster ranks to his most recent successes behind the wheel in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster , Cody has developed a keen sense of purpose and professionalism well beyond his years .
“ Racing is all I ’ ve wanted to do since I was a kid ,” shares Cody , who remembers traveling from his south Florida home to Bradenton Motorsports Park with his father when he was little . “ It ’ s great because it gives my dad a second chance to chase his passion again , too .”
Cody raced in the Jr . Dragster ranks until he was 14 years old and earned a season championship in 2012 , but he and his father always wanted to build a front-engine dragster of their own . “ We finished that in 2019 , and my dad raced it at the
National Hot Rod Reunion in 2020 , then I raced it in 2021 and 2022 ,” Cody shares of the big jump up in performance that he was able to experience . Incredibly , he earned the runner-up honors in Nostalgia Front Engine Dragster his first year out and took the outright win in 2022 .
It was during the unanticipated downtime stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic-related shutdowns in 2020 , however , that Cody was able to obtain a plethora of racing licenses at Frank Hawley ’ s Drag Racing School . His father and Hawley had raced together many times during their 40-plusyear friendship , and Hawley was happy to take Cody under his wing for some careful coaching .
In March of 2020 , Cody obtained his NHRA Super Comp dragster license . “ I got my Top Alcohol Dragster , Top Alcohol Funny Car , Nostalgia Top Fuel , and Nostalgia Funny Car licenses all within the next year ,” notes Cody , who give a “ huge thanks ” to his father for not only funding the classes for the then-16-year-old , but for pushing him to do them in the first place .
During the one-on-one sessions with Hawley , Cody learns a lot about what to do – and what not to do – on track . “ My dad always drove me to strive to be better , to find a way to improve , and Frank has the same concept . You can always focus harder , drive straighter , or do something better ,” says Cody , whose ambition extended into opening his own detailing and ceramic coating business , By Design Detailing , with which he is also a licensed / certified Ceramic Pro installer .
“ Reviewing every run from multiple camera angles and discussing it in detail afterward with Frank really helped me learn ,” Cody adds . “ Frank has been so influential to me – not only from a licensing standpoint , but for everyone he has introduced me to and the connections I ’ ve made through him . I ’ m beyond thankful that he has helped get me into this world .”
When Cody decided to get his NHRA Top Fuel license , Hawley took him to the NHRA Finals in Pomona , California , where he introduced the talented teen to tons of the top drivers in the sport . Shaking hands and meeting his idols face-to-face was huge for Cody , but it was the introduction to Larry Dixon that was perhaps the most memorable .
“ I had the opportunity to use one of Larry ’ s cars to license in ,” recalls Cody , who tested for – and obtained – his NHRA Top Fuel certification in February of 2023 . “ I had Frank there mentoring me just like at his School … but I also had Larry Dixon helping me at the same time , and it was surreal to have two of the greatest drivers of all time teaching me .”
PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICK BELDEN AND DAVID HILNER
26 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 184