Many competitors in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series have goals for each event that go beyond simply winning. For Top Fuel rookie Travis Shumake, his goals for his third professional drag racing bid included making a full pass down the track and seeing if he could reach the 1,000-foot finish line in less than four seconds for the first time. The talented up-and-comer achieved both behind the wheel of the CAS Top Fuel dragster at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
Shumake started qualifying on a good note, making a straight-forward pass of 4.052 seconds at 256.02 mph. Under the pressure of a quick turnaround time, Shumake’s small but mighty crew had to thrash in the pits to get his nitro-burning engine torn down and rebuilt before the Friday evening session. They rolled into the staging lanes with only a few minutes to spare, still cranking and making last-minute adjustments on the 12,000 horsepower machine, affectionately nicknamed “Judith Light,” right up until the time she hit the track.
The crew’s thrashing session paid off as Shumake powered his CAS Top Fuel dragster down the track to make his first sub-four-second pass in competition. Amid an unbelievably fast Top Fuel field, Shumake’s impressive run of 3.927 at 280.49 wasn’t quite enough to get him into the show. But making his quickest and fastest professional pass gave the team the confidence they need to continue pursuing excellence.
“It just keeps getting better,” remarked Shumake. “I’m starting to connect with my car and the team seems to have a nice handle on her performance. I cannot thank CAS, Stonewall Columbus and all of these amazing Ohio fans enough. This has been a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel again. Keep an eye out for us. Judith and I have a lot more to show you!”
This story was originally published on July 1, 2024. 
