Fresh off an outing aboard his ‘Top Secret’ drag boat where he qualified No. 1, multi-time IHBA world champion Shawn Reed swapped water for asphalt when he hopped back into his Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel dragster on Saturday at Virginia Motorsports Park for the ninth event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour. Aboard his 12,000-horsepower machine, Reed secured the No. 4 qualifying position but suffered a holeshot upset in the first round of eliminations, ending his day early.
Reed opened the two-day American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals with a powerful run of 3.885 seconds at 323.74 mph to earn a bonus point and the provisional No. 3 qualifying position. Two more qualifying sessions followed on Saturday with Reed going up in smoke at the hit of the throttle in Q2. He closed out qualifying with a pass that featured strong numbers early into the run before losing traction at the top end. After three qualifying passes in brutally hot conditions, the No. 4 qualifier drew No. 11 seed Dan Mercier as his round-one opponent.
Against Mercier, Reed clocked another solid run of 3.934 seconds at 321.19 mph, but his opponent’s quicker reaction time allowed him the early lead, and he never trailed, crossing the finish line ahead of Reed despite his slower 3.951-second pass.
“I’m disappointed in myself for round one to hand that to Dan Mercier,” Reed said following the run. “I feel bad for the guys that worked so hard in this Virginia heat, and (crew chief) Rob Wendland and (assistant crew chief) Ryan Elliott, who tuned this car perfectly. I will fix myself, I promise that! Norwalk and ice cream are next on the schedule, bring it on.”
Reed, who remains 10th on the NHRA Top Fuel leaderboard, won’t have to wait long for redemption as the NHRA heads to Norwalk, Ohio next weekend, June 27 – 29, for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.
This story was originally published on June 23, 2025. 
