Alfred John Young (April 28, 1946-December 11, 2022) is a former World Champion Drag Racer and

National Hot Rod Association The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...

Hall of Famer who competed in professional

Bracket racing Bracket racing is a form of drag racing that allows for a handicap between predicted elapsed time of the two cars over a standard distance, typically within the three standard distances (1/8 mile, 1,000 foot, or 1/4 mile) of drag racing. Goal ...

, and the heads-up categories from Super Street and Super Gas to

Super Comp Super Comp (or Quick Rod) is the fastest of the heads-up Super classes (8.90 index). Super Comp is composed primarily of Drag racing, dragsters. Engine, chassis and body modifications are virtually unlimited, though all entries must adhere to NHRA o ...

. He taught high school in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, for 37 years, and is involved with the preparation of classic high performance race cars. After campaigning his 1970

Dodge Challenger The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles (two of those being pony cars) produced by American automobile manufacturer Dodge. However, the first use of the Challenger name by Dodge was in 1959 for marketing a ...

for over 25 years, winning the American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) World Championship and numerous other

and AHRA titles, he donated his

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

car to the

Museum of History and Industry The Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) is a history museum in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest private heritage organization in Washington state, maintaining a collection of nearly four m ...

(MOHAI) in Seattle, Washington, in 2007. During the majority of his

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

career, he was sponsored by

Ole Bardahl Bardahl is a brand of petroleum oil additives, lubricants and gasoline additives for motor vehicles and internal combustion engines made by Bardahl Manufacturing Corporation in Seattle, Washington. Ole Bardahl Bardahl Oil Company was found ...

of the

Bardahl Bardahl is a brand of petroleum oil additives, lubricants and gasoline additives for motor vehicles and internal combustion engines made by Bardahl Manufacturing Corporation in Seattle, Washington. Ole Bardahl Bardahl Oil Company was founded ...

Company. In 2019, he was inducted into the

, Northwest Division, Hall of Fame. He was the first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

World Champion race car driver.

Biography

Al Young with Championship Dodge Challenger Drag Car at MOHAI

Young, a

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...

, grew up in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the youngest of three children. His sisters are Janey Young Cheu, and

Connie Young Yu Connie Young Yu (born June 19, 1941) is a Chinese American writer, activist, historian, and lecturer. She has written and contributed to many articles and books, notably including ''Profiles in Excellence: Peninsula Chinese Americans'', ''China ...

. His father was Col.

John C. Young John Chew Young (; June 16, 1912 – October 27, 1987), Chinese American, was born in San Jose, California. A key figure in the development of Chinatown, San Francisco, he was one of the original board members of the Chinese Historical Socie ...

, a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...

and businessman, and mother was Mary Lee Young, an artist and art collector. He is married to Vicki Johnson Young who retired from

Seattle Public Schools Seattle Public Schools is the largest Public school (government funded), public school district in the state of Washington (state), Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Park, ...

after teaching Elementary School for over 28 years. They have two children: Chase Johnson Young and Ashley Victoria Durant, and six grandchildren. Young graduated from

George Washington High School (San Francisco) George Washington High School is a public high school in Richmond District, San Francisco, California. In 2011, Washington High was ranked by '' Newsweek's'' Jay Mathews Challenge Index as the 497th best high school in the United States. History ...

, studied English literature at

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

and received a BA in 1968 and MA in 1972. An

Upward Bound Upward Bound is a federally funded educational program within the United States. The program is one of a cluster of programs now referred to as TRiO, all of which owe their existence to the federal Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (the War on P ...

tutor/counselor, teacher, and an advocate for the program since 1968. A founder of one of Seattle's first

Alternative school An alternative school is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional. Such schools offer a wide range of philosophies and teaching methods; some have strong political, scholarly, or philosophical orientati ...

s, the Summit K-12 School, in 1973. He taught high school for 37 years in the

instructing subjects ranging from Auto Shop, Physical Education, Film Study, and Chinese Cooking, as well as Honors courses in History, and college level

AP United States Government and Politics Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics (often shortened to AP Gov and sometimes referred to as AP American Government or simply AP Government) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students throug ...

, and

AP Comparative Government and Politics Advanced Placement (AP) Comparative Government and Politics (also known as AP CoGo or AP CompGov) is an Advanced Placement comparative politics course and exam offered by the College Board. It was first administered in 1987. Course To better matc ...

. He has been the adviser to school teams that participated in the Chrysler Trouble Shooting contests,

YMCA Youth and Government YMCA Youth and Government (YaG), also known as Youth In Government, or Model Legislature and Court, is a program of the YMCA of the USA that allows high school students to serve in model governments at the local, state, national, and internationa ...

Mock trial competitions,

Junior State of America The Junior State of America (formerly the Junior Statesmen of America), abbreviated JSA, is an American non-partisan youth organization. The purpose of JSA is to help high school students acquire leadership skills and the knowledge necessary to ...

