Hot off his NHRA Funny Car debut at the season-opening Gatornationals, 2023 World Series of Pro Mod (WSOPM) champion Spencer Hyde is looking to build momentum during the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals, March 21-23 at Firebird Motorsports Park. Following a rain-hampered first outing in Gainesville, the Canadian standout and Head Racing team driver is eager to seize every opportunity in his second career Funny Car start as part of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
“It still feels surreal,” Hyde says. “This is a whole new journey. I couldn’t be more excited and optimistic about what Head Racing and I can potentially do this year. The Funny Car is obviously very new to me, but I am eager to learn and do what I can to attempt to tame this beast.”
Hyde’s fast rise through the drag racing ranks saw him win the biggest Pro Mod race in history (the WSOPM) in 2023 before making the jump into nitro competition. Teaming with Jim Head and the rest of the crew has proven a major source of motivation for the Stratford, Ontario, native.
“Getting ready for this season with Jim and the boys at Head Racing has been such a great experience thus far, and we are just getting started,” Hyde says. “The NHRA is the top, and I am humbled to be one of the drivers out here on the Mission Foods tour.”
Backing from Hyde’s longtime supporters, including Hyde Construction, has made all the difference in this dream becoming reality.
“Big thanks to my family and Hyde Construction for being the boost I needed to get on this stage,” he continues. “The eyeballs we’re about to be in front of is a whole new world, and I can’t wait to make everybody in Stratford, Ontario, proud. We have such a huge Canadian following, and I am honored to be the only full-time touring Canadian out here. Ready to go, eh!”
This story was originally published on March 21, 2025. 
