Shawn Van Horn and his Titan Speed II Top Fuel team were back and in black at Famoso Dragstrip’s 2025 nitro kick-off, the annual pre-Super Bowl Saturday Test and Tune event.
After a top-end parachute snafu at the 2024 Boise Nightfire Nationals event found the pristine white Titan I upside down in the dirt, the team headed home with an uncertain future.
The Titan’s chassis revealed extensive damage upon inspection, and the decision was made to scrap it and build a new car. The team ordered up a Neil and Parks Top Fuel chassis kit, and off they went, logging hundreds of hours of construction and welding in true DIY “built by hand” fashion.
Five months later, Titan II was complete, this time in anodized black and carbon fiber with the traditional Titan Speed Engineering and A&W restaurant livery.
“The white car gave us a chance to test the waters of the class, but the black car is going to give us a chance to chase the best of the best,” said Van Horn.
The new dragster’s first fire was a Friday night, the next day it was motoring down the 1320 for its maiden voyage time.
The results: the Titan II made two passes down the track, and both runs netted Van Horn his quickest 60-foot times ever at the wheel of a Top Fuel machine.
“Testing went great,” said Van Horn of the car’s debut. “We made two passes on a brand new car, I wanted to take it out a little farther than 200 feet, but it shook the tires.”
The Titan II was then serviced and trailered, ready for its competition debut at the 2025 March Meet at Famoso Dragstrip.
This story was originally published on February 12, 2025. 
