Drag racing fans have been following Tina Pierce since 2009 across a variety of formats: from Street Outlawsand no-prep racing to radial and drag-and-drive events. Most recently, she has focused on piloting her ’08 Chevy Colorado in Top Sportsman in the Mid-West Drag Racing Series.
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #195, the Women of Power Issue, in July/August of 2025.
While fans may be familiar with the red truck, Pierce’s new combination this year may not be quite as familiar. In an effort to help boost performance, Pierce and her husband, David, teamed up with Compressed Air Supercharging and owner Mark Griffin for a unique source of horsepower to pair with Pierce’s 509ci big-block Chevy. The truck currently runs 4.40s at 160 mph in the eighth mile, running just 15 pounds of boost on the dual system.
“When we first saw this system, I actually raced Mark, and we were looking at his time slips,” says Pierce. “He had run four 4.50s in a row, just one right after another. David was very interested in it. We talked to Mark for probably nine months before we decided to switch everything over, because it was so new and we had lots of questions.”
The biggest factor in their decision was consistency. Pierce previously ran a stock block LS motor with twin turbos, running low 5-second passes. However, the allure of not being concerned about the effects of changing weather conditions or climates with the CAS system was too good to pass up.
“The consistency makes sense because you’re putting your own atmosphere in the engine,” Pierce says. “It doesn’t matter where you’re at, you’re going to be running the same number. The track is really all you’re fighting. There’s no additional forces we have to worry about – we don’t have to spin turbos, blowers, or anything. It’s all naturally aspirated until you make that pass. It’s so easy on the transmission, engine, everything.”
While Pierce is focused on running Top Sportsman, she also competed in Motion Raceworks Mega Week presented by Sick the Mag during the first week of June, alongside her 16-year-old daughter, Kenzie – with David as their co-pilot. Pierce drove her LS-powered, twin-turbo ‘66 Nova, running 7.30s to start the week in Ultimate Radial. Unfortunately, over the course of the 1,320-mile route with tracks in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas, issues derailed her chances of winning.
“The Nova did not go so well for me,” admits Pierce. “The first two days I ran 7.35, then we came down to Noble [Oklahoma] and I only ran an 8.04. We messed up my injector drivers and didn’t know it. When we got down to Texas, we couldn’t spool up or even get it started. We put a tube into the intake so we could spray brake clean in it so it would run, just so I could break the beams. I had a 20-second run, so I went from first or second fastest there, all the way to the very bottom.”
Despite the struggles, Pierce was still all smiles at the end of the week after racing with her daughter, who competed in the Tailgate class in the family’s blue ‘04 Colorado. Also sporting a new single-system Compressed Air Supercharging combination, Kenzie ran 8.75 during the week.
“It’s so neat to see because her and I don’t always get along when it comes to this kind of stuff,” Pierce says. “I coached her in softball since she was four, and we kind of got into it when she was 12. Now, it’s kind of the same thing, but she’s actually taking some of the stuff that I tell her.”
Not only did Kenzie complete Mega Week, she closed out the event by winning one of the special heads-up shootouts on the final day in Tulsa. For Tina, it was an unforgettable experience witnessing her daughter’s accomplishment in person.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so proud because it’s doing this as a family,” says Pierce. “She’s really good on the tree and she knows how to race. It’s nice to see younger generations – plus an extension of me – coming out here and doing the things that we like doing. She didn’t even flinch. She did everything she’s supposed to do – and won. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is so awesome!”
As for Tina, her sights are set on continuing to chase the points battle in the MWDRS Top Sportsman class in 2025. Fans can see her at upcoming Mid-West events at Flying H Dragstrip, U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, and Tulsa Raceway Park.
