NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Spencer Massey’s credentials as a Top Fuel driver are solid with 21 wins in 39 final rounds, so it’s no surprise that he’s been able to forge a lengthy career as a hired driver. Now, the tables are turned as Massey has joined other prominent nitro racers like Ron Capps, Antron Brown, and Krista Baldwin with his own Top Fuel operation.

Last year, Massey purchased the entire Nitro Ninja operation from Bobby and Dom Lagana. For most, the transition from driver to team owner is a massive adjustment, but Massey doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

“Well, I’d say not too much is different,” Massey said. “I mean, it's all my stuff, so I get to make the decisions, but recently, I’ve driven for Krista [Baldwin] and Pat [Dakin] and I had to bring funding in order to do that, so I’m still paying to race, but now I just pay for the whole thing and at least now I can get something back if we ever actually happen to make some money.

“I still have same crew, just some different parts, which is why it’s taken a few races to get it sorted out. Our clutch program is different and there are some different tuning aspects compared what we've been doing the last few years.”

Ironically enough, Massey agreed to purchase the team one year ago today, while in Norwalk for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

While he admitted that the thought of being a team owner was never much of a priority, when opportunity knocked, it was too loud to ignore.

“I always said I was never going to own a car. I thought it would be a dumb idea,” Massey said. “Then, Bobby and Dom put their stuff up for sale and I started thinking about it. A year ago, we were here in Norwalk and we had a talked, and I just said, ‘You know what, I’m gonna do it.’ That’s when we pulled the trigger and did the deal.

“It took us the rest of the year to get organized. I used my old A/Fuel trailer and then I found a support trailer so I’m trying to make this look as professional as possible. I could have run the car at the end of last season, but I wanted to make sure everything was in order. I wanted to make the car look clean and make sure we had all the right parts. That’s why we took a little while to get going.”

Massey retained veteran Scott Graham as his tuner, and he struck a deal with long time friend and team owner Pat Dakin to keep his operation at Dakin’s shop in Dayton, Ohio.

“You know Pat, he can’t give this stuff up,” Massey joked. “He still wants to be involved, and all our crew guys are based near Dayton, so this works out perfectly. If it wasn’t for Scoots [Graham] and Ryan and Dan, my two other main guys, I couldn’t do this.”

Massey competed at the Four Wide event in Charlotte and the inaugural Potomac Nationals in Maryland and showed well at both races. This weekend in Norwalk, with the help of RAD Torque Systems, he’s solidly in the top half of the field with a 3.814.

Massey plans to run again in Dallas and possible Vegas to close the season. He’d consider more events, but he’s got a lot on his plate, including an upcoming wedding to his longtime fiancé, Danielle Waits.

“I’m getting married in two weeks, and we’re doring it at the Ft. Worth Stockyards, which is a really great place,” Massey said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. That’s the whole point, right? It’s the same with racing. We’re having fun. And that’s all that matters. As long as I’m having fun, I’ll stay out here.”