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.”

Glenn, who has helped Wildgust since she started pursuing her Pro Stock license, said, “She's very cautious in the car, and I think that plays to her advantage sometimes. I was the one when we were getting her license, I was doing the clutch on her car. So I was just kind of He said he has been “giving her advice here and there when I see it, and that's basically all we can do. In the end, it's going to be up to her in the car. But I think she's doing great,” he said. “I think she just needs a little bit more confidence in the car. Everybody needs more experience. I don't think you could ever have too much experience.”

We all find new ways to lose. We all do. There are exponentially more ways to lose than there are ways to win. So it's really hard to win these races. It's really easy to lose them.”

Years ago, when six-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders came on the scene, Anderson said he didn’t want to be the one in the other lane when “a girl” earned her first victory. He since has come to enjoy the presence of talented female racers.

Anderson welcomed Caruso, and he has nothing but compliments for Wildgust.

“It's been pretty interesting," Anderson said. "It's been really cool. We got to keep reminding ourselves she's only 17, because she acts like she's 30 years old. She's an old soul. She's way ahead of her game and does not act like a 17-year-old, let me tell you. So she's got a big future ahead of her. We're really excited about it. I'm just proud to be on the ground floor with her.

“Obviously, she's not going to be an overnight success, but you come ask me again in a year or two and it's going to be a whole different story. Everybody's going to be talking about her,” he said. “So she's the real deal. She's absolutely the real deal. She's not a fake. She’s not a ‘Maybe I can do this, maybe I can't.’ She can do it. She's going to get better every day. And within a year or two, a lot of people are going to be talking about her.”

They will mention her along with Jeb Allen, who at age 18, one month in 1972 became the youngest Top Fuel winner. She’ll be in the conversation with Tanner Gray, the NHRA’s youngest champion (19 years, six months, 2018) and Pro Stock race-winner (at age 17 years, 11 months 2017).

Wildgust followed the exploits of Gray but confessed that she wasn’t familiar with Allen: “I mean, I don't feel bad, but I mean, it's cool to know the history of drag racing. So I should probably know some of them.”

Anderson said, “She's 17. It's going to take a little time, but the good news is all the signs are there that she's going to get there. She's absolutely going to be there. And she's a natural at it. She's a natural athlete, and this is going to be her future."

Anderson laughed at the idea he could have said that about himself at age 17.

“Absolutely not. Had no business running a race car. I had no business doing most things,” Anderson said with a hearty laugh. “I just did it for fun and games and was having fun. But "she's serious about it. She knows what it takes. She knows what it's all about, and she's devoting her life to it.”