By Craig Cook

Mills will be driving a screw-blown 1968 Camaro built by Larry Jeffers – a car that was originally supposed to be for Kallee ’ s father , Dewayne Mills , who helped with the design . Unfortunately , due to health concerns , Mills and Jeffers made the decision to sell the car to Paul Brandt . However , a short trip to visit Brandt following the No Prep Elite season finale at the Texas Motorplex ended up bringing the car full circle back to the Mills family .

“ I was supposed to go down on Sunday after No Prep Elite and just sit in the car to see how I fit ,” said Mills . “ We were going to build a ‘ 68 Camaro from Larry [ Jeffers ], but I wanted to see how it feels , because in some of those Pro Mods , once you get the windows laid back it ’ s kind of hard to see out of them . I sat in the car and I fit perfectly . It was perfect for me , so we just decided to buy it .”

Stepping up to help the Mills family and purchase the car was Paul Hayden , owner of American Pride Golf Cart Services . As a long-time sponsor / partner with many drag racing teams , media companies , and racetracks , Hayden saw an opportunity to dive headfirst into the world of Pro Mod racing while also helping create a new star in the class .

“ Because I support a lot of teams , and have spent a lot of money doing it , I figured it ’ s about time I bought a car ,” Hayden said . “ What I want

to do is send the elevator back down and allow somebody else to rise . When I look at a young lady like Kallee , with her talent and her father ’ s pedigree , it was just a natural fit to help her get to the next level .”

Just one year ago , as a Drag IllustrateD 30 Under 30 honoree , Mills said that one day before her driving career was over , fans would see her in a Pro Mod . But she admits she didn ’ t think it would come to fruition so quickly .

“ I ’ ve always wanted to run Pro Mod ,” said Mills . “ But then we went to a few PDRA races this year and I kind of got the Pro Mod fever . We didn ’ t know it would be this quick . Honestly , we were waiting to see how everything turned out with the business after this year , and that ’ s when we were going to pull the plug and try to do something for 2026 . This essentially just sped up the process .”

Mills , who spent most of 2024 competing in both PDRA Pro Street and numerous no-prep events , will shift her focus primarily on Pro Mod for next season . The car should be finished up and ready to begin testing by the beginning of the year in preparation for both PDRA Pro Boost and the Mid-West Drag Racing Series .

“ We ’ ll hit Pro Mod pretty hard in 2025 ,” Mills said . “ Last year , I was still gung-ho about no-prep racing . But we had to take a step back and look at our budget and what we could afford . I think this might open the door for us to be involved with different stuff . That ’ s what we ’ re spending all the money on , so that ’ s where I want to focus . I want to be sure we ’ re prepared and ready to go fast .”

Mills says she is eager to meet and hang out with a new group of fans at the track , and while she ’ s thankful for all the opportunities NPK and other no-prep events have given her , she ’ s also looking forward to lighting up the scoreboards . But perhaps most of all , she ’ s excited about the little things , like being able to spend time cooking or hanging out by a fire with her team , which is comprised of family and close friends .

“ I ’ m very blessed to have the people I ’ m surrounded with ,” said Mills . “ My parents , Tara and Dewayne , have always supported me in everything I do . Mike Simms , Brendan Russell , Amber Close , Paul and Jeanne Hayden … without Paul , I wouldn ’ t be able to do this .”

Hayden echoes the sentiment , explaining those family values were one of the things that drew him to partner with the Mills family in the first place , and will continue to be a driving force moving forward .

“ I ’ ve been a major sponsor with Kallee – and the Mills family – for a long time ,” Hayden said . “ Being around their family makes me feel like I ’ m with my real family . It ’ s one of those relationships where you speak the same language in every way . It makes it easy for me to be with them and invest in them . I feel very blessed that this opportunity presented itself . I think our relationship will not only be lasting , but also productive .” DI

PHOTOGRAPHS BY HAYDEN RAYMOND

42 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 192