NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Change in life is inevitable, and last year, Gary Pritchett realized it was time for a change.

For more than a decade, Pritchett was a valued crewmember on the Capco Contractors Top Fuel team, and it was quite a ride as he helped Steve Torrence win four championships. Leaving the Capco team was not easy, but something made Pritchett believe the time was right.

“I just wanted to race more often and do something different,” Pritchett said. “I wanted to move back East [to Virginia] and be closer to my family and my fiancée’s family. I also felt it might open some doors, as far as driving goes.

“Leaving was really hard. I was there for 12 years, and I went from a young kid to a man in his 30s. Mama Kay, Billy, and Steve [Torrence] and that team are like family to me. We spend so much time together, you get to know them better than your own family.”

Pritchett admits that he still misses crewmember life, but asked if he made the right decision, he doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“Absolutely,” he said.

After leaving the Capco team, Pritchett didn’t exactly sit idle. He relocated from Indianapolis to his native Virginia to spend more time with fiancée Jessica Eastburn, and he fulfilled his promise to race more often, which might be an understatement. By the time the season ended, Pritchett had driven five different race cars and made his long-awaited NHRA Top Fuel debut.

When it comes to his choice of race cars, Pritchett isn’t exactly picky. In fact, he’s willing to drive almost anything as long as it affords him the opportunity to be competitive. To that end, last year Pritchett competed in Super Street, Super Comp, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Top Alcohol Dragster, and Top Fuel, and he was competitive in all of them.

Pritchett began the season racing in Super Comp and Super Street, but by midseason, he got an offer from championship-winning Top Alcohol Dragster team owner Randy Meyer that was too good to pass up. Pritchett competed in five events with the Meyer team and went to the final round in all of them, earning a pair of regional victories in Norwalk and Earlville, Iowa. He finished just 21 points behind Tony Stewart in the battle for the North Central Region title.

“Randy told me there was an open seat if I was interested, and I just needed to find a little bit of funding,” Pritchett said. “Of course I was interested. We made it happen, and it was a really special deal. I never expected to have a shot to win the [regional championship]. It came down to the last race of the season.”

Pritchett also got a chance to continue a tradition that is near and dear to his heart when he wheeled the late Bunny Burkett’s Top Alcohol Funny Car at the annual Easter event at Summerduck Dragway. Since birth, Pritchett has enjoyed a special bond with Burkett and her crew as her late father, Bear, was an integral part of the “Bunny and the Boys” team.

“I’ve done that Easter race every year since 2009, and it means the world to me, and [Burkett’s daughters] Sherri and Julie, to keep that tradition going,” Pritchett said.

Pritchett put an exclamation point on his 2024 season by making his long-awaited Top Fuel debut at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona. Driving a car owned by Travis Shumake, maintained by the Scrappers team and branded as a tribute to Bunny Burkett and her team, Pritchett excelled in his debut. After qualifying No. 15 with a 3.750, he stepped up to a 3.715 in round one to defeat his old boss, Steve Torrence.

“I got my Top Fuel license in 2015, and I got to drive the [Lagana Brothers’] Nitro Ninja a few times, and I drove Scott Palmer’s car in testing on a Monday, but I really wanted to enter an NHRA race,” Pritchett said. “That’s the biggest reason why I’ve kept my license current. I want to be the guy that gets the call if a team suddenly needs a fill-in driver.

“If you had told me that I’d qualify and then win the first round in my debut against Steve Torrence, I don’t think I’d have believed it. And, it almost didn’t happen. I had a sponsor deal working, and it fell through at the last minute. Thankfully, I had some people step up and make it happen. I owe a big thanks to Spell Paving, Hoopes Fire Prevention, J&A Services, Cecil County Dragway, 142 Speed Shop, and Napp Bros. Racing for making it happen. That also allowed me to have the Bunny and the Boys tribute, which meant the world to me.”

Pritchett firmly believes that the experience he gained in 2024 helped make him a better driver, especially the runs made in Super Comp, where most races are won or lost by thousandths of a second. He’s also the type of racer who favors win lights over quicker elapsed times.

“Driving all those different cars allowed me to get more looks at the Christmas Tree, and that’s a big deal,” he said. “I drove on the top bulb, bottom bulb, Pro Tree, staggered Tree, you name it. I think you can argue that winning eight rounds in a Super Comp car is harder than winning four rounds in Top Fuel, at least from a driving standpoint.

“Being able to make so many runs in the A/Fuel car was also a great experience,” Pritchett said. “That’s the closest thing to a Top Fuel car because it’s basically the same procedure. That helped me make the transition, and I think it’s a big part of why things went so well in Pomona. For 17 years, I’ve worked on Top Fuel cars, and I feel like I know a lot about the clutch and the driving procedure. I used to knit-pick other drivers if I’d watch them back up too fast or make the burnout too short. I’ve always tried to pay attention and learn from other people.”

So, what’s next for Pritchett? Can he top a memorable 2024 season?

“I’m going to keep racing the Super Comp car, starting with the Baby Gators and the Gatornationals and then all the Division 1 races and a few national events,” he said. “I’m also planning on racing the Top Alcohol Dragster at the big $15,000-to-win event at Cecil County Dragway, and of course, I’ll still be driving Bunny’s Funny Car on Easter weekend.”

Pritchett also hinted at a Pro Mod debut, and he hasn’t closed the door on a return to Top Fuel for an event or two.

“It was a dream come true to race in Top Fuel, and even if it’s just one race, I’m content with that,” Pritchett said. “Then again, I’d like to do something closer to home like Maple Grove or Richmond. I’m working with a few sponsors to hopefully make that happen.

"Honestly, I just want to race and win a Wally, and I don’t care if it's Super Street or Top Fuel,” Pritchett said. “Super Street is supposed to be an entry-level class, but it’s also one of the most competitive. I have all the respect in the world for anyone who makes the effort to go racing. You get the same feeling when the win light comes on, no matter what class.”