“If we had the money, I wouldn’t have been sitting on the sidelines and only running partial seasons in the past.”Īfter making his Top Fuel debut at Denver in 2021, Alex competed on a limited basis for the next season and a half in a dragster owned and tuned by Scott Palmer.

“In the pro ranks, it’s a whole other level of expenses, and we don’t have enough to be able to run these types of cars,” explained Laughlin, who is often on the receiving end of criticism about where his funding comes from. As a kid, that’s what I was drawn to and wanted to watch.”Īdmittedly, Laughlin’s family did help get him going early in his sportsman career, but the family funding fell short when he decided to move up into the Pro Stock and nitro ranks, where it takes anywhere from $60,000 to $120,000 to race on a given weekend. In addition to his 8.90-index dragster and a Top Dragster entry, he campaigned a Top Alcohol Dragster for several events in 2017. Over the years, Laughlin has wheeled a vast array of other vehicles, but says he’s always had an affinity for dragsters. Laughlin grew up racing go-karts and Legends cars in his youth (and still dabbles in competitive karting in his spare time today), but found his true calling on the dragstrip behind the wheel of a Super Comp dragster. In doing so, Laughlin added yet one more class to what is already a history-making motorsports resume.

But the Texas native shocked fans – and himself – when he announced his move into the NHRA Funny Car category for 2023. From dragsters to doorslammers, sportsman categories to professional, Alex Laughlin has buckled into what is arguably a more diverse lineup of vehicles than any other drag racer in his 34 years.

Driver talent pro 2020