In her wildest dreams, Elizabeth Manaseri would love one day to drive 330 mph as a top National Hot Rod Association driver.

I think she’s got a pretty good shot at being a local legend.

Let me tell you about “Leadfoot Lizzy.”

The 17-year-old from Orland Park is the current leader in the Junior Drag Racing League modified division at Route 66 Raceway.

In three events she has made it to the final round twice, winning once. The fourth of five events is scheduled for Sunday.

The hunt for glory continues.

“Honestly, I didn’t see it coming because I was way down last year,” Manaseri said. “It would be my first championship, so obviously it would mean a lot. It feels good to be first in anything.”

OK, that’s the boring, but essential stuff. Let’s move on to a few stories she can tell about her already colorful career.

The nickname Leadfoot Lizzy, for one, has a pretty special origin.

“Two years ago, I was in the semis at Route 66 and I lost,” Manaseri said. “I got mad. There is a return road after you get off the track. So I hit the full gas because I guess I thought I was being cool.”

Not cool. The car went up on two wheels. Manaseri hit the brakes, but they didn’t work. The next stop was a chain-link fence.

“It bent the whole car,” Manaseri said sheepishly. “I was smushed in the car. The ambulance (crew) had to get me out.”

She was OK. The car, not so much. I don’t know what most parents would have done, but Elizabeth’s parents — Scott and Tammy — bought her another car. When it was time to paint her name on it …

“Leadfoot Lizzy, that’s my name now,” Manaseri said. “Hey, I had to get a new car, but this is the car I win in now.”

And so the stories flowed in the Manaseri garage, where Lizzy and her younger brother Zach store their cars.

Last year Zach was in a position to win the very same division title at Route 66. All he had to do was finish first in his last race of the season. His opponent in the finals? Lizzy.

Zach red-lighted, and in effect, beat himself. But Lizzy, who wasn’t in the points chase, didn’t come to his rescue, either.

“His theory was that she should have red-lighted, too, and let him win,” Scott Manaseri said.

“It was a long six months of the offseason,” Tammy Manaseri added with a smile.

Lizzy, for one, says she couldn’t do without her little brother.

“I’m not going to lie, my brother does more work on the car than I do,” she said. “I know some things about my car because my brother teaches me. I know how to clean a clutch. I know how to clean my tires.

“When we race, I’ve beaten him, he’s beaten me. It’s not like an ‘I’m never going to talk to you again’ thing.”

Manaseri and her brother got their start in racing four years ago at the encouragement of a family friend, John Schober, who is a veteran of the NHRA’s Super Pro class.

“I already liked racing,” she said. “I watched John race all the time and I thought it was cool. So I said sure, I’ll try it.”

Her 2006 Motivational Tubing chassis is what is called a half-scale top fuel dragster. Her car, with motor, cost approximately $6,000. It runs on alcohol, and can reach a maximum of speed of about 80 mph.

Manaseri has raced on the Junior Drag Racing circuit at tracks in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio.

She has met and made friends with some of the NHRA’s top drivers. Courtney Force is her favorite. Defending Top Fuel champion Antron Brown signed the front of her car and she’s good friends with his kids.

She isn’t kidding herself, though. There isn’t a lot of room in the NHRA’s top divisions, with a few fund-heavy teams like Schumacher Racing filling most of the spots.

“I would race Funny Car if I had the money,” Manaseri said. “But that’s crazy expensive. You need sponsors.”

Mom had a better idea.

“You need Don Schumacher to call you,” Tammy said with a laugh.

Crazier things have happened.

abaranek@tribpub.com

Twitter @tbaranek