By age 16, most of us were only just starting to uncover our natural affinity for the automobile. Unless an immediate family member or friend kindled our love for cars early, it took most of us actually getting behind the wheel to learn what cars were all about. But some people got a head start in cars that allows them to enjoy their teenage years driving a fast and awesome classic, instead of the usual grandparent hand-me-downs.

1320 video interviewed 16-year old Alex, who with the help of her family built an 11-second first-generation Camaro that she got to drive along for six days during the recent Drag Week event. Young Alex was the youngest competitor by far, though far from the slowest.

Amazingly, this handy lady daily drivers her beastly muscle car to and from high school, though she grew up helping her father build fast cars of his own. When it came time for Alex’s ride, she opted for a sexy orange ‘68 Camaro. Under the hood is a carbureted LS1 engine with a 4L80 four-speed automatic transmission driving the rear tires.

The Camaro actually used to belong to Alex’s mother, so it’s clear that Camaro fever runs in the family tree. As they say, the family that races together stays together, and Alex even convinced her principal that this week of drag racing should be allowable by the school. As the cameraman says, Alex is definitely one of the luckiest 16-year olds on Earth, and she seems to know it.