There’s new blood entering NHRA’s Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel category, at a time when fields are less than full at many events on the 21-race schedule. There have been 13 or 14 combatants at some races that enable top qualifiers to gain bye runs during eliminations. It hasn’t looked good for the series, but changes are coming.
For instance, one of the largest professional teams currently competing in NHRA drag racing is making its first attempt in Top Fuel, as Elite Motorsports sponsors a dragster owned by Todd and Tony Paton for the season finale at In-N-Out Burger Dragstrip at Pomona, California this November. Spencer Hyde will debut the Elite-sponsored entry.
Hyde won the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by J&A Services in early March of this year. Held at Bradenton Motorsports Park in the Florida city of the same name, the talented driver from Ontario, Canada showed his mettle against some of the best Pro Mod racers on the North American continent.
Now he’s excited to make his NHRA Top Fuel debut after successfully racing the Paton-owned dragster at several match races over the summer. The Pomona event marks Hyde’s first time racing in NHRA-sanctioned competition in any class. “I’ve raced Pro Modified,” he explained, “mostly with the PDRA in their Pro Boost class. In February I completed my Top Fuel licensing in Gainesville, FL with Todd and Tony Paton and the Paton Racing team, and my plan was actually to run the Gatornationals this past March with Paton Racing.
“My new buddy Courtney Enders worked her magic and helped me clinch a spot in the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod race and that turned out to be a pretty awesome deal for our team,” he said of his victorious endeavor in that race. Coming from the 32nd qualifying slot, Hyde out-matched many drivers who have worked NHRA’s FuelTech Pro Mod class successfully.
When he performed his NHRA licensing at Gainesville Raceway, Hyde made an impressive pass of 3.80 seconds at more than 324 mph, the second-quickest lap ever achieved in that particular dragster. In addition, Hyde set an Empire, NY track record during a Top Fuel match race over the summer.
Like many in the sport, Hyde has always dreamed of competing in a Top Fuel dragster. His family has ties to drag racing and he began competing at the age of 14 in Canada. “I started in Jr. Dragsters in 2006,” he explained. “In Canada, I grew up around snowmobiles and motorcycles. My parents wouldn’t let me race either one of those, but I had a buddy who raced Jr. Dragsters and I started going to the track with him. One thing led to another and 18 years later, we’re Pro Mod and Top Fuel racing!”
The alignment with Elite Motorsports occurred during the final NHRA race at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka KS this August. “I was hanging out with the Elite team earlier this year in Topeka, and Bobby Lagana happened to be in their pit. He recognized me from when I was in Gainesville getting my license… he helped the Paton team when we were there, so we were chatting about it.
“Richard [Freeman, Elite Motorsports owner] was listening in, and I told him I was looking for funding to go to an event, and Pomona was the one that they were pushing me to do,” Hyde explained. “That’s when he said, ‘I’ll back you for Pomona’.”
The Paton clan is confident Hyde will make the most of his NHRA event debut. Todd Paton, who occasionally drives the dragster he owns noted, “Spencer did well in his licensing laps. In his first full pass, he did better than my career best in the car, so we are pretty impressed with him. He took to it like a pro and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do behind the wheel at an actual NHRA event.
“Partnering with Elite will cause a lot of buzz in the pits and I’m looking forward to that, too,” Paton continued. “I think it will catch a lot of people off-guard to see their name on a Top Fuel car… I’ve always been one who enjoys the drama that goes along with drag racing, so I think it will be entertaining in more ways than one. I’ve known the folks at Elite Motorsports for a long time and I’m excited to get to work together on this.”
Will Paton Racing, Elite Motorsports and Spencer Hyde disrupt the season finale and the Top Fuel championship that should go down to the wire? The In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip takes place November 9-12 in Pomona, CA.
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