Even though there are unwritten rules in drag racing which mandate one doesn't cheer for a rival, the fact is blood is thicker than nitro.

And, the blood between a father and a son is the thickest of all.

Ed and Jason McCulloch will go down in the annals of drag racing history as the first father and son nitro crew chiefs to win an NHRA Full Throttle National event on the same weekend as they guided their respective teams to victory at the O’Reilly NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kan. Three months earlier they were the first to guide their drivers to No. 1 positions during the same event, this time in Phoenix, Az.

Even though there are unwritten rules in drag racing which mandate one doesn't cheer for a rival, the fact is blood is thicker than nitro.

And, the blood between a father and a son is the thickest of all.

Ed and Jason McCulloch will go down in the annals of drag racing history as the first father and son nitro crew chiefs to win an NHRA Full Throttle National event on the same weekend as they guided their respective teams to victory at the O’Reilly NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kan. Three months earlier they were the first to guide their drivers to No. 1 positions during the same event, this time in Phoenix, Az.

Ed, the father, tunes Funny Car point leader Ron Capps at Don Schumacher Racing while Jason, the son, holds the same position for Top Fuel racer Larry Dixon at Alan Johnson Racing/Al Anabi, a team comprised largely of mechanics who defected from DSR.

“It was really cool for our team to win the race and then to see Jason win,” Ed McCulloch, the proud parent beamed. “We are on different teams now but I am obviously very proud of the kid. He’s got the best teacher over there in Alan [Johnson], looking over his shoulder and guiding him. It was a really cool day.”

“Not to pay attention to the stats and the firsts and everything … when we qualified No. 1 in Phoenix, I thought that was pretty cool,” Jason said, when asked about the day's accomplishment. “I always felt after that point that it would be neat for us to win at the same time. In the history of drag racing, and having this sport a part of my life for as long as I have been alive, anytime you get to be the first is special.”

Topeka marked the first time the McCullochs had the opportunity to challenge for a prestigious part of drag racing history and they didn’t let the moment pass. There was, for the most part, a bit of apprehension between themselves not to let the other down.

Ed went first and won his race, passing the pressure on to his son to deliver.

“We were joking around and I told him that it might have been easier if he ran first,” Ed admitted. “That way if he would have won the pressure might have been on us then.”

Not hardly. In fact, Jason added that having his father run ahead of them actually worked to his favor.

“Deep in your mind you don’t want to be the one to blow it,” Jason said. “Prior to our run, the NHRA had run Pro Modified and they had ripped the track up some. My dad’s team didn’t have lane choice but we did. My dad, Alan and myself talked about where to do the burnout and where to line up. It worked to our advantage in that we worked with what they were doing and ended up finding a good place on the track to run. You can’t have too many friends and obviously with him … we’re family.”

Family that plays together, works together and on this particular day, won together. 

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