The professional categories won’t be the only ones racing for big money at the inaugural SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout presented by Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage. With support from Florida’s own FTI Performance, the invitation-only field of Top Sportsman racers will compete for $50,000 and the ultimate bragging rights to start the 2024 season, Feb 8-10, at Bradenton Motorsports Park. FTI Performance is also an event sponsor of the PRO Superstar Shootout.
“Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock are the headliners at the PRO Superstar Shootout, but we also felt it was important to include the sportsman racers in this event,” said Alan Johnson, president, Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO). “When we started discussing sportsman classes, Paul Lee immediately jumped at the opportunity to lend his support behind the Top Sportsman class. Numerous pro racers competed in Top Sportsman before moving to the pro classes, so it’s a perfect fit for the PRO Superstar Shootout.”
FTI Performance started out in 2008 as FTI Converters LLC, with an initial focus on performance torque converters. Greg and Phaedra Samuel worked closely with local racers to develop torque converters and automatic transmissions that provide a competitive edge. The brand evolved into FTI Performance, and in 2019, FTI Performance was acquired by Funny Car driver and entrepreneur Paul Lee. The company has expanded its R&D capabilities, allowing it to provide offerings to customers with anything from mild street cars to high-horsepower Pro Modifieds.
More than 32 Top Sportsman racers were invited to take part in the FTI Performance Top Sportsman portion of the PRO Superstar Shootout. That includes FTI customers like Lester Johnson and Mark Payne. Top Sportsman will be a quarter-mile class and will utilize all current NHRA rules and racing procedures. The winner will go home with $50,000.
“We are sponsoring the Top Sportsman class because these are FTI’s core customers that support us,” said Lee, who also noted FTI’s broad customer base in Top Dragster, Pro Mod, and big-money bracket racing. “We want to ‘give back’ to our loyal customers who have always supported FTI. We love to give back to the sport and FTI customers.”
The sportsman lineup at the PRO Superstar Shootout also includes Super Stock Eliminator and Stock Eliminator, which will both race for $30,000. Top Fuel and Funny Car are both $250,000 to win, and Pro Stock is $125,000 to win. Off-track, the PRO Superstar Shootout will feature live music, a vendor village, the area’s best food trucks, and more.
Tickets for the inaugural SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout presented by JHG are now on sale at https://bit.ly/scagpro. Fans can also watch the entire race live through FloRacing at https://flosports.link/3t04gHk.
