“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
MULTI-CATEGORY NHRA DRAG RACER FOR 20+ YEARS.
For most of my life, I have been a competitive drag racer with my family under Jeff Kundratic Racing, piloting a variety of cars. Everything from junior dragsters and my first daily driver (a 2001 Pontiac Bonneville), to a 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, a 1987 Chevy Monte Carlo, and several varieties and styles of dragsters.
In 2021, I took steps to advance my racing career under Kelly Kundratic Racing. That year, I teamed up with the Anderson Family A/Fuel Dragster team as a crew member for the insanely talented driver, team owner, tuner, and racecar builder, Marina Garlick (Anderson). As I learned and crewed with them at races across the midwest, I also trained for my TAD license which I went on to earn with the team in the spring of' ‘22. I competed in 5 races with the Anderson Family that season, with several more planned for 2023.
Many of my opportunities in racing have been afforded to me by the generosity of people I’ve met through growing up in the drag racing community. Hard work and passion got me far, but I would not be who I am today without their kindness and generosity. Among those honors are continued invitations to drive others’ racecars, picking up a track championship, qualifying for several bracket finals, and receiving recognition in Drag Illustrated’s 30 under 30 Class of 2022.
At its simplest level, drag racing is about competition, adrenaline, and intensity. But more critically, it’s about the profound relationships I get to build over a mutual love for going fast. That is the part that truly fuels me. Competing in the fastest NHRA sportsman category of Top Alcohol Dragster is a nod to decades of work my family has dedicated to this sport and the fulfillment of a dream we all share. My goal is to continue working toward chances to compete in TAD (and other categories) and to grow my relationships and partnerships in support of those goals.
ADVANCING PENNSYLVANIA’S FOOD & FARMS.
Professionally, I’m an Agriculture Policy Director at a state-level non-profit. Day-to-day, I direct state-level, strategic agriculture initiatives by convening leaders to advance opportunities for economic growth that address the strengths, needs, and challenges of my state’s food and agriculture industries. My passion for agriculture was born at a young age spending summers on my grandparents’ dairy farm in northeastern PA and cultivated through my involvement in FFA, holding jobs in different aspects of the industry, and even teaching high school agriculture. I graduated from The Friedman School at Tufts University (MS in Agriculture, Food, and Environment), West Virginia University (BS in Agricultural and Extension Education), and Harford Community College (AA).
SEASONAL VANLIFER.
I was among many for whom the pandemic created “a new normal” of remote/hybrid work. When reality hit that I would be stuck at home for an unknown period of time, I began to scour the internet in a country-wide search for the perfect, road-ready van to set out and see the country. After all, I could work from anywhere now… After months of searching, fortune favored me and I found the perfect van just 20 miles from home. As they say, “the rest is history”, and since August 2020, I’ve been the proud owner of a 1999 RoadTrek (Pam the Van). My sidekick corgi Kevin and I live vanlife ‘seasonally’ to accommodate the months we find ourselves spending on the road for racing, but also visiting family and exploring new places.
LIVING IN SERVICE.
I care deeply about the communities I call ‘home’. I back up those words by dedicating time to raising awareness for causes I care about, like organ donation and transplantation through my personal story as a living organ donor, service to my church community, and as a Board Member for a local non-profit focused on cultivating youth leaders through meaningful work in the food system (learn more about LEAF Project here).