Top Fuel fans can expect the Scrappers dragster of Mike Salinas to be scrappier than usual in 2019.

NHRA.com reported Brian Husen will continue as crew chief for the independent team with Alan Johnson serving as tuning advisor. It is believed this will be their primary tuning effort, with the duo not returning to John Force Racing.

"They decided to take a different direction at JFR," Husen told NHRA.com. "I understand, they gotta make the decisions they gotta make. The opportunity became available with Mike Salinas to come over here and work. Once I got over here and started talking with Mike and saw the direction he wanted to go. A lot of the guys on Brittany's team showed interest, so we knew we had a good group of people. We knew the best case for us was to stick together and build on what we had a few years ago with Brittany, and we were successful doing it that way.

"It's not the normal low-key winter for us."

Husen said he and Johnson have worked together for 15 years. Their time together has resulted in three championships, first with Del Worsham in 2011, Shawn Langdon in 2013, and most recently with Force in 2017.

"Mike's a great driver, and we have the championship team we had with Brittany's team, and we have all the right parts," Husen explained. "It will just come down to decision making on Alan and my part, and with Mike doing a great job driving, and these guys doing a great job as they've always done."

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