As part of a new “Meet the Class” series, Arcadia University has been highlighting new students in the Class of 2024 each week.

This week’s student feature is Bailie Zepp, a drag racer from Hanover who holds three National Hot Rod Association junior racing records: most money won, most wins in a row, and most tracks traveled in a row.

“I’ve been bullied since the third grade. Racing was my outlet to get away from that,” said Zepp. “It’s turned me into the person I am today. I’ve become a more extroverted person and I tend to push myself more to do things.”

Drag racing is a two-car race where drivers compete to cross the finish line in quarter-mile, thousand-foot, and eighth-mile races. Zepp drives in the eighth-mile races, and typically finishes her races in 7 or 8 seconds—meaning she’s driving at approximately 85 mph.

Zepp Learned to drag race at the age of 10 and credits drag racing with improving her math skills because of the focus and strategy it takes to win a race.

She went from nearly repeating a grade as a child to passing AP Calculus her senior year of high school, and is now a 4+2 Master of Science in Forensic Science student.

While the racing season usually runs from March to November, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Zepp said she’s only been able to visit the track a few times since they’ve reopened at the end of June.

“Our season kind of got cut in half; it was stolen from us,” said Zepp. “There aren’t big races going on, just little gatherings of a 100 people or less. And no spectators are allowed, which is really a bummer.”

Although Zepp loves drag racing and hopes to be a sponsored driver, she has a plan B as a virologist—someone who studies viruses.

“Drag racing is one of those sports where you always push yourself to do better,” said Zepp. “I’ve lost plenty of times, but every time I learned something new. I take that and I do better the next time.”

Read more about Bailie Zepp here.