NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

After five consecutive Top Alcohol Dragster regional final-round appearances, Gary Pritchett will make his NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series debut in the driver’s seat of Travis Shumake’s Scrappers Racing-tuned Top Fuel dragster at the season-ending In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals.

Pritchett, who finished second in the 2024 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series North Central Top Alcohol regional points, is no stranger to the Top Fuel world. He spent 12 seasons with Team Capco before relocating to Delaware with his fiancée and sportsman racer, Jessica Eastburn. The announcement follows a career-best weekend for team owner Shumake, who captured the sport's attention when Scrappers Racing tuned his dragster to a 3.724-second pass at 323.12 mph during qualifying at last weekend’s Ford Performance NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.

Troy Fasching and Adem Cave will serve as co-crew chiefs on the second Scrappers-tuned dragster, with oversight from Rob Flynn and Arron Cave, who will be tuning teammate Jasmine Salinas next door.

“This has been a lifelong dream of mine,” said Pritchett. “I grew up racing with Arron and Adem and working on Bunny’s car,” said Pritchett, who is the godson of the late Funny Car legend Bunny Burkett. “I’ve worked for and with most of the folks out here my entire life, and I’m honored to get a shot at the big show. This is an incredible end to an unexpected season of racing success for me.”

For Shumake, Pomona would have marked his fifth event qualifying attempt of the season, triggering his eligibility for the highly contentious 2024 Rookie of the Year battle, alongside his friends Jasmine Salinas, Ida Zetterström, and racing legend Tony Stewart.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Shumake laughs. “I’d rather be a second-year rookie and duke it out with Julie [Nataas] and whoever else next season. More importantly, I’m still not sure I’m sitting in the car correctly, and this will be a great chance to have another 6’4” giant feel that out for me.

“To finish the season standing on the starting line with a cigar in my mouth, like an old-school team owner, watching my buddy fulfill a dream in my bad-ass hot rod, surrounded by our friends and families—that’s what drag racing is all about.”

In addition to Shumake’s partners at Red Line Oil, CAS, and the Napp Brothers, Pritchett brings a few new and familiar names to the track next weekend. Hoopes Fire Prevention and Spell Paving join Cecil County Dragway as partners, along with Boninfante Friction, Fatheads Eyewear, 142 speedshop, and Tripp Tatum Racing.