When you're the granddaughter of the longest-tenured Top Fuel drag racer in the sport and the daughter of a former Top Fuel competitor, there are certain expectations.

There was never a doubt that the natural progression for A/Fuel racer Krista Baldwin would land her in the family tradition. The question was when it was going to be.

Monday, at World Wide Technologies Raceway outside of St. Louis, Baldwin completed her Top Fuel licensing runs behind the wheel of grandfather Chris Karamesine's dragster.

Krista Baldwin, Top Fuel driver, has a nice ring to it. At least, this is how she sees it.

"It sounds pretty amazing," Baldwin said. "I've been thinking of this moment for years and years. And to finally be able to say that I've accomplished this goal, and especially to do it with my grandpa, I'm still speechless. I still am trying to form my thoughts on how quick that car is and how much I just loved it. I loved every second of it."

Baldwin admits she didn't need to nag Grandpa for the opportunity; it was the seasoned veteran's idea.

"It's funny because he actually asked me, 'Are you ready for this?" Baldwin said. "It was really on his plate because, of course, I've told him for years that I've wanted to do this. It was almost to the point, especially when I got into the A/Fuel car, which took him a while to warm up to the idea that this is what I want to do, this is what I want to do with my life. It's not just a phase that I'm going through. This is it.

"The last two years we've really been talking about making that transition and how we were going to do it. And I kept telling him, I'm like, 'It's up to you because this is still your car. It's still your dream. It's still what you want to do. Of course, I would love to drive it, but ultimately the decision will be yours."

The plan, pre-COVID, was to license this season so she'd be ready when the opportunity presented itself.

"The end of last year coming into this year, we had some plans and of course, the whole world got turned upside down this year," Baldwin said. "But I'm glad that we finally were able to do it. This is just a huge accomplishment and I'm so proud."

Her grandfather's longevity in the Top Fuel division, which is said to span some six decades, could have her waiting another 25 years.

"It's so funny because everyone keeps asking me. He's getting up there in age and they always say something about his reaction times," Baldwin said. "Like his reaction times aren't that good. And it's funny that people say that because he can actually cut a light if he really tried. Even this weekend at St. Louis, I was helping him in the car, and we were just getting the car situated for me. He is still sharp as a tack on what we wanted to do. He made two half-track passes this weekend just to make sure it was the checkout runs. He still knows what's up. He still knows how to drive those race cars."

As much as Baldwin tried to prepare herself for the transition from injected nitro to the real deal of fuel racing when the opportunity presented itself, she couldn't.

"To be honest, it was unreal," Baldwin admitted. "The first one, this was a driver mistake, and I take all responsibility for this. First run, I hit the gas, and my chin strap wasn't all the way down. So my head came back. And so I lifted pretty quick. I was pretty upset with myself because I thought it was the moment I've been looking for for 27 years, and I just messed it up by not doing my chin strap tight enough.

"So we leaked down the motor, put a new clutch in, and it drove it right back up there. And they're like, 'Okay, you go to half-track and then click it and you'll be good."

"I'm sitting in that car, and it's nothing like the A/Fuel car. Just the whole car feels different. Even though we both have DSR chassis, this car is just a beast. And you definitely knew that right on the burnout, just how quick it gets up on the tire.

"But then when I was staging the car for the second pass and I hit the gas and I'm like, 'Oh my God, this is happening."

"Then I got a little bit further out there, and it kept pulling me. And it was such a unique feeling. And I clicked it about 600 feet. And I went through the lights at 399, 252. And man, that's the fastest that car has been in a couple of years. And so when we got out at the top end, even grandpa had a tear in his eye. He was so excited. I couldn't believe it.

"There were some choice words that I used at the top end, just because I couldn't contain my excitement. But the feeling was unreal. I mean, I've been thinking of this moment for years and it blew it out of the water. That's for sure."

Of course, Grandpa just smiled when his granddaughter exhibited an adrenaline-inspired case of potty mouth upon exiting the Lucas Oil-sponsored dragster.

"Something like that, yeah," Baldwin recalled.

There is a plan in place for her to one day succeed Karamesines. But until then, she's just in preparation mode.

"This year, we brought the car down to Indianapolis here in Brownsburg from Chicago.," Baldwin said. "We've actually been working on the car for the last three months with Dom and Bobby Lagana. And let me tell you, Dominic did a wonderful job. He needed that extra set of eyes to just go through everything.

"We tore the car all apart, put all his same Schumacher parts back on the car. And Dom paid attention to detail."

Dom Lagana, who was injured in a non-racing automobile accident back in August, was there for the moment, albeit via a Facetime conducted by his brother Bobby Lagana.

"Dominic actually got to see the run," Baldwin revealed. "It was such a surreal feeling, knowing that Dom was able to see his work for the last couple of months go down the race track."

What often gets lost in her biological ties to Karamesines is that Baldwin is the late Bobby Baldwin's daughter. Baldwin was himself an accomplished Top Fuel driver.

"Man, if my dad was around, I really hope he would be proud," Baldwin said. "I'm doing this because I'm living out his dream, too. And every time I go down that racetrack, I know he's there with me. I only spent eight years with him, a very short time, but all the stories and all the people that come up to me in the last few years, they're like, 'Man, your dad would be so proud because this is what he wanted."

"And so, it gets to your heart. When I was getting into that Top Fuel car yesterday, I'm like, 'This is it, dad. This is where we're going.'

"My dad drove my grandpa's car and now I got to drive my grandpa's car. And it's a very full circle ascent. Of course, I wish he was there with me. And I knew he was looking on down at me as I was making those passes. But, life is what it is, and you just got to take it. I'm just really grateful for the people that helped me get to this point, helped me accomplish this dream for both myself and my family and my dad. He was there. I knew he was there the second I hit that gas."

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