Drag and drive events bring spectators and racers from all over the globe. We take for granted the car culture and racing that is available in the States. Huang Jie, from Beijing, China, was compelled by passion and longing for camaraderie to travel to spectate three runnings of DragWeek in 2018, 2019, and 2025.
Growing up in Yunnan Province in the 1990s, Huang explains it was unlikely to see many cars beyond VW Santanas (think Passat), Citroen ZX, and Buicks. His family purchased their first car in 2009! Car ownership has grown over the last 20 years, collectively the culture is quite young. Much of the laws surrounding modifications and tuning have a German structure given the early entry of VW into the Chinese car market. Strict rules paired with high shipping charges and import fees dictate how enthusiasts modify and use their vehicles. It’s not that Chinese enthusiasts don't like or want large v8s, yet high taxes based on displacement (up to 143% for 4.0L and larger) of a vehicle play a considerable factor in the car hobby. Take Huang's Cadillacs; the 2.0L ATS has a burden of $480 per year where his 6.2L CTS-V is $4500. Sleeper cars are popular while some decide that non-compliant cars that are trailered to events are favorable. Scope creep is a feature not a bug as much in China as it is anywhere else. Huang explains that people just now coming into the car scene gravitate to EVs, due to factors of cost, performance, and legality.
Since 2007, Huang has made his living repairing Harley Davidson motorcycles. He has two Cadillacs, an ATS and 2009 CTS-V, as well as a 2006 Chrysler 300C. Drag racing in China is quite new as events began in 2016. Huang has been there from the start primarily helping work the events, occasionally making passes.
A self described lover of all things Americana, he put his money where his mouth is and registered to compete in DragWeek 2026. Worried about customs on both ends of the trip, Huang utilized restraint while modifying the LTG Ecotec, relying on parts sourced from his friend's company CCR, based in Guangdong. Go time, the yellow ATS was loaded on a boat for its 40 day journey to the US. Huang states that the $8,000 needed to get the car stateside means nothing in relation to the experience of being able to drive and race his own car during Drag Week. This would not only be his first time on a dedicated and prepped racing surface, but also his first experience on newly acquired slicks and skinnies. He was especially thrilled to be able to travel Route 66, yet worried about travelling alone as he was unsure who would help take photos to document his trip and worse case scenario his car breaking down. Much to his dismay, the 11 second capable ATS started acting weird on day one and slowed down each pass after that resulting in the nightmare scenario, a mechanical failure, forcing a DNF. If it wasn’t for NHRA technical director Lonnie Grim, Huang and his ATS would have been stranded. The two men proceeded to visit far too many U-haul stores to rent a truck only to then need a different location in order to get the trailer needed to get the ATS back to Chicago. Now back home on the other side of the world, Haung intends to ship parts to the US to repair and then test the ATS. Fingers crossed he will come back to compete and finish DragWeek 2027.
[If you know Lonnie Grim
Huang Jie’s parting words, “I want to find a way to bring drag racing fans from my country over here, so they can take part in it and experience American racing culture firsthand. I'd like to think of myself as a seed; a beginning.”
This is the ethos of drag and drive; making friends the world over who share and spread the joy of the car hobby. I implore you to set a goal to meet new folks at each event to increase the “old home week” feeling year on year.
Article By Brandon Parker
Photo credit: Huang Jie, Eric White, Joshua Norris Sr., Jerry Lambertz, Andy Lehner
