Makinna Clevenger is your typical teenager – except for the fact that she’s been racing dragsters since the age of 10.

A senior at Oak Ridge High School, Clevenger participates on both the cheerleading squad and rugby team at her school, but she readily admits that racing is her one true passion. “Drag racing is the thing I want to do for the rest of my life,” she explains, and she won’t be doing it alone. Both her father and grandfather are professional drag racers, and Clevenger plans to uphold the family tradition by pursuing a career in racing after graduation.

Although she is entering Sierra College next year with a major in communications and marketing, her dream is to one day make it as a professional racer and get paid to do what she loves. These days, she drives a “blown alcohol dragster,” a car that can reach speeds of over 200 miles per hour in less than seven seconds. But Clevenger doesn’t want her racing to alienate her from her peers. Like most teenagers, she enjoys riding dirt bikes, jet skiing and taking trips to Disneyland. “I’m like any other girl,” Clevenger says. “Except I can drive!”

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