CONCORD, N.C. -- Less than two months after Leah Pritchett secured her first NHRA Top Fuel victory, the tenacious California native's racing career came to a screeching halt with the devastating news that her team was closing.
In one morning conference call, the position for which Pritchett had so diligently fought for the majority of her life was gone. A longtime family friend came to the rescue for this weekend's NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. However, on Sunday night, after failing to advance that day to the second elimination round, her future for next weekend's NHRA Springnationals in Houston was unknown.
When questioned as to how she would proceed, Pritchett took a deep breath and with unwavering courage faced the harsh reality confronting her.
"I am probably going to have to skip a lot of races," Pritchett said. "I personally cannot continue to do one-race deals for the next 19 races. My efforts are in finding a partnership and sponsors that can come on board with me and go for the ultimate goal of the championship."
It was a one-race deal with the Lagana family that kept her 10th in the Top Fuel standings after Sunday's Four-Wide Nationals; a deal that came together at the 11th hour.
For Pritchett, the nerve-racking scenario began when she learned of her team's closing less than two weeks before the Concord event. In a conference call on April 11, team owner Bob Vandergriff Jr. told his employees he was retiring immediately and shutting the doors on his racing operation. His decision came slightly more than a month after financial backer and C&J Energy Services founder Josh Comstock's death.
Pritchett knew there was a potential for issues with Comstock's passing because of the funding he provided, but she and teammate Dave Connolly had been told they "would be fine" until the end of 2017. Never did she expect to be left without a ride just four races into the season. It was then that Pritchett turned to Dom Lagana, who had been friends with her husband since age 5, and his family for help.
"We put this together in two or three days," said Lagana, the general manager for Lagana Family Racing. "She had some great sponsors on her side and they came through in a clutch situation. Her and Brittany [Force], in my eyes, are the most popular drivers now and the NHRA needs her out here at any expense."
Opportunities exist, but Pritchett knows she must bring the financial backing with her if she expects to get the ride. And that's the hiccup.
"I think the biggest misconception is that I have the partners and I could take some funds and insert them somewhere else with another team," Pritchett said. "Those funds are unavailable to me at this moment. That's why I'm in the situation that I'm in. I have a lot of people that are helping me."
Pritchett also is helping herself. The 27-year-old competitor understands the business-to-business aspect of the sport and she's a sponsor's dream, presenting herself in an articulate manner to the media while being pleasant with the fans. On Saturday, between qualifying rounds, she calmly posed for photographs with fans and signed autographs at her team's transporter while her crew hurriedly prepared her Top Fuel car for the next run. Still, it was hurtful that she wasn't getting to share the weekend with her previous team.
"The biggest letdown is not being able to finish what we had started with our group of people," Pritchett said. "I felt so awesome with our entire team.
"They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and God only gives you obstacles in life that He knows you can overcome. That's kind of the mentality that I've had. It gets to me, but ... I have to realize a pity party isn't going to get me to the next step."
And that's the way Pritchett has always handled her career -- one step at a time.
Deb Williams is a North Carolina-based writer and former editor. She has covered auto racing for United Press International, USA Today and The Charlotte Observer.