Jasmine Monique Salinas (born January 4, 1992) is an American NHRAdrag racer. She is the daughter of drag racer Mike Salinas and the sister of fellow racer Jianna Evaristo-Salinas.
Racing career
Early career
Salinas started racing at the age of 15 in the NHRA Junior Drag Racing Series alongside her 3 sisters. [citation needed]
NHRA Lucas Oil Series
In 2019, Salinas made her debut in Top Alcohol Dragster and finished her rookie season 15th in points.[1] She appeared on the cover of Drag Illustrated's 'Women of Power' issue with her sister, Jianna.[2]
In 2021, Salinas experienced a blow over crash during the final round of qualifying at Gainesville Raceway.[3] Despite a carsh at the start of the season, she finished 6th in National Standings and 2nd in Regional Standings with 1 Regional Event win.
In 2022, Jasmine scored her 1st National Event win right back at Gainesville Raceway, exactly 1 year after surviving a harrowing over-the-wall crash at the very same track.[4] She would go on to win 3 more races that season, including tying for 2nd in the World and securing the North Central Regional Championship. She was selected to be part of Drag Illustrated's '30 Under 30' and appeared on the magazine's cover for that issue as well.[5]
In 2023, Jasmine competed part-time in Top Alcohol Dragster to focus her efforts on her professional transition into Top Fuel Dragster. In August, she earned her licensed in Top Fuel Dragster, thus making her one of the fastest Women of Color on the planet.
NHRA Mission Foods Series
She will make her professional debut in 2024 for Scrappers Racing, where they will field a 2 car team. Both she and her father will make history as the first Father-Daughter duo in NHRA Top Fuel Dragster.[6]
Gainesville Crash
In 2021 during the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Nationals in Gainesville, Florida, Salinas experienced a blow over crash during the final round of qualifying.[7] The car went airborne as she passed the 1/8 mile and flew across the track, over the left guardrail, and flipped several times until eventually coming to a stop in the outside embankment.
The NHRA issued a statement that said Salinas’ “dragster stood up and blew over before coming to a stop” in the class’ final pairing of the session. She was able to crawl out of the car under her own power and was later transported to a local hospital for evaluation. She suffered bruising but no major injuries.[8]
Personal life
Salinas is of Dutch-Indonesian and Mexican-Commanche-Spanish descent. Her family resides in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. She is the oldest of four girls. She is the daughter of NHRA Top Fuel driver Mike Salinas and the sister of Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Jianna Evaristo.
In 2019, she was the subject of a documentary, 'Five Foot 280' which was accepted into several film festivals.[9] The documentary short follows Salinas through her adrenaline-filled world of driving a 3,500 horsepower car while describing the challenges of being a female in a male-dominated sport.
Salinas currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana for her racing career.[citation needed]