Drag Illustrated Issue 118, February 2017 | Page 86

TheHOTTEST2017
A
n impressive list of ac-
complishments has already
come Leah Pritchett’s way in
2017. A pair of number one
qualifiers, the quickest pass
in Top Fuel history and two
victories in what has been a
flawless start. But there’s something else that
Pritchett remains proud of,
something that dates back to
the roller-coaster season of
2016 that included her first
victory, the loss of her ride,
the journey to get a new one
with Don Schumacher Rac-
ing and partners like Papa
John’s, and her first berth
in the Countdown to the
Championship.
Through it all, Pritchett
has stayed true to herself,
giving fans a real glimpse
into her journey, whether
it was through social media
or a willingness to speak her
mind. What they’ve found
was a driver who won’t
conform to something she
doesn’t believe in but will
also willingly accept any
challenge that comes her
way, which has, ultimately,
elevated her star power even
more.
“I would say that’s been
the number one objective
when you take all the race
car-centered things away. I
would define it as being my-
self,” Pritchett said. “I want-
ed to take everyone on this
journey as much as possible
and be as transparent as pos-
sible. The second part of that
is being to be able to speak
my mind, and also playing
nicely in the sandbox with
five major sponsors and doz-
ens of associate (sponsors)
on board. I wouldn’t be there
without them, and they need
to be happy, too.”
That enthusiasm to “be
real” isn’t lost on fans, her
multitude of sponsors or
her team. In fact, it’s a ma-
jor reason why many sponsors – the major ones
being Papa John’s, FireAde, Pennzoil and Mopar
– have latched on and why this team has gelled
almost perfectly from the outset in 2017.
It shouldn’t have worked out as well as it has
with her team, at least not this quickly. Half of
the team members were with Top Fuel standout
Shawn Langdon a year ago, coming over after
Langdon’s ride was parked for the start of the
season. The other half came from Pritchett’s
team, and there wasn’t much time for it to come
together. But the team did something different
– something that has become a theme for them
– participating in Papa John’s Go Left program,
using basic team-building activities to form an
impressive bond.
“We went through this program as a team to-
gether,” Pritchett noted. “We needed to start this
thing off on the right foot. It was literal team
building – playing with scissors, ropes, whatever.
We’ve done things differently off the track and
it’s worked.”
So how different is this team? Well, for one,
they gave themselves a team nickname of “Vi-
kings” after Pritchett looked up the definition
and found it included a line that said, “in pursuit
of great adventure together.”
There is a noticeable amount of swagger with-
in the team – perhaps led by Pritchett and the
Okuhara brothers – but the 28-year-old Redlands,
California, native insists it has brought out the
best in everybody.
“We’re a different breed
but I want people to see
who we are,” Pritchett of-
fered. “I’ve watched Scott
(Okuhara) back Shawn up
and I’m like, ‘He’s got so
much swag.’ Just that sense
of confidence, and (crew
chief ) Todd (Okuhara) has
it, too. All that we have on
this team, I want people to
see it and feel it. Sometimes
things hit the fan, but it’s
about being transparent no
matter what happens. You
have to be real. Todd lives
on the edge, but this team
inspires me to bring out my
full personality.”
That’s a good thing for ev-
eryone involved, including
the NHRA and its television
deal, and young fans that
continue to flock to Pritch-
ett’s pit.
She laughs off the back-
and-forth she shared with
teammate Tony Schumach-
er on television and Twitter
during the season-opener in
Pomona, noting an import-
ant bit of advice Schum-
acher shared with her in
his tow vehicle just a race
later during eliminations in
Phoenix. But she’s also not
going to back down from
any challenge that comes
her way, whether it’s from
Schumacher, Antron Brown
or anyone else in the class.
Everything has gone to plan
in incredible fashion to start
the year, but even when it
doesn’t at some point, expect
the same Pritchett no matter
what.
“I try to pay as much atten-
tion as I can with the health of the sport and I
try to watch what’s successful,” Pritchett revealed.
“You see things like Lights Out and ‘Big Chief ’
(Justin Shearer), and he’s been an inspiration to
help me speak my mind. He’s definitely been an
influence, the way he puts responsibility on his
shoulders, and also my team, for always having
my back.” - JOSH HACHAT
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