There’s something to be said for the teams that do it the hard way in Top Fuel. While the big multi-car operations roll in with their massive haulers and armies of crew members, Scott Farley and his wife Michelle Torromeo of ScottRod Racing prove you can still chase the nitro dream the old-school way – with a gooseneck trailer, a whole lot of grit, and enough midnight oil to keep the shop lights burning all winter.
The husband-and-wife team kicked off their 2025 campaign at the legendary Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, making the grueling 1,200-mile haul from their Ellington, Connecticut, home base. The journey began well before dawn on Tuesday, March 4th, as they pulled out of their driveway at 4:40 AM for the two-day trek south.
“That trip is no joke when you’re pulling a trailer loaded with an 11,000-horsepower dragster,” said Scott, who juggled the driving duties with Michelle. “After the axle failures we dealt with on our old trailer last season, seeing this new setup perform flawlessly was a big relief. But getting that chassis certification sticker from NHRA after all the hours and hours of work I put into making the 2025 required chassis modifications – that was honestly one of the weekend’s biggest victories.”
The duo arrived Wednesday afternoon with just enough time for Scott to participate in the NHRA media day, thanks to some flexibility from the NHRA PR team. Working with the efficiency that comes from necessity, Scott and Michelle handled pit setup themselves before the arrival of their volunteer crew on Thursday afternoon.
For the first time, Michelle took the lead on the car’s warm-up procedure in the pits – a critical role that shows the continued evolution of this grassroots operation where everyone wears multiple hats.
“Michelle running point on the warm-up was a huge step for our team,” Scott noted. “When you’re building a program like ours, every crew member has to step up and learn new roles. She knocked it out of the park.”
Friday’s qualifying session brought the team back to reality when their dragster spun the tires hard right at the hit, killing any chance at a clean pass. What could have been just another frustrating moment turned into a valuable discovery when the team reviewed the data with nitro veteran Tony Shortall.
“We traced it to the cannon not being set correctly, which meant the secondaries were engaging right at the hit,” explained Scott. “That’s a recipe for disaster with these cars – you’re basically dumping all the power before the tires can hook up.”
Even more eye-opening was the realization that this same issue had plagued the team throughout their 2024 efforts, causing unnecessary parts damage and wasted runs.
“Finding that problem was like finally diagnosing an illness you’ve been fighting for a year,” Scott said. “We spent so much time chasing our tails last season, tearing up parts and scratching our heads. Now we know exactly what to fix.”
The experience has led the ScottRod team to reevaluate their strictly DIY approach, acknowledging that bringing on a seasoned crew chief might be necessary to take the next step in their Top Fuel journey.
“There’s a fine line between doing it yourself because you can and doing it yourself because that’s just how you’ve always done it,” Scott admitted. “We’ve put our hearts into building this program from scratch, but we’re ready to add some veteran guidance to help us turn the corner.”
Despite the qualification struggles, the team is focusing on the positives as they prepare for their next outing at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte next month.
“That’s the thing about nitro racing – it’ll humble you quick,” Scott reflected. “But finding that tuning issue might be the most important thing that’s happened to our program in the last year. Sometimes you gotta take a step back to take two steps forward.”
For a team that builds and maintains its race car in a 40×80 garage on its property, every race weekend is both a challenge and an achievement. Scott, who continues to balance his racing efforts with his career as a UPS MD-11 captain, embodies the spirit that built drag racing from the ground up—everyday people with extraordinary passion doing extraordinary things.
ScottRod Racing will be back in action at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, NC, for the Four-Wide Nationals in April, where they’ll be looking to put their newfound knowledge to work and make their first clean pass of the season.
For more information about ScottRod Racing or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.scottfarley.com or contact Scott directly at [email protected].
This story was originally published on March 17, 2025. 
