When Logan Paul first set foot at an American Drag Racing League (ADRL) event in the late 2000s, he had no idea that this initial taste of outlaw eighth-mile drag racing would spark a lifelong passion. What began as a simple visit to the track turned into more than a decade operating in the sport, as well as a career that supports his own racing program. Through dedication and an unquenchable love for the sport, Paul has carved out a name for himself.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #191, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November / December of 2024.]
In 2009, Paul was hanging out at the racetrack when he was given an opportunity that set off a chain of events that continues to this day. He joined driver Ronnie Gardner and car owner JD Goad as a crew member on the team’s nitrous-fed Camaro, which competed in Piedmont Dragway’s Big Dog Shootout series and Quick 8 events throughout the Carolinas.
“I was literally just standing there one day,” Paul says, “and they handed me a wrench and told me to hop in. Ever since then, it became a lifestyle, I would say.”
In 2010, Paul took another step forward when he started working with Stuart Williams, the head of the Extreme Outlaw Pro Mod (EOPM) organization. At just 13 or 14, Paul was entrusted with running social media for the organization, connecting with racers, tracking statistics, and building a presence that helped EOPM engage fans and drivers alike. Though Williams tragically passed after an 11-month cancer battle in 2014, Paul’s drive to learn and contribute only deepened, as he continued to work with Rick Moore and Charlie Buck until the organization dissolved.
When the Gardner and Goad duo paused their racing program, Paul continued crewing with Pro Mod teams, first Danny Blankenship and later Edward Wilson and Jr. Ward until he was 17 or 18. In recent years, he’s been a part of the Nasty Racing team led by 2019 DI 30 Under 30 honoree John “John Doc” Dougherty and Chris Howell.
“We took it from where it was just like street cars to now a full-on race team,” Paul says of the team’s evolution. “We’ve got radial cars. We’ve got no-time cars. We’ve got Pro Mods.
It’s my addiction, you know what I mean? That’s the best way for me to describe it. I’ve just been around it so long that I’ve created a name. If there’s anything anybody needs, they know they can call me and I will figure out a solution.”
Paul, now 27, is in the process of building a street-strip 2002 F-body Camaro. Sporting an LS-based engine with twin turbos and a Powerglide, Paul plans to drive the car to the track, run 4.50s, then drive it home. He’s located just minutes from GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, North Carolina, though he also plans to take the car to tracks within five hours or so, including Darlington, Piedmont, Orangeburg, and others.
Outside of racing, Paul stays plenty busy with two jobs. He and a partner own SP Tools NC, a two-truck distributor of SP Tools. During emergency situations, he also works to restore power to 911 communications. This past hurricane season kept him on the road for weeks, traveling from Asheville and Chimney Rock in North Carolina to the Tampa, Florida, area.
Hard work and a strong penchant for learning have served Paul well. He’s helped the Nasty Racing team set records for the LS and 5.2 bore space platforms, as well as win Quick 8 races, no-time shootouts, and other events throughout the Southeast.
“I want to continue to race and continue to move forward and grow,” Paul says, thanking parents TJ and Nora Paul, as well as mentors like Gardner, Goad, Blankenship, Wilson, Ward, Dougherty, and Howell. “Every time we go to the racetrack, I learn something new. If I can continue to pick up knowledge, I’ll find it successful.”
Paul also feels strongly about paying forward the opportunity Goad and Gardner gave him 15 years ago by getting the next generation involved in drag racing.
“They’d seen a young kid there, they threw me a wrench, and said, ‘Here, get involved.’ It just turned a whole new leaf for me,” Paul says. “That’s why any time a young kid’s around, I try to involve them in what I’m doing.”
This story was originally published on February 7, 2025. 
The post DI 30 Under 30 2024: Logan Paul first appeared on Drag Illustrated.