Lainey Abney\u2019s path to the driver\u2019s seat wasn\u2019t traditional. Jr. Dragsters weren\u2019t her thing, and she instead opted for a 110cc dirt bike to get experience going down the dragstrip. She estimates she\u2019s made a thousand passes on the dirt bike starting at age 11. Now 21, she races in Lil Gangstas and True Street in her turbocharged, LS-powered \u201806 Mustang, turning on win lights while hoping to inspire the next wave of young girls interested in the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November\/December 2025. <\/em><\/p>\n Abney graduated from the dirt bike to a door car when she was just 13 years old. Her father, Mike, let her make a pass in his C5 Corvette. \u201cI was hooked,\u201d she says. \u201cWe took it out every weekend after that and I just made pass after pass after pass.\u201d Eventually, they made upgrades including adding a Nitrous Express kit. \u201cIt reached the point where it was way too fast without a cage,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s when we got into the Mustang I have now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As far as actual event wins go, Abney counts her Power Adder class victory at Holley\u2019s LS Fest this year as a career highlight. But it was a True Street win at her home track over longtime mentor Tom Gunner \u2013 better known as \u201cJimmy Dale\u201d \u2013 that held more personal meaning.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTom has always taken Lainey under his wing,\u201d explains Mike Abney. \u201cHe\u2019d always work with her and push her to be a better racer. He let her drive \u2018Magic,\u2019 his pride-and-joy car, when she was 16. It meant a lot to her to finally beat her mentor after all these years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Lainey remembers the moment clearly. \u201cIt was a heads-up race and I beat him. I was so pumped. I got out of the car screaming, \u2018Oh my gosh, how did I beat you?\u2019 I didn\u2019t think there was any way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n With experience, Abney has also grown into a more mature, composed competitor. \u201cI used to be a very sore loser,\u201d she admits. \u201cIf I lost, I\u2019d be very mad. I would throw my helmet, not talk to anybody. Now, this is just for fun, even if I lose.\u201d<\/p>\n With that mindset, she finds validation in more than just win lights, trophies, and big checks at the end of the night. \u201cI really like just seeing kids\u2019 faces light up when they find out I\u2019m a girl or that I\u2019m young,\u201d she says. \u201cI think that really motivates me and pushes me to keep doing this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Abney\u2019s schedule for the 2026 season includes plenty of outings with the Lil Gangstas class, which is quickly growing into one of the biggest movements in grassroots racing. That suits Abney\u2019s goals perfectly. \u201cI would like to go to more states and travel more,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd get faster. I would like to be able to go up in classes and compete with the real fast people.\u201d\u00a0Her support system will be with her every step of the way. \u201cI would first like to thank my family \u2013 especially my mom and my dad for always being there and supporting me,\u201d she says. She also credits mentors like Mike Wood, Michael Poland, Brent Albury, Tom Gunner, and Dakota LSX, along with her sponsors. \u201cWithout all of your help, I would not be able to be as fast and as reliable as I am.\u201d<\/p>\n The post DI 30 Under 30 2025: Lainey Abney<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lainey Abney\u2019s path to the driver\u2019s seat wasn\u2019t traditional. Jr. Dragsters weren\u2019t her thing, and she instead opted for a 110cc dirt bike to get experience going down the dragstrip. She estimates she\u2019s made a thousand passes on the dirt bike starting at age 11. Now 21, she races in Lil Gangstas and True Street […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102752\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}