Chris McGaha said his off-season was full of what he called “some much-needed maintenance” but said, “Our main focus was on laying the foundation of our two-car team with the addition of [son] Mason this season. He has a brand-new Chevy Camaro that will debut later this year. Mason’s main focus is to finish his senior year of high school and then come out and race several national events this summer.”

The Harlow Sammons Racing team owner from Odessa, Texas, tested in Florida before coming to California. So he literally has been from one end of the country to another to prepare for the Winternationals.

“We continue to squeeze every bit of horsepower that we can out of our engine program to gain a competitive advantage. My head is down and focused on our program with the overall goal of bringing more trophies back to Texas this season.”

He and his father, Lester McGaha, will share crew chief responsibilities.

Chris McGaha is making his 159th event. However, his eye is on his son’s first race.

“With the addition of Mason later this season,” he said, “running a multicar team should get interesting.”

Aaron Stanfield said he sets his goal exceptionally high. And his 2020 plan is ambitious, for sure. He has his sights set on earning not just one championship . . .not just two championships . . . but three championships. The son of former Pro Stock and Pro Stock Truck racer Greg Stanfield is competing in the Pro Stock, Factory Stock Showdown and Top Dragster categories.

He has five Wally trophies in two categories (Super Stock and Top Dragster) and licenses in six (including Factory Stock, Super Comp, and Stock).

Stanfield has decided to park his Super Stock Camaro this season while chasing titles in the three other classes. He raced last season with Elite Motorsports at the start of the Countdown.

“This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid and my dad was racing a Pro Stock car,” he told NHRA.com. “It’s something I would go to sleep as a kid and dream about.”

He said his dad is “very excited, too. He’s always been there for me to help me accomplish whatever I choose I want to go after, and that’s something great about my dad. He never pushes anything upon me. He’ll let me make my own decisions.”