Behind The Wheel - #12 - Lexx Steen
A daily driver, a supercharged street-car, and a twin-turbocharged street-car. A 10-second car, a 9-second car, and an 8-second car. You would assume these are all different cars, but since 2014 Lexx Steen has run these different set-ups on her 2009 Pontiac G8 GT, and as things are constantly evolving, so is her build. Lexx resides in South Dakota with her husband, Jordan, and spends her time working as a crop insurance agent, “It’s basically just a car insurance agent, but for farmers”, she tells me. Lexx fell in love with drag racing and cars about 11 years ago, and it has snowballed since.
Lexx tells me her love of drag racing started because, “Jordan corrupted me. I met a guy who drove a 1986 Monte Carlo SS and it changed from there!”. Lexx has always found herself stuck to Pontiacs, starting with a Pontiac Grand-Am, moving to a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP, and in 2014 finding her 2009 Pontiac G8 GT that she bought as a daily. Those famous last words then turned into her daily driver receiving a supercharger 5 years ago and the car developing into what it is today.
The G8 as it sits today has a Dart 427, Frankenstein M311 heads, twin 72/75 oil-less turbos, th400 transmission, Circle D custom spec torque converter, custom spec camshaft, Zl1 cradle, full interior, Aeromotive 5GPM brushless fuel pump, 2150 Fuel Injector Clinic Injectors, and is tuned by Koza Performance and sits at an impressive 1425WHP/ 1217TQ. This set-up is quite an improvement from the Kong ported LSA supercharger, Tim King built 6L80, stock bottom end 6.0 that made 803WHP/ 719TQ.
Lexx’s first pass down the track wasn’t what most people would’ve expected from an LSA supercharged G8. “My first pass ever was a 24.XX. I pushed through the lights, I didn’t know to go, and by the time I went I ended up running a 24-something. But by the end of the night, I ran a 10.53”, Lexx told me proudly after conquering something new for the first time. “No one is perfect. You mess up, you learn, and it’s all fine”, she says. Before she retired her LSA set-up, her best time was a 9.36 at 147MPH. As her current set up sits, her fastest pass so far has been an 8.22 at 171MPH.
When Lexx isn’t finding time to work on her own car, she finds her time spent in the garage with her number one supporter, Jordan, working on his “single cab short box truck”, as Lexx says. Lexx doesn’t just stop at her G8, though. Her daily driver is a 2015 Chevy SS that she hopes to eventually have making 1000whp. Although its on the backburner because, “My goals are always changing. I wanted to go a 10, then a 9, then an 8. Now I want to go 7’s, it’s my number one goal alongside being more consistent and becoming a better driver”, Lexx says.
Lexx has competed in 2 Women & Wheels classes, Oklahoma City, and Indianapolis. “I haven’t been able to competitively race in the class, I’ve never made a full pass because I had issues at both events. The first one I spun due to rain leftover in my side-skirts, and the second event my bump box didn’t work and I timed out”, she says. Although she hasn’t been able to be more competitive as she had hoped, Lexx shows good sportsmanship in the support she gives other women, “I thought it would be cool to show new girls the ropes and that drew me to competing in the class”.
Her support and guidance have truly helped other women in the class, as she finds herself supporting a friend at every event, “I get to help corrupt other people and get them to want to go faster. Brittany Glanzer is a prime example. She was the supportive wife who didn’t have an interest in racing and now she wants to go fast! I don’t think she would’ve tried had Sophie not started this class”, Lexx says. She recalls on what she has gained from the events, “Women & Wheels has helped me meet a bunch of girls I never knew I would meet. I’m in the LS world, it’s opened up doors for friendships with girls with other platforms”.
“My favorite memories from this year were in Indy when all of the girls were sitting together hanging out in the staging lanes, and when I got to watch my friends go rounds!”, she told me. Her advice for any woman would be, “You can talk to any of us and we’ll talk to you and tell you that you can do it! We will be your number one supporters and will hype each other up. Slide into someone’s DM’s and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to get involved and race, do it anyway”. Lexx’s enthusiasm and support shines and shows women that everyone starts from somewhere, and no one gets to where they are without making those vital mistakes that they learn from.
You can find Lexx on IG at @xox_misslexx.