One look at Alex Barrett and it is hard to believe that he is a 15 year veteran of drag racing, having made thousands of passes down the drag strip.

Twenty two year old Alex started his drag racing career at the age of 8 years old. His story, while similar to other racers starting off in the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League, is unique in that he continually demonstrated an unusual determination and commitment to becoming a professional drag racer.

Alexʼs dad, Jim, took Alex to his first drag race when he was just 6 years old. Spending the day at Pomona watching racing and walking through the pits changed Alexʼs life forever. While walking through the pits they came across the NHRA Jr. Dragster display and Alex got to sit in one of the special display cars. On the way home from the race Alex announced to his dad that he was going to be a professional drag racer! Alex continued to attend races at Pomona and bought his first Jr. Dragster at 7 1/2 years old. He started competing just two weeks after his 8th Birthday in May of 1996. He enjoyed a successful career in the Jr. Dragster ranks winning many races and a few track championships.

Alex purchased his current funny car chassis in September of 2007 and competed for a year in the NHRA Heritage Series in the Nostalgia Eliminator 1 class with a 1932 Bantam altered body. In 2008, he bought his current 1970 Plymouth Cuda funny car body and mounted it to his chassis. He continues to compete in the NE 1 class. The Cuda body was already yellow and his friend Rick at AVI Wraps.com finished it off with the purple accents which has made Alex and his Rocketeer a fan favorite at every event they attend. Initially, the family owned team of J & A Racing Inc, only competed in 2-3 races a year. 2010 was a breakout year for Alex, competing in the entire 6-race Heritage Series, where he not only qualified for every race, but also finished 3rd in the series points. “My team did very well last season and we had a chance at the championship up until the last race of the year. Unfortunately, that race to be the only one in which we lost first round all season” said Alex. “We ended up a very respectable 3rd in one of the most competitive classes in drag racing”.

Alex currently is working as a mechanic at DownTown Auto Care in Beaumont, CA. He has been married to his wife Amy since May 2010. In fact, the couple was scheduled to get married on Friday, May 28th and leave for their honeymoon Saturday morning. After successful outings at the March Meet and the Fontana races, Alex and his team found themselves 4th in the points. After some discussion, instigated by Amy, they decided to cancel their honeymoon and attend the Las Vegas race where they qualified number one and advanced all the way to the final round only to lose by 14/1000 of a second. “Amy is an incredible girl and is extremely supportive of my career. I know I will be successful because of her support”, said Alex. Another highlight of Alexʼs 2010 season was the opportunity to team up with CleanBoost Oils, Joe Powell Motorsports, and the Pro Alcohol Funny Car Association (PAFCA) to compete in the 19th Annual California Hot Rod Reunion. “I am extremely grateful to CleanBoost, PAFCA and Joe for the opportunity they gave me and will never forget it”, said Alex.