There’s a popular misconception in NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competition, stating that Top Fuel and Funny Car classes run on nitromethane. Well, that’s the fuel they use, true, but they run on another commodity: money.
And money is holding back the driver of Valley Services Scrappers Racing’s Top Fuel entry, Jasmine Salinas, who currently holds fifth place in the season-long points chase. Last weekend on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the sophomore dragster driver made her way to the finals of the 4-Wide Nationals that saw Tony Stewart, another sophomore dragster driver, earn his first victory in Top Fuel. He’d won at Las Vegas in Top Alcohol Dragster, but was still looking for his first Mission Foods title.
Mission accomplished for Smoke, who has the breadth of sponsorship with Stellantis brand Dodge and many other partners that have long backed both Stewart and his Funny Car teammate, four-time Flopper champion Matt Hagan.
We often talk about the need to have younger drivers come up through the ranks, but in order for that to happen, they need money. Lots and lots of money. These days, it just isn’t there. Even for champions. Even for series veterans.
When eight-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher is on the sidelines – a second time – due to finances, we know there are problems. When 2023 European Top Fuel champion Ida Zetterstrom is racing only 10, half of a 20-race season, we know there are problems. When a rising star like Jasmine Salinas won’t be present when her NHRA community is celebrating the 1,000th Top Fuel race at the American Rebel Light 4-Wide Nationals take place at zMAX Dragway outside Charlotte, N.C., we know there are problems.
Salinas has indicated she’ll be out of the game from Charlotte through Epping, but hopes to return to the track in June. Her Valley Services Scrappers Racing team is hoping to stay sharp, perhaps do some testing in the meantime and keep up their momentum as the sole Top Fuel team that hasn’t gone out of competition in the first round of play since the season began the first week of March at Gainesville Raceway in Florida.
“I’m definitely disappointed,” Salinas acknowledged. “Our team has really been coming together and we are making incredible progress. We’ve been working really hard on trying to secure sponsorship in time before we had to sideline the operation,” she admitted. “This is a tough reality of the racing business, but now is the time when you fight even harder for what you want. We’ve always been problem-solvers. This is just a plot twist that we’ll get through together as a team.”
The Scrappers squad, one started by Jasmine’s father Mike, has the services of Rob Flynn as crew chief. Mike Salinas and Rob Flynn coerced their car into the first 300-mph run in the eighth-mile in 2023; then Mike had medical issues and had to sit out when he was expected to help his daughter Jasmine in her rookie season. He had to do that from the sidelines.
Jasmine Salinas will be missed at the Charlotte 4-Wide race, at Joliet and Epping, but the series will have 18 Top Fuel cars on-site at zMAX, including one for Zetterstrom, who was on the sidelines during the first 4-wide race at Las Vegas the second weekend of April after competing in the first three contests of 2025. This week’s field includes part-timers Lex Joon, Todd Paton, Mike Bucher, Spencer Massey (driving Krista Baldwin’s rail), Cameron Ferre, Doug Foley and Scott Farley.
Salinas and Zetterstrom’s challenges with getting the backing they require in order to compete full-time at this high level is one thing, but it’s effecting veteran champs as well. Tony Schumacher, who owns 88 career victories in 161 final rounds, won twice last year driving with JCM Racing, but the team was unable to get sufficient sponsorship for a full season in 2025. Zetterstrom was his teammate the final eight races of last year; she’s hoping the 10 races she’s expecting to contest with JCM increase, should funding be found. At this time there’s zero talk about Schumacher’s return to the cockpit.
The issue of part-time participation in this year’s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is a serious one. It hasn’t hit as hard in Funny Car, which also has 18 cars entered for this weekend’s race. The sole drivers not contesting the full season in that Flopper class are John Smith (Dodge), Dale Creasy Jr (Dodge) and Hunter Green, Chad Green’s son making his second consecutive start in a Dodge Charger shared with Blake Alexander this season.
Travel costs are to blame for a lot of absences from the NHRA pits. They are part of the reason Jasmine Salinas is sitting out several contests and why the entry list for this weekend’s race at zMAX Dragway is elevated from the three West Coast races. In fact, Pro Stock has 25 cars entered for the second 4-wide contest, one where the series welcomes the return of Camrie Caruso, Val Smeland and Jerry Tucker to those running in the full-time brigade.
Both Matt Hartford and Matt Latino went to the Las Vegas final round of Pro Stock – Anne Proffit photos
Points leader Greg Anderson of KB Titan Racing has the comfort of having the four cars trailing him coming from the same team, while the first Elite Motorsports entry in the top 10 is Jeg Coughlin Jr. in seventh place. One has to wonder what it will take for Elite to find their way back from this abyss and take the fight to KB Titan.
Pro Stock Motorcycle is returning from its three-race hiatus but this class is suffering from a lack of competitors, with only 16 on the entry list, equally split between Buell and Suzuki motorcycles. At least Jasmine Salinas’ sister, Jianna Evaristo, has the financial capability to compete with her Matt Smith Racing Buell. She’ll be a welcome sight in the staging lanes. This race marks the return of several racers: Hector Arana Jr.’s Buell, Jerry Savoie, Kelly Clontz with their Suzukis, Ron Tornow’s Buell and Brandon Litten riding a Suzuki.
As NHRA gorgeously celebrates its 1,000 race for Top Fuel, several teams are showing off different wraps for their dragsters – and in Funny Car. 2023 champion Doug Kalitta is flying the colors of Future Energy Solutions at Charlotte. Kalitta, who won the dragster class’ 500th race, the 2002 NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, has performed well in 4-Wide competition, winning last year’s Vegas race. He’d like nothing more than to win the 1,000th Top Fuel race and second 4-wide contest.
Funny Car points leader Paul Lee, the president Wharton Automotive Group that includes his familiar partners McLeod Racing, FTI Performance, Silver Sport Transmissions, Competition Clutch and Independence Driveline, has a different look this weekend. Still red and black, his Dodge Charger is focused on SRI Performance and Daido Metal USA. While these B2B colors are sure to benefit Lee’s off-track activities, they bring attention to a variety of suppliers to both racing and street automotive firms. Two of John Force Racing’s cars will join the HendrickCars.com brigade for the weekend as both Brittany Force (Top Fuel) and Jack Beckman (Funny Car display the NASCAR icon’s colors.
It’s quite possible the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge could be postponed or even cancelled this weekend, as early forecasts show showers the first two days of NHRA’s visit to the hub of NASCAR country. Fair and clear weather, with temps in the mid-70s is currently forecast for Sunday, race day. Two qualifying sessions are set for Friday and Saturday, the Friday sessions set for 4:30PM and 7PM On Saturday, the action starts hat 12:30PM and 3PM, with final eliminations set for 12 noon on Sunday.
In addition to the quartet of Mission Foods classes and Congruity Pro Mod competition, the Lucas Oil Sportsman racers include Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Mountain Motor Pro Stock, Top Dragster, Factory Stock Showdown and Factory X. FS1 will broadcast qualifying and finals, the latter occurring 7-10PM on Sunday, April 27.
Leave a Reply