Drake Stevenson

Drake Carl Stevenson II (born November 1, 1988), more commonly known as Drake Stevenson, is a Hapiloppian race car driver that has competed in the World Grand Prix Championships and the Nationstates Stock Car Racing Association. Stevenson has competed for Team Blue in the HASCAR Challenge Cup and in the NSSCRA. In HASCAR, Stevenson is a four-time winner of the Challenge Cup, winning in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2018.

Stevenson has also competed for Eelandii VTGP in the World Grand Prix Championship, and for Nexus Racing in the World Grand Prix 2 Championship, and is known for his meticulous attention to detail, including a tendency to map out individual details on every race track he competes on. Currently, he drives the No. 81 HapiCorp Preston Super Skychief for Team Blue in NSSCRA.

Early life

Stevenson was born to Carl and Angela Stevenson in Hapilopper City in 1988, and attended Greenways Elementary School in Hapilopper City. While there, Stevenson gained an interest in automobile racing, association football and baseball. While attending Edwin James Middle School, Stevenson tried out for the school's soccer team, but found to be less of a talent than most of those trying out. While there, and while attending Thomas Earle High School, Stevenson befriended a classmate whose family owned a pair of race cars that competed at some of the local tracks across Hapilopper City.

Professional Racing Career

Early Career (2000-2009)

Stevenson kicked off his racing career driving a street stock for the Jones family, who owns a collection of car dealerships across Hapilopper City. Stevenson found success early, winning the street stock championship at Kent Road Raceway in 2001, winning six races along the way. Stevenson continued to compete in street stocks in 2002 and 2003, winning a total of 20 races at the Kent Road Raceway, the HNE Half-Mile Dirt Oval and Airport Raceway in nearby Conyers.

In 2004, Stevenson moved to late models, competing in primarily at the HNE Half-Mile. Stevenson won a total of 25 races between 2004 and 2007, winning the track championship at the HNE in 2006. In 2007, Stevenson won the Berman Bros. Classic during the Exhibition event itself, bringing substantial attention to his abilities as a driver.

"The win in the Berman meant a lot of teams started looking my way. That was the catalyst to me moving up to the Challenge Cup. Without it, I don't think HASCAR teams would have seen what I was doing, and I don't think I would have made it to HASCAR, let alone the WGPC or the NSSCRA, without that win in the Berman Bros. HASCAR teams were watching us, and I beat everyone that day. I got noticed." - Drake Stevenson

Stevenson started to wind down his short track career in 2008, the same year he made his HASCAR debut. That year at Airport Raceway, Stevenson, battling for the lead, jumped the cushion and flipped end-over-end, landing outside the track. Stevenson was unhurt, but realized he needed to get out of racing on dirt every week. In an interview with the Hapilopper Television Network, Stevenson jokingly said he knew the crash was bad when the first person to get to him offered him a beer.

HASCAR (2008-2018)

Stevenson made his HASCAR debut in late 2008 driving a Major Excelsior for the Jones family, competing in the HapEx 500 at the Hapilopper City Raceway, starting 40th and finishing 27th, six laps behind the leaders.

Between the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Stevenson participated in a Team Blue test at the two-mile Hapilopper City Speedway, which he reportedly starred in. Stevenson had not been invited to the test, and instead found out about it when he was walking around the race track for exercise. Stevenson walked into the track and reportedly was offered a test drive around the track. According to then-Team Blue driver Chet Byrd in an interview with Hapilopper Today, the offer was made primarily to get Stevenson to leave Team Blue alone. When Stevenson wound up being faster than the rest of the Team Blue drivers, he was offered a full-time seat in 2009.

Stevenson made his Team Blue debut in the 2009 Westwood 500 at the West Hampton Motor Speedway, starting sixth and finishing third. That run set the tone for his season, as he won twice (at Perimeter Speedway in Surrey and the Buckridge Street Circuit) en route to a 7th place points finish.

Stevenson's 2010 season was even better, winning five times and finishing 2nd in the Challenge Cup standings. The highlight of that season was a stirring drive from 15th to the lead in the last six laps of the Buckridge 500, including passing eventual season champion Kurt Jernigan coming out of the final corner around the outside.

In 2011, Stevenson scored the first of his four Challenge Cups, winning seven races on the season. During that season, his notoriety grew, and he was named one of Preston Autos' top drivers at the start of the season. According to Team Blue team owner Ken Henson at the time, the move was made in order to provide Stevenson with the most factory support as possible and the best equipment in an effort to help him contend for a championship.

The 2012 season started off strong for Stevenson, winning the first three races of the season, before a string of crashes in the midpoint of the season ruined his chances at repeating as a Challenge Cup winner. The worst of those crashes took place at the West Hampton Motor Speedway, midway through the season. Stevenson, leading the race, experienced a right front tire failure and propelled him into the wall at almost 170 mph. Stevenson suffered a concussion, an injury that some analysts speculated impacted him for the rest of the season.