DI 30 UNDER 30 2019: DJ and Ryan McCain|

Brothers DJ (27) and Ryan (23) McCain have been elevate racing since they were kids, even if it was simply against each other in video games. Now they team together on the track, making a name for themselves in the no-time and grudge world.

"Information technology'southward funny how it turned out," DJ starts. "Ryan was always more detail tuning, getting the auto faster than me, getting the fine details on any video game. It'south funny how nosotros naturally progressed."

DJ McCain

They started racing together when they were xiv, but after receiving a track scholarship to Littoral Carolina, Ryan decided he could no longer run a risk getting injured in the car. Their roles became more than divers – DJ would bulldoze, with Ryan tuning. Information technology's a relationship built on trust, an of import cistron when DJ is driving anywhere from three to five cars over the grade of a weekend.

"For me driving, who better than to accept my brother tuning?" DJ asks. "He trusts me that I'm gonna practice my job, and I trust him when he tells me what the car'due south gonna do. Merely having that trust in each other, information technology's a comfort thing."

The brothers are most known for their one-of-a-kind 1971 Datsun named "Bowser." Tired of seeing nothing only Mustangs at the track, they went in search of something unique. DJ found the machine on Facebook, and despite a lot of criticism from friends, they bought it.

"All I heard from everybody was that it wasn't gonna work," DJ says. "That just motivated me to prove them incorrect. I said, 'We're gonna become through with it. If it don't piece of work out, it isn't going to be for lack of effort.' Nosotros fought with it for a while, finally got a handle on it, started winning a lot of races, and everybody was similar, 'Oh, we love Bowser! Squad Bowser!'"

Bowser has indeed worked out, and in a big way. DJ and Ryan are currently the reigning back-to-back points champions in the Carolina N/T pocket-size-block nitrous class.

Ryan McCain

"Winning in 2018, that was pretty expert," Ryan says. "Merely winning information technology this twelvemonth was kind of a large slap in the face for a lot of people, because nosotros had some of those large bore space cars showing upwardly. And we ended up still bagging a win over them."

The brothers also rode the Datsun to a huge win this yr at Lights Out 10, defeating a field of nearly forty cars, including heavy favorite Troy Pirez Jr. While DJ and Ryan were going rounds, they admit they weren't outrunning everyone similar Pirez was. So right earlier the finals, Ryan walked to the Nitrous Express trailer, grabbed some bigger jets and put a hot tune in it.

"I told my pop and DJ, 'If nosotros make it to the finals and nosotros run Troy Pirez, I'1000 gonna purposely try to blow information technology up,'" Ryan recalls. "And we went out there and pulled that win off. That was like winning the Super Bowl."

The brothers stay busy off the rail as well. Both men have I.T. degrees, and Ryan has a caste in business concern administration too. DJ recently accepted a promotion to go a software engineer, and Ryan volition be a full-time crew chief for Webb Tex Racing in 2020. Ryan says he would dear to crew chief one solar day on a professional NHRA team, just if that doesn't work out, he and his brother have a fill-in program.

"If we can't go that route, DJ and I accept plans of opening a family business. Maybe a race shop, a eating place, or existent estate. Just something to keep some money in the pocket."

This story originally appeared in DI #151, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in December of 2019.