NHRA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 2009; SPECTATOR IN 2010
Tue, 2010-02-16 14:00
Top Fuel driver Spencer Massey, the 2009 rookie of the year who has no NHRA ride this season, was one-up on his 
employed colleagues as he visited them in the Pomona pits Thursday. He already had one complete event under his belt -- the International Hot Rod Association's Nitro Jam series opener at Florida's Palm Beach International Raceway. Massey returned to the IHRA to compete in fellow Texan Mitch King's dragster -- the one in which he began driving in the nitro ranks in 2008 and took to the championship that year.
However, with his former NHRA boss Don Prudhomme's retirement, Massey admittedly there is "not really anything at the moment" in the works on the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series side. He said he came to Pomona because "it's good to keep my face out here" and because "I'm always a drag-racing fan -- I can't miss a drag race."
employed colleagues as he visited them in the Pomona pits Thursday. He already had one complete event under his belt -- the International Hot Rod Association's Nitro Jam series opener at Florida's Palm Beach International Raceway. Massey returned to the IHRA to compete in fellow Texan Mitch King's dragster -- the one in which he began driving in the nitro ranks in 2008 and took to the championship that year.
However, with his former NHRA boss Don Prudhomme's retirement, Massey admittedly there is "not really anything at the moment" in the works on the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series side. He said he came to Pomona because "it's good to keep my face out here" and because "I'm always a drag-racing fan -- I can't miss a drag race."
Sporting his classy-looking IHRA championship ring on his right hand, Massey said he wanted "to come hang out and see what happens. You never know what might show up. 'Out of sight - out of mind' isn't good. I'm obviously looking for something to happen. But as of right now, I'm not really doing anything."
He is relocating from Brownsburg, Ind., where Prudhomme's shop was based, home to Fort Worth, Texas. "I can work on alcohol cars and do some stuff in Division 4. That's where I've grown up -- goin' back to my roots, right?" King is headquartered in Galveston, where last weekend he celebrated the start of Mardi Gras on the city's historic "Strand" at King's old-fashioned ice cream parlor.
He said, "Mitch King's a very good friend of mine, and the IHRA -- it's awesome over there. They have a new format over there, so it's a little different. It's like a Chicago-style match race. We still get to go have fun and get to listen to Top Fuel cars hit the loud pedal. That's what we're all about. It's still fun no matter what. We love to drag race. We love to run our race cars. No matter if it's NHRA or IHRA or what it is, I'm always having fun doing it."
Said Massey, "I'm obviously looking to have a fulltime gig on the NHRA side. Hopefully I'll be back soon. And if I can't, I'll continue to work on Mitch King's car and have fun doing that."
He hasn't abandoned his sportsman roots but said he doesn't want to throw his energy into a Lucas Oil Series program and either ditch his Top Fuel quest or try to pursue both at once.
"I'll go back to drive a Super Comp dragster. But I don't want to get involved into a points battle while I'm still trying to look for a deal on the Top Fuel side of things," Massey said. "So right now I'm just trying to focus my goal on trying to find a professional Top Fuel ride in NHRA. If someone wants me to go run a race or two in (an) alcohol (class), I'm more than happy. I'll jump in a race car and have fun. But I don't want to obligate myself to a full season for points and everything.
"I miss it. I don't think of it as going backwards," he said. "I'm a true racer. I love racing -- it doesn't matter if I'm racing my pick-up or no-electronics or Top Fuel. It doesn't matter to me at all. If I can go back and run alcohol, knowing I can drive in Top Fuel next year, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Although his contract with Prudhomme officially has ended, Massey said if Prudhomme should find a financial reason to return to the sport, he be "more than happy to drive for him -- and I would think he's more than happy to have me drive for him. We're trying to come up with something, but it's not looking too hot right now."
Also attending the Winternationals as a spectator is Top Fueler Del Cox, the young man from Downey, Calif., who replaced Massey in the seat of King's dragster and followed Massey as IHRA Top Fuel champion last season.
employed colleagues as he visited them in the Pomona pits Thursday. He already had one complete event under his belt -- the International Hot Rod Association's Nitro Jam series opener at Florida's Palm Beach International Raceway. Massey returned to the IHRA to compete in fellow Texan Mitch King's dragster -- the one in which he began driving in the nitro ranks in 2008 and took to the championship that year.However, with his former NHRA boss Don Prudhomme's retirement, Massey admittedly there is "not really anything at the moment" in the works on the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series side. He said he came to Pomona because "it's good to keep my face out here" and because "I'm always a drag-racing fan -- I can't miss a drag race."
Top Fuel driver Spencer Massey, the 2009 rookie of the year who has no NHRA ride this season, was one-up on his
Roger Richards
However, with his former NHRA boss Don Prudhomme's retirement, Massey admittedly there is "not really anything at the moment" in the works on the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series side. He said he came to Pomona because "it's good to keep my face out here" and because "I'm always a drag-racing fan -- I can't miss a drag race."
Sporting his classy-looking IHRA championship ring on his right hand, Massey said he wanted "to come hang out and see what happens. You never know what might show up. 'Out of sight - out of mind' isn't good. I'm obviously looking for something to happen. But as of right now, I'm not really doing anything."
He is relocating from Brownsburg, Ind., where Prudhomme's shop was based, home to Fort Worth, Texas. "I can work on alcohol cars and do some stuff in Division 4. That's where I've grown up -- goin' back to my roots, right?" King is headquartered in Galveston, where last weekend he celebrated the start of Mardi Gras on the city's historic "Strand" at King's old-fashioned ice cream parlor.
He said, "Mitch King's a very good friend of mine, and the IHRA -- it's awesome over there. They have a new format over there, so it's a little different. It's like a Chicago-style match race. We still get to go have fun and get to listen to Top Fuel cars hit the loud pedal. That's what we're all about. It's still fun no matter what. We love to drag race. We love to run our race cars. No matter if it's NHRA or IHRA or what it is, I'm always having fun doing it."
Said Massey, "I'm obviously looking to have a fulltime gig on the NHRA side. Hopefully I'll be back soon. And if I can't, I'll continue to work on Mitch King's car and have fun doing that."
He hasn't abandoned his sportsman roots but said he doesn't want to throw his energy into a Lucas Oil Series program and either ditch his Top Fuel quest or try to pursue both at once.
"I'll go back to drive a Super Comp dragster. But I don't want to get involved into a points battle while I'm still trying to look for a deal on the Top Fuel side of things," Massey said. "So right now I'm just trying to focus my goal on trying to find a professional Top Fuel ride in NHRA. If someone wants me to go run a race or two in (an) alcohol (class), I'm more than happy. I'll jump in a race car and have fun. But I don't want to obligate myself to a full season for points and everything.
"I miss it. I don't think of it as going backwards," he said. "I'm a true racer. I love racing -- it doesn't matter if I'm racing my pick-up or no-electronics or Top Fuel. It doesn't matter to me at all. If I can go back and run alcohol, knowing I can drive in Top Fuel next year, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Although his contract with Prudhomme officially has ended, Massey said if Prudhomme should find a financial reason to return to the sport, he be "more than happy to drive for him -- and I would think he's more than happy to have me drive for him. We're trying to come up with something, but it's not looking too hot right now."
Also attending the Winternationals as a spectator is Top Fueler Del Cox, the young man from Downey, Calif., who replaced Massey in the seat of King's dragster and followed Massey as IHRA Top Fuel champion last season.
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