Conventions, and has led high school groups to the South Pacific and Washington D. C. for close up learning. During his teaching career, he also coached: volleyball, softball, and basketball. The Seattle Committee for Excellence in Education named him as a nominee for their 1985 award. Young was given recognition as one of Seattle Public Schools' "Heroes in the Classroom" by

Vulcan Inc. Vulcan LLC is a privately held company founded by the Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his sister Jody Allen in 1986 to establish and oversee the family's diverse business activities and philanthropic endeavors. It includes Vulcan Real Estate ...

Russell Investments Russell Investments is an investment firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Corporate overview According to ''American Banker'', Russell Investments has approximately $300 billion of assets under management, as of September 2019. The firm r ...

, and the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

Seahawks Stadium Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL, th ...

in 2004. Leaving

Roosevelt High School (Seattle, Washington) Roosevelt High School (RHS) is a public secondary school located in the Roosevelt neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Opened in 1922 to relieve overcrowding at Lincoln High School, it ranks as the second-largest high school in Se ...

in 2008, he retired from teaching. From 2011-18, Al & Vicki have driven over 60,000 miles in their classic 1973

Plymouth Roadrunner The Plymouth Road Runner is a mid-size car with a focus on performance built by Plymouth in the United States between 1968 and 1980. By 1968, some of the original muscle cars were moving away from their roots as relatively cheap, fast cars as t ...

Muscle car Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...

touring the U.S., Canada, and Europe. In 2014, they completed a 14-country, 45-day, 8,000-mile roadtrip around Europe in the same muscle car. On a repeat touring roadtrip in 2015, Vicki & Al visited 24 countries in 50 days, driving again over 8,000 miles in the Roadrunner (from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

). In June/July 2016, they completed an unprecedent 3rd road trip in Europe in their Plymouth Roadrunner driving over 7,000 miles through the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the

Atlantic Ocean Road The Atlantic Ocean Road or the Atlantic Road ( no, Atlanterhavsvegen / Atlanterhavsveien) is an long section of County Road 64 that runs through an archipelago in Hustadvika and Averøy municipalities in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It pa ...

and National Tourist Routes of Norway; and making guest appearances at

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...

and the Power Big Meet classic car events. A member of the Seattle

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

Club for over 48 years, practicing the traditional Chinese style of

Martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

known as

Hung Ga Hung Ga (), Hung Kuen (), or Hung Ga Kuen () is a southern Chinese martial art belonging to the southern Shaolin styles. The hallmarks of Hung Ga are strong stances, notably the horse stance, or "si ping ma" (), and strong hand techniques, not ...

Kuen taught by

Sifu Shifu () in Mandarin, or sifu in Cantonese, or sai hu in Hokkien, is a title for, and the role of, a skillful person or a master. The character 師/师 means "skilled person" or "teacher," while 傅 means "tutor" and 父 means "father." Though ...

John S.S. Leong. Recently active with the

Chinese Historical Society of America The Chinese Historical Society of America (; abbreviated CHSA) is the oldest and largest archive and history center documenting the Chinese American experience in the United States. It is based in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, Cali ...

(CHSA), narrating the documentary: "Dr.

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

at Liberty's Door." (2011) A member of the Board of Trustees for the

(MOHAI), Seattle, Washington (2012–present) Currently and still a sponsored race car driver and ambassador for the Bardahl Corporation. Inducted into the Bardahl Corporation Hall of Fame at an event held at

America's Car Museum LeMay - America's Car Museum is a museum in the city of Tacoma, Washington. The museum is adjacent to the Tacoma Dome and opened on June 2, 2012. Many of the cars on display were donated to the museum by the family of Harold LeMay. Details Har ...

in 2015. In 2018, Al was the subject of a documentary film by Rick Quan - "Race: The Al Young Story" ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEP4EulNErY Inducted into the

Hall of Fame (NHRA), Northwest Division, 2019. Inducted into the

Hall of Merit, "Motorsports and Education." May 28, 2019

Racing accomplishments

Car Craft ''Car Craft'' was a magazine devoted to automobiles, hot rodding, and drag racing. It was published by the Motor Trend Group. It was established in 1953. The magazine published articles directed at inexperienced and expert car mechanics, such as ...

Magazine "All Star Drag Team" (1983) Firebird Raceway (Boise, Idaho) Bracketeer All-Star Inductee (1988) Twice winner of every major Championship E.T. Drag Race National event in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

from 1976 to 1996. A three-time winner of

Bremerton Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerto ...

Raceway's annual "Day Fire Nationals" Donated his 1970

to the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) in Seattle Winner of the "Long Distance" Award at the " Power Big Meet", Vasteras, Sweden (July, 2014) Winner (repeat) of the "Long Distance" Award at the " Power Big Meet", Vasteras, Sweden (July, 2015; July 2016) Winner

NHRA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...

