Karen Haddock
WCS Division 1 Top Dragster
  Karen Haddock is a Shallotte, North Carolina housewife, whose husband,
David, is a nuclear physicist working in nearby Southport. On weekends she
takes her alcohol-blown rail car for quarter-mile pleasure rides at speeds
of over 180 m.p.h. Karen and her 377 inch blown small-block Chevy compete
in the IHRA Top Dragster class all across the South and as far away as
Michigan and Illinois.
Karen has been racing for over eight years, starting out in the Quick
Rod class of the IHRA sportsman (amateur) division. Three years ago, she
moved up to Top Dragster and has been setting records all along the way.
In 1997, Karen became the first woman ever to qualify number one at an
IHRA national event, the throwdown at Budd's Creek, Maryland, with an
astounding 6.90.9. Her best ET and MPH to date are a blistering 6.809 at
194.04, at Norwalk. Ohio.
She competed in nine national events and eight regional races that
year, taking a 'runner up' position at Mooresville, North Carolina. Karen
qualified among the top five in sixteen of these seventeen events. She
went on to claim the third best ET performance season average, a 6.89.7
and to finish eighth in the Fel-Pro point series.
Karen's goal for 1998 is to become the first woman to win the Top
Dragster championship in the IHRA Snap-On Drag Racing circuit, and to
become the first woman to win the new heads up 'Sportsman Eliminator'
class as well. If she can accomplish this, she plans on moving up to the
pro series in the Top Fuel class in 1999.
| "the
inspiration in my life..." |
Karen's husband, David, is her crew chief and engine builder and, in
Karen's words, "the inspiration in my life." She credits him with making
her such a competitive driver. They take their Yorkshire Terrier along as
the team mascot. The dog is named 'T.D.' for Top Dragster, but, if Karen
has her way, that name will have to be changed to 'T.F.' in 1999.
Wish her good fortune.
|
