NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The Pro Stock standings have an unexpected name smack-dab in the middle of the top 10 heading into this weekend's NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. NHRA Rookie of the Year contender Brandon Foster is brand new to the class, but he's quickly building steam even as he's settling in. 

Foster, a Tulsa, Okla.-area businessman, has long been a fan of the sport. Both of his children are racers in the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, but his own experience on the track has been relatively limited. In recent years, Foster toyed around with a dragster at the Sportsman level, but he always had an eye on Pro Stock. Fatefully, he and fellow Oklahoman Richard Freeman, who owns the Elite Performance brand and Pro Stock team, became friends through non-racing equipment business, which led to his first encounter with a fuel-injected factory hot rod.

"The first Pro Stock car I ran was with Elite Motorsports back in 2020," said Foster. "I started the process of getting my license, but then COVID[-19] hit, and I didn't get it finished. Since then, it's always been kind of a void – it was something I wanted to accomplish."

Another Pro Stock mainstay brought Foster back to the table to reach his goal this year. Dave Connolly, accomplished driver and crew chief at KB Titan Racing, had become a friend.

"He was like, 'Man, just come out and get your license. If you like it, maybe run a few races,' " recalled Foster. "Day one out there with them down in Bradenton [Fla.], we were getting it done. I stayed two days, got my license, and said I'd run the first few races and see how it went. I'm signed up for all of them now."

In his very first event, this season's Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Foster recovered from a bit of trouble at the starting line in the first round to claim victory over a tire-rattling Troy Coughlin Jr., the defending event champion. At the next race – the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona – he got a taste of managing tire shake and effectively controlled the frisky Pro Stocker to get around veteran Chris McGaha for another win light. 

The Phoenix event did not produce the same results, but after an early exit there, Foster traveled to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his first go at four-wide racing. There, he picked up two more round-wins to reach the final, where he left a tad too soon and turned on the red-light but still claimed enough points to move into the No. 5 spot in the Pro Stock standings. 

Foster admits that his greatest struggle so far has been at the starting line, but spending time on the simulator at home is helping him tune into the skill. Fully committed, Foster also had a seat of his own poured in Las Vegas. To that point, he'd been in the seat previously occupied by Kyle Koretsky.

"I got my license in late January and didn't have time to get a seat poured," said Foster. "They poured it for me Thursday night in Vegas, and I started qualifying on Friday with it. That helped me a lot.

"It's been wild. [In Gainesville], I was just trying to focus on what I did at Bradenton and not let the cameras and people distract me. That's what I did, I went out there, just did me, and it worked. I did not, honestly, think I'd qualify. I'm racing against folks that have been doing this for decades, and I got my license just a few weeks before that first race. Then making the final in Vegas, that was awesome. I got a little bit antsy and went quite a bit red, but it was still pretty cool. They were giving me a good car, and I was very happy with them. I've got a great team."

As for the choice of licensing with and driving under the KB Titan Racing banner, Foster doesn't see it as choosing sides in the fiercely competitive Pro Stock environment. 

"KB Titan seemed to be a better fit, they were a little smaller, but I have nothing against Elite," he said. "They're a great group, and Richard Freeman was the first person to congratulate me on making it to the finals last race. He's been a big supporter of me, and I of them." 

No matter what car he's driving or who is turning the wrenches, Pro Stock has captured the attention of Foster, the chief executive officer and founder of Aqua Prop with more than two decades of business experience in construction, real estate, transportation and logistics, investments, and equipment leasing. In addition to being a businessman with a full plate, Foster is a family man who's constantly on the go, but he's already formed a valued relationship with the class.

"I'm doing something I didn't think I could do," said Foster. "Every class has its own challenge, but I chose Pro Stock because you have to be so skilled as a driver and really know what you're doing. I love the pressure. I'm going to get through this year and reevaluate, but I think this is something I'll do for a while."