Like so many second-generation racers, Austin Kardules has always been around the sport. But what started out as a hobby has become a multi-faceted career that sees the central Ohio native reach new audiences in hopes of growing the sport he loves.
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November/December 2025.
Kardules’ father started racing motorcycles in the late 1970s. When Austin and his older brother, Camron, came along, the boys were out at the track as babies. Austin, now 29, started racing Jr. Dragsters in 2003 and traveled with the MyChron series. He had some success, ultimately winning the points runoff at Summit Motorsports Park to take home a brand-new Half-Scale dragster custom-painted by R&R Auto Body.
Driving took a back seat as Kardules grew up, but he filled the void by going to work for Pure Speed Drag Racing Experience, previously known as Doug Foley’s Drag Racing School. He started working with Foley and his family – including sons Doug Jr. (a 2016 honoree) and Joe (a 2024 honoree) – as a driving instructor on a part-time basis in 2012 before going on the road full-time in 2015.
Through that experience, he helped hundreds of people make their first passes down a dragstrip. Kardules then stepped away from racing completely for about two years to start a career in sales and marketing, which actually led him back to Foley and drag racing.
After Foley decided to get back into NHRA Top Fuel competition, Kardules got involved with the Foley Lewis Racing sponsorship efforts. Over the last few years, he’s helped secure partnerships with Alloy Employer Services, United Garage Door, CHI Overhead Doors, and LiftMaster, introducing new brands to the sport in the process.
“That’s probably the most rewarding part about what I do,” says Kardules, who counts Foley as a mentor. “Bringing new companies into the sport, and seeing them realize what all goes into it – not just on track, but off track – and how beneficial it can be on the B2B side with the experience they’re able to give their customers.”
That led to one of Kardules’ proudest moments in the sport earlier this year when Foley qualified No. 1 at the IHRA Nitro Outlaw Series event at Darana Raceway, previously known as National Trail Raceway, outside Columbus, Ohio.
“That was surreal,” Kardules says. “The last NHRA national event that was there was 2006. I was 10 years old. Growing up there, it seemed like we would never have a Top Fuel race there ever again. So, for that to happen almost 20 years later is kind of unbelievable. But to be a part of a team while that happened, with my dad standing on the starting line, and to get the No. 1 spot when we weren’t in the show on the last qualifying session? I couldn’t even dream of that happening.”
A few years ago, the Kardules brothers also worked with future 30 Under 30 honoree Jeb Bolyard to bring back the King of Columbus event to National Trail. Austin focused on sponsorships and promoting the event, which later expanded to two events.
“I think the most rewarding part is all the appreciation from racers that we put a focus on what we would want if we were in their shoes,” he says. “Because a lot of races they go to, sometimes the focus is not the racer’s experience.”
Though Kardules is no longer involved with the racing school, he and his brother continue to mentor local racers both young and old who are just getting started. He even coached a former student who bought a race car, truck, and trailer after attending a Pure Speed school event.
“My brother and I always try to help people getting into the sport, understanding the dos and don’ts, and helping them get their start and feel comfortable at the racetrack,” Kardules says. “The only way to keep people coming back is make them feel comfortable and understand what they’re doing.”
Kardules’ efforts in various arenas of the sport achieve different outcomes, but the overarching theme is bringing in new fans, racers, and sponsors. He says the sport sells itself once people see it in person. It’s getting them out to the racetrack that can be a challenge.
“One thing that is universally the same, whether it’s driving a 10-second dragster for the first time or sponsoring a Top Fuel car – or just coming to watch Top Fuel – is that people underestimate what it is until they get there,” says Kardules, who thanked his parents and brother as well as Joe Clark with United Garage Door, Palmetto State Armory, and Kyle Fischer with Hot Shot’s Secret for supporting his various endeavors.
“When they get there, they realize it’s a lot cooler than they expected. There’s a lot more involved. Especially when someone gets in the driver’s seat for the first time, they realize it’s a lot faster in the seat than it looks.“Those people who have never even heard of drag racing, or have a lower expectation of what it truly is, how do we get them to the racetrack and get them to see it?”
The post DI 30 Under 30 2025: Austin Kardules first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
