“From not knowing how to change a tire to putting an engine back together in a couple of weeks”
Written by Jim Fox Photography by Jesse Fox (3G Video)
Thinking Back to High School Days
Have you ever wondered after being out of high school for a while whatever become of that cute, not afraid of anything, cheerleader? You know the one, everybody paid attention to her, was always smiling as she was being thrown into the air with totally no fear of what might happen. Yeah, now you have a picture of her in your mind, we all had those in our high school. Well here is a story of one of those girls.
Two Different Ways to Fly
Emilee (Ballard) Medeisis graduated from Yorkville, IL High School, where she was on the cheerleading squad from junior high all the way through high school. Being totally committed to the sport and participating on a traveling team, she competed against other cheerleading squads. Emilee was what they called a flyer, the one others threw up as high as they could to do gymnastics in the air before coming down and being caught. So it stands to reason that the adrenalin rush of the fear factor would lead her into something that would be the equivalent of being a flyer. Racing a drag car doing 8 second passes in a quarter mile.
Confidence With No Fear
During the interview with Emilee’s mom and dad, Valerie and Mike Ballard told me of a story about Emilee when she turned five years old. On the day of her fifth birthday she went up the staircase to the fifth step and announced that she was going to jump to the floor. Mike asked, “What are you doing?” Emilee replied, “I
“I don’t think she ever had them” (Butterflies)
“She was definitely different”
am five today so I can jump and I know I can make it.” Her parents asked, “How do you know you can make it?” She confidently said, “I don’t have those things swirling around in my stomach.” “You mean those butterfly things?” they asked. With a bold voice “If that is what they are.” “I am going to jump.” Valerie remarked, “I don’t think she ever had them.” “She was definitely different.”
Junior Dragster
Mike also told me that Emilee starting going to the drag strip with him eighteen to twenty years ago. But when they tried to put her in a junior dragster, Valerie
“She wanted nothing to do with it”
said, “She wanted nothing to do with it.” They went on to tell me her whole life became cheerleading, totally committed with no interest anywhere else. Then seven to eight years ago she came to her dad and told him she wanted to race. So Mike bought her a first gen Camaro and started bracket racing it a few years.
The Man Does Everything
Emilee told me she never minded going to the race track with her dad and family and at first she liked the racing, then she hated it, especially junior dragster. At seventeen she decided it was time for her to try racing and she asked her dad for a car, he got her the Camaro. Shortly after that, in 2016, at Hot Rod Drag Week she met a young man named Cody Medeisis. He got her interested in Drag Week, so they decided to do it together. Two years later, in 2018, they built a LS engine and ran Street Machine Eliminator Class. Emilee had been bugging Cody to paint her car, so he picked out the color and wasn’t going to tell her what it was, but she told him, you don’t eat till you tell me the color. You see, Cody is the tuner, body guy, painter and driver in his own car. In Emilee’s own words “He does everything”. Oh yeah, as you can tell by the pictures it is a custom made beautiful “red”, Cody and Emilee worked together getting the car ready and eight months later was at Semi 2020.
Family Time at the Dragstrip
“On weekends we are together working on our stuff, spending time with family. Relaxing as much as we can because all our money is in the stuff” Emilee said. They regularly race at Byron, Cordova and 66 in Joliet, IL. Emilee’s sister has never been interested in racing but her husband has a Corvette he races so every time they go to the track it’s a big family picnic. Emilee is very thankful for family and friends that support.
Not Giving Up, Totally Committed
Their journey to this year’s Drag Week was one of uncertainty. On August 14 they went to race track 41 in Morocco, IN to test the car. In the process a piston was melted and the work began. For two weeks Cody and Emilee were thrashing to get ready. All the machine work was done in a shop then delivered to the house
“Not afraid to get her fingernails dirty”
and they did the work. Really fun time a bonding and learning experience. Emilee gave a big shout out to Modern Carriage for the body work, Vortech Supper Charger, the reason for the 8.50s, JE Piston who made a custom piston set and delivered them, Hyper Active Performance the tuner, a good one to have on your team, and to Frankenstein Heads. As Valerie (mom) said “Going from not knowing how to change a tire to putting an engine back together in a couple of weeks” Emilee has come a long way. “She is not afraid to get her fingernails dirty” commented Mike (dad).
Focusing on the Future
Hot Rod Drag Week 2022 was a success as they raced every day, traveled 750 miles on a build they just put together, what more could you ask for. The Street Race Small Block Power Adder 8.50 Class was very competitive. Emilee pulled out a fifth place finish in a very tight, large division. Going forward they focused during the winter on getting Cody’s S-10 ready for 2023 and both of them race. They were successful with a beautiful blue S-10 that they took to the 2023 PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis, IN. They also made it an official team as they got married in October of 2023. The future is looking good for these two and I speak God’s blessings over them. Be watching for this duo, I am sure they will show up again.
Opmerkingen