By
Dragzine August 06, 2018
This story originally appeared in the Upper Iowa University’s Editorial Services publication The Bridge. All photographs are credit their respective photographers.Seated in her Upper Iowa University classroom, EmiLee Novak is confident few of her professors, classmates and even friends know that her favorite seat is behind the steering wheel of one of the fastest-accelerating cars in the world. As a driver in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) racing series, not only does the UIU senior reach speeds of nearly 230 mph but she can only bring her machine safely to a stop with the assistance of a parachute.
A 2015 graduate of Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Prairie High School, EmiLee earned an associate degree in parks and natural resources at Kirkwood Community College. She chose UIU for its Conservation Management and Environmental Science programs, due to UIU staff support in making the transition from a community college and the simple process to transfer course credits.
EmiLee Novak explodes from the starting line at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana. As a driver in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) racing series, the UIU senior from Fairfax, Iowa, reaches speeds of nearly 230 mph in her Top Dragster. Photo courtesy Dave Reinking Photography/Door Slammers Plus
“Drag racing isn’t exactly something that comes up in conversations when people are talking about conservation practices,” EmiLee said. “I have a feeling that few people in my classes know much about the sport, so I don’t even bring it up.”Born into a family of dragsters, EmiLee has attended races since she was in kindergarten. Her father, Shane, originally raced street bikes before becoming widely known on the racing circuit for competing in his ’75 Camaro. EmiLee also cheered on older sister Ashley, who began racing at the age of 8.
“I watched Ashley closely to learn what worked and didn’t work in the pits and on the track,” EmiLee said. “My sister was a very good racer until stepping away from the track at 18. She definitely passed her good traits onto me.”
EmiLee Novak is on pace to graduate next year with a double major in environmental science and conservation management. To allow her time in the summers to continue competing in the National Hot Rod Association, Novak plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career as a college professor. Photo courtesy of Zachary Lefebure
Following in her sister’s footsteps, EmiLee also first climbed into a dragster at the age of 8. After anxiously awaiting her opportunity for more than a couple years, she now admits to being too fearless and confident during those early races.
Until the age of 18, the aspiring racer drove half-scale versions of Top Fuel cars as a junior dragster. Although younger competitors are restricted to slower speeds, the five-horsepower, single cylinder engines at this level can still reach speeds of 85 mph.As she grew older and gained experience, EmiLee’s speeds steadily increased from 50 to 80 mph and the time to finish the junior division’s eighth-mile track decreased from 12.9 to 7.9 seconds. These faster times also equaled racing success.“I was just a scrawny little girl when I first started out,” EmiLee confessed. “When I won the championship as an 8-year-old, I didn’t even know what it meant. I definitely didn’t expect to win it again at 13. It wasn’t ‘I’ who won it all that year. It was definitely a team effort.”
I always watch what I’m doing, even when I feel no one is watching. I also make sure to stop and talk to the little kids in the pits or even get a small ladder for them to climb into my car. Any one of them could be the future of my sport.Those early championships gained the attention of her favorite driver and now family friend, three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Antron Brown.“During one race at the age of 13, Antron walked up, wished me luck and shook my hand,” EmiLee grinned. “I was strapped in my car so I couldn’t even see him but I didn’t wash that glove for years.”