The 14-year-old from Harriman, Tenn., became the third IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Champion from Knoxville Dragway in the last four years. Loy joined 2019 Junior Dragster champion Kaden Harrill and 2021 Box champion George Simpson as recent IHRA World Champions.
It was nearly the fourth in six years as her father, Travis, was the No Box runner-up in 2017. Asked the secret of why her home track has produced so many champions, Loy had a couple of reasons.
“It’s such tough racing at Knoxville. You have such good competition there,” Loy said after her Sunday victory. “Here at the World Finals, there’s also so many good racers, the best of the best. It means a lot to just get by the first round. To win this championship, it means a lot to me.”
The trip was a family affair as her dad advanced to the second round of No Box eliminations. He talked of being proud how Aubrey had one-upped his previous record with her championship run. She has the history of a third-generation racer with her grandfather Randy also helping her at the IHRA World Finals.
Loy used a run of 8.441 seconds at 77.53 mph against an 8.46 dial-in to defeat Cayden Keyes from Abilene, Texas in the final round. Keyes had a better start .076 to .096, but came in under the 7.94 dial-in.
Most rounds, it was Loy who had the better reaction times to advance through the eliminations. She won $10,000 from Summit Racing Equipment, a prestigious IHRA Ironman trophy, an IHRA Gold Card and an IHRA World Championship diamond ring.
“I had good passes. When I needed to be good on the tree, I was good on the tree,” she said. “I love drag racing. I love meeting all the people and I have so many friends back at my home track.”
Despite racing with a heavy heart with the death of her maternal grandmother, it was no surprise to see Loy be able to focus and excel. She’s a competitor through and through. As a member of the Oliver Springs High School golf team, she advanced to the TSSAA (Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association) regional playoffs last month.
While she still has time left in the Junior Dragsters, future plans are to move up to her grandfather’s big car. It’s a scary thought for her fellow competitors as Loy continues to add to both her family’s and Knoxville Dragway’s championship legacies.
