TEVEN AUGLIS developed his passion for drag racing like many in the sport . His father took him to the track at a young age , and he was hooked . Those early experiences at the dragstrip led Auglis to launch a YouTube channel where he could upload the videos he captured from the grandstands . Today , his channel boasts 85,000 subscribers . Plus , he provides in-depth footage for tuners and race teams that have won major races , secured championships , and set records .

“ I had a YouTube channel outside of racing and thought , ‘ Why don ’ t I start doing racing videos on YouTube ?’” Auglis says . “ I started uploading videos from the grandstands back in the late 2000s at our local track , Maryland International Raceway , and eventually settled on the YouTube channel TheRacingVids . It grew , and I started doing some trackside filming . Jason Miller at MIR and Miller Brothers Productions was who reached out and allowed me to go trackside , and Holloway Saunders , a fellow photographer , helped me learn the ropes .”

Now 29 , Auglis travels to events throughout the year , from all the major radial races and standalone Pro Mod races to full series like PDRA . Outside of races , he also attends numerous test sessions with various customers to provide footage that tuners can use to diagnose issues and make tuning decisions .

“ I started working with some teams where I would film their car making a pass and have the video for them to look at it in slow motion so they can see how the car is leaving the line , from how the rear tires look to how the suspension is working ,” Auglis says .

Between going to races on the weekends , working a regular job during the week , and the occasional mid-week test session , Auglis isn ’ t left with much free time . He and a buddy share a passion of collecting guns , so he ’ ll head out to the shooting range to practice his marksmanship whenever he gets the chance . Otherwise , he keeps his nose to the grindstone .

“ There ’ s a lot of sacrifices you make ,” Auglis says . “ I work with my dad back at home during the week , so you work all week , head to the track , come back home and right back to work , along with editing videos to post up . It ’ s not much downtime , which I like . It keeps you working .”

The reward of helping top-shelf teams achieve new milestones often outweighs the hectic schedule for Auglis . He ’ s worked with drivers like Carl Stevens Jr ., Todd Moyer , Jason Lee , John De- Cerbo , and Blake Housley in Pro Mod , Dean Marinis in X275 and Pro Mod , radial racers like the Bruder brothers , Rob Goss , John Kolivas , Shawn Pevlor , Eric LaFerriere , Andy Manson , and Shawn Ayers and car owner Fletcher Cox ,

and Street Outlaws : No Prep Kings drivers Larry “ Ax-Man ” Roach and Jack French . One of Auglis ’ most recent highlights was filming “ Turbo ” Todd Moyer lay down a historic , record-setting 5.14-second quarter-mile pass in his Carl Stevens Jr . -tuned , twin-turbo Camaro at Bradenton Motorsports Park .

“ You sit back and think about all the passes you filmed — who knows how many cars I ’ ve filmed going down the track over the years — all the badass stuff you witness , and it ’ s kind of crazy to think about ,” Auglis admits . “ The week before when Carl and Moyer planned on running it quarter mile , you ’ re crunching the numbers and seeing the potential and just thinking how is that even possible . Then , watching them go out and do it , and seeing how there ’ s more left out there , it ’ s just crazy . But I think the best thing is seeing the teams learn from my videos , go change their car around , and go out win races and set records .”

Next year , Auglis plans to relocate to Kansas City to work full-time with the team at Flying H Dragstrip . His role will include planning events , creating event flyers , and producing entertainment and advertisements to run on the 40-plusfoot video board alongside the track . He ’ ll film

and edit track sponsor features that will play during downtime , while on-track action will take up the rest of the airtime .

“ This is something that has never been done at a drag racing facility . I ’ m looking forward to the challenge and am honored to be trusted with such a big project ,” Auglis says . “ I ’ ve been to tracks all over the country and this one ranks pretty high up on the list . From the equipment to the track surface , to the shutdown , to the fan interaction , everything is top of the line with no expenses spared .” – NATE VAN WAGNEN DI

132 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 191