As he prepared to compete at a facility where he’s previously enjoyed success on the water, Top Fuel standout Shawn Reed was eager to add to the momentum he’s experienced so far this year after winning the PRO Superstar Shootout in February ahead of the start of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. But the multi-time IHBA drag boat champion turned professional drag racer came up short in the first round of eliminations at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.
Qualifying was a bit of a roller coaster for the Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel team. After an exciting announcement earlier in the week introducing their new associate partner, ATRO Parts, they smoked the tires in the first round of qualifying but came back strong in the second time trial of the day when Reed sped down the track at Firebird Motorsports Park to record a stellar run of 3.757 seconds at 328.46 mph.
As qualifying continued on Saturday, Reed went up in smoke on the first hit but once again returned to the track with a vengeance for the final qualifying opportunity, making another impressive run of 3.875 at 322.42.
Entering eliminations from the No. 8 spot, Reed faced NHRA’s Rookie of the Year Tony Stewart in the first round of racing action on Sunday morning. Both powerful Top Fuel machines got loose early resulting in a pedalfest to the stripe. When Reed tried to get back on the throttle, the car backfired, and his automatic shutoff system was deployed.
“It was a disappointing weekend,” said Reed. “It’s like a déjà vu of last year so far. I think this team is a lot better than what we’ve shown these past two weekends. Me as a driver, I feel like I’ve taken a step back again. I don’t know why or how to get my brain back into it. That run there, it was a weird thing, it backfired when I got back in it. We’ve got to make it down the track to get the data. I need to better and get my head straight, it’s not easy. I’m looking at the tree and I can see people in the stands moving, and it’s crazy, subconsciously, what that does.
“At least we don’t have to wait long to do it again. This car should run well in the heat and right now, it’s not, but they’ll figure it out. It takes everyone, I’ve got to drive what they give me and what they give me, I’ve got to drive.”
After the first round of qualifying, Reed opted to remove his mud flaps, an option NHRA offered to all Top Fuel teams this weekend. Mud flaps are optional for the next three races as the NHRA evaluates their effectiveness in reducing rear wheel loads without significantly impacting other areas.
“I really don’t notice whether they’re on or not,” Reed remarked. “I think we’re just trying to get a lot of data. NHRA gave us four races to figure it out. I think our tire temp is a little better without the mud flaps. Maybe one day they might say you can get a little advantage, but we don’t know that yet.”
Reed will be back behind the wheel next weekend, March 28-30, when the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series visits Southern California for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, Calif.
This story was originally published on March 24, 2025. 