Division 6 National Open, receiving (a)

The Wally ''The Wally'' is the trophy awarded to winners of an NHRA national event. They have been handed out at national events starting with the 1969 NHRA race season. With an antique brass plating over a standard metal mix and a solid walnut base, the "W ...

at Bremerton Raceway, 2018

Hall of Fame, National Hot Rod Association, Northwest Division, 2018 The present: still driving in local Sportsman and Pro ET level

events and working on classic high performance

muscle cars Muscle car is a description according to '' Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...

Publications

Hemmings Motor News ''Hemmings Motor News'' (HMN) is a monthly magazine catering to traders and collectors of antique, classic, and exotic sports cars. It is the largest and oldest publication of its type in the United States, with sales of 215,000 copies per mont ...

(Sept 2021), article: https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/09/08/how-a-slice-of-detroit-muscle-opened-doors-while-traversing-the-planet

Hot Rod (magazine) ''Hot Rod'' is a monthly American car magazine devoted to hot rodding, drag racing, and muscle cars—modifying automobiles for performance and appearance. History ''Hot Rod'' is the oldest magazine devoted to hot rodding, having been published ...

(February 2018), article: "Road-Trippin' 'Round Europe" ("How to Take the Ultimate Road Trip in Europe") pp. 72–76.

"Drag Racing" (May 1988), articles: "How to Win at Drag Racing" – A Champion's Guide to Winning Races – and Sponsors; and "Paying the Way (How to get a sponsor)".

Mopar Mopar is the parts, service, and customer care division of the former Chrysler Corporation, now owned by Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer Stellantis. It serves as a primary OEM accessory seller for Stellantis brands under the Mopar bran ...

Action Online: http://www.moparaction.com/2015/10/22/road_trip/

Magazine (Dec 1981), p. 50: "The American Way:" (Photo) "Al Young 'doubled" at Spokane, clinching the Super Street event and World Championship titles the same day". Super Stock & Drag Illustrated (Sept 1984), articles: "Kung Fu Fighter – Al Young applies his martial arts training to bracket racing". University of Washington Alumni Association: Viewpoints Magazine: "Road Runner" pg. 2, 2008.

References

External links

* http://www.hotrod.com/articles/travelling-europe-1973-roadrunner/ * http://www.roadkill.com/travelling-through-europe-in-a-1973-roadrunner/ * http://nhra.net/basics/index.html#et * http://www.bardahl.com * https://web.archive.org/web/20140221102346/http://www.mohai.org/press-media/press-releases/item/2593-world-championship-drag-racer-al-young-comes-to-mohai-june-22-2013 * https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151502255786966.1073741832.37423026965&type=1 (Al Young presents his Dodge Challenger at MOHAI, Summer 2013) * https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Asian_American_almanac.html?id=sEYUAQAAIAAI (pg. 58) * http://chalkboardchampions.org./?s=al+young&submit=Search ("Drag Racing Champion Al Young and Chalkboard Champion Al Young: They Are One and the Same") * http://www.seeitimagery.com/wordpress/?p=1426 (Al Young at the Museum of History and Industry) * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aj3xXVxjB4 (Al Young racing his Bardahl Challenger) * https://web.archive.org/web/20140907173050/http://www.iexaminer.org/2014/09/racecar-driver-al-young-exhibits-vintage-muscle-road-car/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20140917205723/http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/2014/08/25/features/meet-bardahl-sponsored-drag-racing-champion-a * https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/automobiles/detroit-love-swedish-style.html?_r=0#slideshow/100000003032427/100000003034372 * https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/roll-over-volvo-classic-americana-rolls?articleId=USKCN0PD1GL20150703 * https://lindylecoq.wordpress.com/2016/01/21/the-champ-wpc-alpha-beta-5/ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT-KWI5Lp0c (interview with Al Young at

O'Reilly Auto Parts O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. is an American auto parts retailer that provides automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories to professional service providers and do-it-yourself customers. Founded in 1957 by the O’Reil ...

World of Wheels car show, Chicago, 2017) * https://www.king5.com/video/news/local/meet-al-young-a-world-champion-drag-racer/281-8018548 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UTK1AExnvw (brief interview with Al Young at MOHAI during Smithsonian Day Sept, 2018) * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKiU0CUSANs (Al Young's National Hot Rod Association Hall of Fame acceptance speech, 2019) * https://q13fox.com/2019/05/28/chinese-american-wwii-veterans-will-finally-be-awarded-congressional-gold-medals/ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEP4EulNErY (a Rick Quan documentary: "RACE: the Al Young Story"...22 min.) * https://www.atlasobscura.com/videos/show-tell-drag-racing-al-young {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Al 1946 births Living people American people of Chinese descent Schoolteachers from Washington (state) Racing drivers from California Racing drivers from Seattle Sportspeople from Whittier, California University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni