LIKE HIS older brother , 2016 DI 30 Under 30 honoree Doug Foley Jr ., Joe Foley was born into drag racing . And it wasn ’ t just the family hobby . It was the family business . The brothers ’ father , Doug Foley , competed in IHRA and NHRA Top Fuel during their childhood while also building Doug Foley ’ s Drag Racing School . Joe learned how to race from an early age , and he later shared those skills with the school ’ s participants . Today , he ’ s using those skills to take home big checks on the big-money bracket racing scene .

Foley was initially more interested in baseball and basketball , but when his older brother raced his Jr . Dragster , he eventually decided to try drag racing too . From age nine to his final Eastern Conference Finals at Bristol at 16 , Foley raced Jr . Dragsters alongside his brother .

“ With Dad ’ s Top Fuel schedule and the schools , we didn ’ t get to race every weekend like a lot of the other kids did ,” Foley , now 26 , remembers . “ He had somebody go with us to a lot of the races to make sure we were running fine , and he made it a point in ‘ 09 to let us run a full season at Atco . With that being the first full season making every race , I was able to win the championship .”

It was during those Jr . Dragster days that Foley would join his family on the road during the summers , taking the drag racing school to dozens of tracks across the country . He first watched from the racetrack playground , but he gradually became one of the instructors and occasionally drove one of the school ’ s two-seater dragsters after he started racing a Super Comp dragster . Through years with the racing school , which was later renamed the Pure Speed Drag Racing Experience , Foley witnessed hundreds of people experience drag racing for the first time .

“ It ’ s awesome seeing people wanting to come into what you consider your world ,” says Foley , who now helps out on his father ’ s NHRA Top Fuel team . “ I ’ ve spent my whole life around these cars , and getting to share that with somebody that knows nothing about any of it is really a fun experience . I spent a lot of time licensing Jr . Dragster students , so that was cool knowing you ’ re bringing somebody into a new sport that could be here for 40 , 50 , 60 years to come .”

Foley earned his Super Comp license with the school at 16 , and he ’ s since developed quite a reputation in the bracket racing world , especially in the footbrake niche . He learned how to footbrake driving Dave Stebner ’ s car with

advice from Stebner and longtime friend Ernie Humes . Foley earned a $ 10K win at the 2022 BTE Labor Day $ 250K at Bristol , as well as three consecutive Top E . T . track championships in his dragster at Darlington Dragway . He doubled up this year , also winning the Footbrake track championship in Adam Keir ’ s truck .

Foley ’ s biggest win so far came this summer when he won the TB Promotions $ 250K at U . S . 131 Motorsports Park in Martin , Michigan . He wasn ’ t even sure he was going to the race , and when Keir ’ s truck suffered damage in a wheelstand early in the weekend , Foley almost didn ’ t get on his flight for Michigan . But Meighan Bonnett and fiancé J . P . Schuster offered up Bonnett ’ s American dragster , putting Foley back in the race . He ended up reaching the final round of the 407-entry race , where he defeated Drew Buchner .

“ When I turned on the last win light , it definitely took me about the entire shutdown to really comprehend the fact that I was able to do it ,” Foley says . “ I ’ ve always dreamed of something like that . Being a bracket racer my whole life , it was a dream to race with the guys I was racing with , let alone win something that big . The fact that I was able to get that big win with a lot of my friends and my brother being there was definitely a nice feeling .”

Foley , whose next major goal is a win at the Million Dollar Drag Race , credits his parents , Doug and Shelagh , as well as older brother “ Two-Seater Doug ,” for supporting his racing efforts and providing guidance and inspiration .

“ Dad at times thinks I ’ m crazy when I ’ m going from track to track to track nonstop , but I think the seat time and all that pays off , and I think he sees that now ,” Foley says . “ My parents have always been very supportive and helpful .

“ My brother has won some big stuff ,” Foley continues . “ He won a $ 300 grander and stuff like that when I was younger , and I looked up to that as , ‘ I want to do that . I want to be the guy that people look at like , man , that was awesome .’ So , I always kind of looked up to him in that way .”

Foley has accomplished a lot in a short time , but he ’ s just getting started .

“ This has been an amazing year for me ,” he says . “ Besides the $ 250K , I ’ ve won quite a few races and made quite a few splits in $ 50Ks and stuff like that . The goal is just to stay competitive , keep racing , and hopefully make some money along the way .” – NATE VAN WAGNEN DI

124 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 191