A dream became reality for 24-year-old Tera Wendland-Graves as she earned her NHRA "Special Fuel" license behind the wheel of John Hale's nitro Nostalgia Funny Car September 22nd at the historic Texas Motorplex.  

Wendland-Graves, a photographer for CompetitionPlus.com, has an impressive resume as a former Champion of the Holley Hot Rod Reunion at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and this year is on track to be crowned the Nostalgia Eliminator 1 class Champion in the Southwest Heritage Racing Association.  On the Monday after the NHRA Fall Nationals at Ennis, Texas, the lifelong dream of wheeling a nitro-burning Funny Car became a reality thanks to the support of her husband, Chris Graves, and the graciousness and masterful teaching of veteran fuel racer John Hale.

A dream became reality for 24-year-old Tera Wendland-Graves as she earned her NHRA "Special Fuel" license behind the wheel of John Hale's nitro Nostalgia Funny Car September 22nd at the historic Texas Motorplex.  

Wendland-Graves, a photographer for CompetitionPlus.com, has an impressive resume as a former Champion of the Holley Hot Rod Reunion at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and this year is on track to be crowned the Nostalgia Eliminator 1 class Champion in the Southwest Heritage Racing Association.  On the Monday after the NHRA Fall Nationals at Ennis, Texas, the lifelong dream of wheeling a nitro-burning Funny Car became a reality thanks to the support of her husband, Chris Graves, and the graciousness and masterful teaching of veteran fuel racer John Hale.

Wendland-Graves made four successful passes to upgrade from Advanced ET to Special Fuel, the NHRA license required to drive a Nostalgia Funny Car in the NHRA Heritage Series.  Her quickest pass was an impressive 6.09 at 226 mph, which easily met the requirements.  Car owner Hale spent several hours at the shop going through runs and familiarizing Wendland-Graves with the routine of making a pass and was very impressed with how quickly she transferred mental runs at the shop to the real deal on the track.  

Her first pass was a required moderate run in which she clocked at 6.48 at 178 mph.  

"I was truly impressed with how well Tera handled the car," Said Hale. "I knew she had talent because she's showed us that with her accomplishments in her front-engine car, but to jump in a nitro Funny Car and do what she did as well as she did it really says something.  We only had one day and a six-hour time window to get the required passes in, so there was a lot of pressure on her and she handed it like a pro.  My entire team and I are very proud of her and were honored to help her make this dream a reality.  She's got a very bright future in this sport."

Wendland-Graves celebrated an emotional day with friends and family when she laid down her second pass at over 200 mph to secure the final pass required for the license.

"I am just overwhelmed with how much support I've received from my family and everyone at John Hale Racing," said Wendland-Graves. "John and I have been friends for a long time and I had all the trust in the world in him as he taught me all the little things I needed to know to drive his car.  I can't thank him, his hard working crew, my husband, family and our dear friend Rich Howell for all their dedication and support to get my license.  I'd also like to thank my sponsors Walden Power Equipment, Drag Strip Girl Designs, Nitro*A*gogo Kustoms and Max Cackle Photos.  This was a day I will absolutely never forget."   

The future looks bright for this young lady who can now add to her resume something not many can claim.  Two more races remain in the Southwest Heritage Racing Association season where Wendland-Graves competes in the Nostalgia Eliminator 1 class driving a blown front-engine dragster.  A class Championship seems inevitable as she holds a 62 point lead over her husband Chris Graves.  With the license upgrade in hand, Wendland-Graves has her sights set on competing in the NHRA Heritage Series wheeling a Nostalgia Funny Car against the best of the best.