Sienna Wildgust, NHRA Pro Stock's Youngest Female Racer Is 'Breath of Fresh Air'

• Like her peers in Sebringville, Ontario, 17-year-old Sienna Wildgust attends high school, is a wee bit bashful, and giggles a lot.

• Wildgust's dad Scott is a former Pro Mod racer.

• This weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is Wildgust’s fourth event.

At age 17 for a few more weeks still, Pro Stock racer Sienna Wildgust is the youngest female NHRA competitor and concedes the “youngest-ever in her class” distinction by mere days to Jo Nuñez (1989).

The Canadian rookie in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series has a wholesome, girl-next-door aura that belies her urge to run through five gears on a quarter-mile dragstrip in less than seven seconds at more than 200 mph in her Chevy Camaro.

Like her peers in Sebringville, Ontario, Wildgust attends high school, is a wee bit bashful, and giggles a lot.

“She's still young and innocent and polite. She's not cocky yet. We haven't ruined her yet, but I'm sure we will,” KB Titan Racing dean of drivers Greg Anderson said. “But so far she's been a breath of fresh air for us.”

This weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is Wildgust’s fourth event. And about the boldest, or most self-assured declaration she has made is, “We're finally starting to find our groove. I definitely have the car, and I have the crew and the team to do it. So I think as long as I can show up and be a good driver, I do feel like we can win a race this year.”

She’s not expecting to come in right away and win, unlike Dallas Glenn and Kyle Koretsky and Camrie Caruso, all of whom had no trepidation facing off against Anderson and other veterans. “They have no fear. They want to whip my butt,” the five-time champion and 104-time winner said last year of his young teammates and rivals.

Wildgust, whose dad Scott is a former Pro Mod racer, is different. Naturally, she would like to beat every race-day opponent, but she said, “I honestly don't know” what she would do if she defeated Anderson. “That'd be a pretty big accomplishment. I would freak out.”