Following a four-year absence from competition, Shawn Reed rejoined the NHRA Top Fuel field last season to embark on his first full-time season.
While he was unable to make the 10-driver Countdown to the Championship, growth was visible during the latter part of the year with resetting his career-best speed three times in the final handful of races (331.69 mph at NHRA finals in Pomona, Calif.).
With a springboard to lean on, this year may be drastically different.
In Saturday’s PRO Superstar Shootout at Florida’s Bradenton Motorsports Park, Reed made the eight-driver eliminations, where he flexed his muscles.
Reed knocked out No. 1 qualifier and reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion Antron Brown in the first round before sending Brittany Force packing via a holeshot in round two.
He’d complete his first winning weekend of his Top Fuel career after topping Josh Hart in the finals with a 3.699 second run at 330.39 mph.
“I hope there’s more to come because this is pretty cool stuff right here,” a smiling Reed said. “I almost said the other word… This is cool s— right here, I’ll tell you what.
“I’m just over the moon happy right now. It’s not even gonna sink in for a while. We got a trip planned to the Bahamas tomorrow, so what a great week coming up. Going to be in the Bahamas for like five or six days… oh my gosh, I couldn’t even of wrote this script any better than this,” Reed continued.
“To be here with FloRacing and all the best drivers in the world, and to come out on top, what a dream come true. Takes a little bit of luck, but, we’ll take it.”
While the 59-year-old’s road to his first professional victory was a long, grueling road, his optimism never wavered.
“I’ve been to 20 races last year in NHRA and I wake up every morning and I’m like, ‘Yeah, today’s my day, today’s my day.’ You know what? I didn’t think anything about it, I just wanted to have fun,” Reed beamed.
“If you push too hard in this game, it just goes the other way. You just gotta let things happen. Things come to you and you think about things, but you push them out.
“All of a sudden, I’m sitting here. ‘How’d I do that?’ Whatever, I’ll take it. we’re good.”
