For decades, the NHRA has been a showcase for female racers. But new Top Fuel team owner Audrey Worm has brought a fresh twist to the “Women of Power” initiative. (RELATED ARTICLE LINK)

Worm, who began her professional drag-racing career with the Leverich family at Reading, Pa., in 2017, officially has established herself as the first female NHRA Top Fuel owner-driver since legend Shirley Muldowney.

But she announced Thursday at the SEMA Show at Las Vegas that she also will be the first to have a female crew chief and car chief, as well.

Ashley Fye, who for years was Top Fuel owner-driver Scott Palmer’s crew chief and has worked with Hirata Racing, will work with Worm’s husband and tuner, Aaron Grant. Joining Fye on the team is car chief and former Top Fuel driver Jenna Drake (formerly Jenna Haddock).

Worm purchased her dragster Oct. 21 from Drake. It’s a car that originally belonged to Don Schumacher Racing and the one that three-time Top Fuel champion Antron Brown drove.

“As some people may or may not know, I am the second female owner-driver of a Top Fuel team in NHRA history,” Worm said at the Las Vegas show. “The first was the legend, Shirley Muldowney. I just purchased and brought home my first Top Fuel car. I’m also the first to do something else. The really, really, really big news that we wanted to announce this [week] at SEMA that I’ll be the first Top Fuel team as the owner-driver and three women – women of power and really strong women – Ashley Fye will be my crew chief and Jenna Drake, formerly Jenna Haddock, will be my car chief.”

She is making a difference for women in the sport, which has a long history of female event winners and champions. At the most recent race, at Las Vegas a week ago, Erica Enders (two-time Pro Stock champion and points leader) and Brittany Force (2017 Top Fuel champion) claimed the 150th and 151st professional-class NHRA trophies for women. Shirley Muldowney won three Top Fuel crowns, and Angelle Sampey earned three in Pro Stock Motorcycle. 

“I am so blessed to have the support — not only [from] friends and family, and my amazing husband Aaron Grant, but also from great sponsors,” Worm said in a statement published through a social media channel.

The Grantville, Pa., business owner who’ll turn 28 years old Nov. 15, thanked sponsors and manufacturers – notably Chip Lofton, whose Strutmasters.com (RELATED ARTICLE LINK) is the primary sponsor as she starts her nine-race schedule in 2020. She also thanked “all the individuals who contributed money for making my dream come true!”