The Six Sickest Interviewees I’ve Found At The Track - The Weekly Reekie

This week I want to pay tribute to a group of people who make my job as a drag-and-drive videographer easier: my favorite interviewees. My beloved muses. My pet victims.

This is an unashamedly biased list. It was put together using loose and vague selection criteria based on my own selfish desires. The six chosen candidates never fail to make me and my videos look good. I can stick a camera in any of their faces in any kind of weather and they’ll gimme sugar by the spoonful.

Having superior media skills is only part of it. It takes much more than a pretty face, a big personality and the ability to spontaneously articulate on camera to earn my seal of approval. I like my megastars grounded and gracious. I want them to be approachable, personable, engaged and fun to work with. Some gangsters just have the gift.

Devin Vanderhoof

Devin Vanderhoof is the kind of motormouth you’d want on your side in an argument. He learned the art of gum-flapping while growing up in South Jersey and he perfected it while street racing in South Carolina. He talks the talk, and his Mustang convertible, driven by Josh Davis, walks the walk. In 6.41 seconds. At over 200mph. On radials.

It took me a minute to warm to Devin. He carries himself with such an air of confidence that I initially mistook him for one of those humorless dick-swingers you often find at racetracks. Big fish in small ponds; those jerks get on my nerves. But as it turns out, he’s not one of them. He’s actually a warmhearted guy — just don’t tell his rivals.

Devin gives a great interview. I’ve spoken to him in triumph and tragedy and he can always be relied on for a quote or seven. His brain is quick, his tongue is sharp, and he has very few boundaries. We’ve only ever had to censor him once due to legal advice.

Ned Dunphy

Everybody Loves Ned Dunphy is a hit sitcom just waiting to happen.

I first stuck a camera in Ned’s face at Drag Week 2023, when he made his drag-and-drive debut in his outrageous SMX-powered Dodge Viper. Multiple people who watched those videos reached out to me to say how much they liked Ned as a newcomer on the scene, which was notable because it’s never happened before.

I think what makes Ned such a loveable character is the way he radiates enthusiasm and joy for what he’s doing. He’s a big ball of positive energy. When I read in the pages of Sick The Mag that he works in the world of finance, I could clearly visualize him bouncing off the office walls.

One of the things I love about Ned is that he seems eternally upbeat. Whether the Viper had blown its intake manifold sky high or whether it had run a 6.41@236mph made no difference, he was smiling and loving life either way. And that’s why Everybody Loves Ned Dunphy.

Sam Lankford

At 78 years young, Sam Lankford is living the dream. My first impression when I saw him appear on Cleetus’s YouTube channel was that he was as wholesome as hell. My second impression was that nobody else on earth could pull off wearing a hoodie tucked in with a belt the way he can.

I got to know Mr Sam a little when he co-piloted with EJ in the Sick The Mag gasser at Sick Summer 2023, and a little more when he drove his F150 at Sick Week 2024, and I’m happy to report that he’s every bit as gentle and polite and hilarious in person as he is on the internet. One of those rare people who is exactly the same whether the camera is on or off.

I’ve spoken with Sam on all kinds of topics, from the art of thickshake making to his favorite era of Pink Floyd, and I’ve come to find that any interaction with him – whether I’m filming it or not – is guaranteed to boost my mood.

I now actively seek him out at the track just for the dopamine hit. I get high on the guy.

Alan Whitaker

One day I’m gonna publish a book called Alan-isms featuring the wisdom and wise-assery of Alan Whittaker. That man’s got a real purty mouth. Aside from having a special way with words, Alan is an instigator with a joy for life that infects those around him. He doesn’t need any prompting to be entertaining, he just is.

Some folks don’t take kindly to having a camera stuck in their faces when things have gone pear-shaped with their race car. Alan, however, is unflappable. At Sick Week 2024, I found him underneath his Monte Carlo with an oil pan full of metal shavings and he was cracking jokes just the same as always. And, as always, he was the butt of most of them.

Alan epitomizes that old saying: “A bad day at the racetrack is still better than a good day at work.”

Kevin Smith

We already know Kevin Smith is a good dude because of the way he opens up his workshop to fellow entrants during Sick Week. KSR in Gainesville is a hot spot where people can go for shelter, tools, machinery, assistance, parts, beer and whatever else they need to stay in the game.

Kev is one of my favorite interviewees for a similar reason – let’s call it his generosity of spirit. He’s open and genial and just a genuine cool cat.

On the final day of Sick Week 2024, at Orlando, Kev had a butt-puckering moment when he got the ‘Soccer Mom’ Camaro all the way sideways and back. Thankfully he managed to avoid all damage by throwing the ’chute and steering the shit out of it, but it was still a heck of a scare. When I stuck a camera in his face afterwards, Kev was completely unfazed. The guy’s life had just flashed before his eyes, yet his media game remained on point. Clearly not all daredevils are created equal.

Alex Taylor

The hands-down best interviewee in drag-and-drive is Alex Taylor. Of course, Alex has an advantage over most in that she hosts a television show for a living, but I daresay even without all that practice, she’d still be in her own elite class.

I can basically stick a camera in her face and she’ll go to work on the Who, What, Where, When and Why. She’ll tell the audience which day of the event it is and what track we’re at, then go into a summary of what’s been happening and what’s going to happen with her ’55. It all just comes so naturally.

Alex is the total package, which extends to her off-camera interactions too. She makes time for her fans, particularly the young females that idolize her. To see her in the pits taking selfies and signing autographs for people, you’d never realize she was in the midst of competing in a drag-and-drive. She’s the greatest ambassador drag-and-drive has ever had.

Written by Matt Reekie.