Alex Conaway is one of the racing fans who was born, not made. He geared his life choices toward accomplishing his young self’s goal of working on a professional racing team and he’s continuing to rise through the ranks in an industry he loves.
Title: Car Chief
Team: Matt Hagan’s Mopar® Dodge Charger SRT® Hellcat Funny Car
I’ve been a race fan my whole life. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to work on a professional race team, and that has always been my end-goal.
I spent my younger years racing with an NHRA Jr. drag racing team which afforded me the opportunity to travel around the country. For an 8-year-old, that’s a pretty incredible experience! When I was 14, I decided to take it to the next level and volunteered for a lower budget team, which allowed me to expand my skills and learn a ton. I stayed with the team traveling during the summers throughout high school.
The day I graduated, it was time to put my dream into full motion, so I packed up and made the move to Texas to race full-time. Once there, I worked for free for three months and then in August 2004, I was offered a full-time job in Brownsburg, Indiana. I’ve been working at a professional level ever since.
In 2013, I was working for John Force Racing and was catching up on other race teams and came across a press release about my former boss, Dickie Venables. He had recently been named Crew Chief for Matt Hagan’s car at Don Schumacher Racing. I sent him a quick “congratulations!” text that turned into a conversation, which became lunch…and eventually became my new job. I’ve been working with Don Schumacher Racing and the Dodge/SRT®/Mopar® team ever since.
I started on Dickie’s team as a Clutch Specialist and now hold the important position of Car Chief. I couldn’t imagine another way of life. It’s the life I’ve always wanted, and the life I love. What I love most about the job is that I’m never done learning. EVER! Every day brings a new challenge, which forces you to adapt and be nimble. The results drive you because nothing can replicate the feeling of winning. It’s my world at its best!