Doug Herbert
He has the build for a career in professional football, the height for basketball and the energy for Wall Street. But he chose drag racing.
Doug Herbert grew up immersed in the motorsports industry in the drag racing hot bed of Southern California. Now the 6’4”, 41-year-old is aiming to add another piece to his life’s jigsaw puzzle. Herbert yearns to drive his Snap-on Tools Top Fuel dragster to an NHRA POWERade Drag Racing championship.
Drag racing has been part of Herbert’s life since he can remember. His father, legendary roller cam pioneer Chet Herbert, was an integral part of the scene when hot rodding moved off the streets of Southern California and into drag racing venues to see who could build and drive the baddest machines to the finish line first.
When Doug Herbert went to the 1982 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., he did more than pay attention. His father introduced him to the likes of “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “Mongoose” McEwen. The teenager was hooked.
“I was 15 years old and I remember thinking the entire racing deal was pretty neat,” Herbert said. “It got my mind whirling about being a driver and I couldn’t stop thinking this was something I might like to try.”
Herbert’s racing career started on shaky ground. Actually, there wasn’t ground at all because he first raced boats. It didn’t take long before he turned a couple of boats over and it struck him that boating might not be in his best long-term interest.
Herbert graduated from Villa Park High School in Orange, Calif. and went looking for a job on land. He spent two years working at Konblett’s Service Center before he decided to strike out on his own.
“I was almost 21 years old and my time at the Service Center got me thinking about opening my own store,” Herbert said. “I asked my dad about building a speed shop at his work site. I told him I would handle the business if he would let me use the building. I had been helping him grind cams before that but it just wasn’t for me. I felt like I was making keys all day long and I couldn’t do that. Dad knew all the right people, Edelbrock, Weiand and other manufacturers and before long, we had enough equipment to open a store, and Doug Herbert Performance Parts was born.”
Surrounded by the parts that made the cars quicker and faster at the drag strip, Herbert opted to get involved as a driver.
Since 1986, Herbert has juggled two things that individually would be full-time endeavors for a person of less energy or aspirations: his parts business and his driving career. Herbert drove a Top Alcohol dragster in Las Vegas that year and was instantly hooked on driving as a career.
“Working hard and driving a dragster are the two things I know how to do best,” Herbert said. “I spend so much time working because there is always something that needs to be done and it’s amazing how after all these years, I am still learning how to run my business better.
“The same thing can be said about driving. Drag racing has changed so drastically over the years and it constantly evolves. You have to pay attention and try to stay with the pack, and it takes a lot of time and money to do so. But I keep after it because I love racing.”
Herbert made his first start on the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) circuit in 1991. He went on to win 20 IHRA events as well as four IHRA Top Fuel championships.
“You learn how to win in IHRA competition,” Herbert said. “Once you know how to do that, you can do it anywhere. The competition was good, but it was still a place where you could learn as you went along. We had a great time in those days because it was more of a hobby to most people rather than a business. We had some fun, we won a lot of races and four championships. It helped me prepare for the NHRA national circuit.”
He made his first NHRA start at the Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. in 1991 and grabbed his first NHRA event win at Columbus in 1992.
Herbert juggled both series until 1999 when he went to just one IHRA event at Rockingham, N.C., and took home his final IHRA trophy.
“It got to be too hectic to run two circuits,” Herbert said. “The NHRA was bigger, and if you want a major sponsor, you need the national series. The competition is very intense because everyone spends millions on the teams, everyone has the best equipment and the crew chiefs are all competitive, intelligent people. It’s a tough place to win and I’m lucky to have won ten events already. The team is getting better every day and we have a lot more victories to come.”
“This team is capable of winning races and the championship,” Herbert said. “The window of opportunity to win is open for us right now. We have a great team in place and we’re constantly improving and evolving. But, we’re just getting started.”
