Steven Auglis developed his passion for drag racing like many in the sport. His father took him to the track at a young age, and he was hooked. Those early experiences at the dragstrip led Auglis to launch a YouTube channel where he could upload the videos he captured from the grandstands. Today, his channel boasts 85,000 subscribers. Plus, he provides in-depth footage for tuners and race teams that have won major races, secured championships, and set records.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #191, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November / December of 2024.]
“I had a YouTube channel outside of racing and thought, ‘Why don’t I start doing racing videos on YouTube?’” Auglis says. “I started uploading videos from the grandstands back in the late 2000s at our local track, Maryland International Raceway, and eventually settled on the YouTube channel TheRacingVids. It grew, and I started doing some trackside filming. Jason Miller at MIR and Miller Brothers Productions was who reached out and allowed me to go trackside, and Holloway Saunders, a fellow photographer, helped me learn the ropes.”
Now 29, Auglis travels to events throughout the year, from all the major radial races and standalone Pro Mod races to full series like PDRA. Outside of races, he also attends numerous test sessions with various customers to provide footage that tuners can use to diagnose issues and make tuning decisions.
“I started working with some teams where I would film their car making a pass and have the video for them to look at it in slow motion so they can see how the car is leaving the line, from how the rear tires look to how the suspension is working,” Auglis says.
Between going to races on the weekends, working a regular job during the week, and the occasional mid-week test session, Auglis isn’t left with much free time. He and a buddy share a passion of collecting guns, so he’ll head out to the shooting range to practice his marksmanship whenever he gets the chance. Otherwise, he keeps his nose to the grindstone.
“There’s a lot of sacrifices you make,” Auglis says. “I work with my dad back at home during the week, so you work all week, head to the track, come back home and right back to work, along with editing videos to post up. It’s not much downtime, which I like. It keeps you working.”
The reward of helping top-shelf teams achieve new milestones often outweighs the hectic schedule for Auglis. He’s worked with drivers like Carl Stevens Jr., Todd Moyer, Jason Lee, John DeCerbo, and Blake Housley in Pro Mod, Dean Marinis in X275 and Pro Mod, radial racers like the Bruder brothers, Rob Goss, John Kolivas, Shawn Pevlor, Eric LaFerriere, Andy Manson, and Shawn Ayers and car owner Fletcher Cox, and Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings drivers Larry “Ax-Man” Roach and Jack French. One of Auglis’ most recent highlights was filming “Turbo” Todd Moyer lay down a historic, record-setting 5.14-second quarter-mile pass in his Carl Stevens Jr.-tuned, twin-turbo Camaro at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
“You sit back and think about all the passes you filmed – who knows how many cars I’ve filmed going down the track over the years – all the badass stuff you witness, and it’s kind of crazy to think about,” Auglis admits. “The week before when Carl and Moyer planned on running it quarter mile, you’re crunching the numbers and seeing the potential and just thinking how is that even possible. Then, watching them go out and do it, and seeing how there’s more left out there, it’s just crazy. But I think the best thing is seeing the teams learn from my videos, go change their car around, and go out win races and set records.”
Next year, Auglis plans to relocate to Kansas City to work full-time with the team at Flying H Dragstrip. His role will include planning events, creating event flyers, and producing entertainment and advertisements to run on the 40-plus-foot video board alongside the track. He’ll film and edit track sponsor features that will play during downtime, while on-track action will take up the rest of the airtime.
“This is something that has never been done at a drag racing facility. I’m looking forward to the challenge and am honored to be trusted with such a big project,” Auglis says. “I’ve been to tracks all over the country and this one ranks pretty high up on the list. From the equipment to the track surface, to the shutdown, to the fan interaction, everything is top of the line with no expenses spared.”
This story was originally published on February 7, 2025. 
