Spencer Massey, winner of 18 Top Fuel NHRA national events, will be racing this weekend at the Spring Nationals in Houston.

Just not in a Top Fuel dragster.

Massey will be driving a Gene Snow-owned Top Alcohol Dragster at Royal Purple Raceway.

“We just figured what the heck, might as well come out and have some fun and (run in the Top Alcohol dragster class),” Massey said in a cell phone interview with CompetitionPlus.com. “I just want to be here and run alcohol dragster and go back to the roots, go back to where it is all fun, where my friends, family and everybody enjoys hanging out at the race track and that’s what I want to do. Top Fuel is so high profile and pressure-packed and the whole nine yards, it just got to the point to where I just want to have fun.  That’s why I got away from what I was doing before. I decided it just wasn’t the right situation for me, so I decided to take a break.”

On August 28, 2015, Massey was released from Don Schumacher Racing as driver of the Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher/Sandvik Coromant Top Fuel dragster in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

"Spencer is no longer with DSR," team owner Don Schumacher said in a press release at that time.

"He violated a DSR policy and would not correct the violation. I feel badly for members of the team because they will not be able to compete for a world championship or next weekend's Traxxas Shootout title."

Massey drove full seasons in Top Fuel for DSR from 2011-14, finishing in the top five in the points standings each season, including a career-best second in 2011. He drove in 17 events for DSR in 2015 prior to being released just before the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Massey’s last Top Fuel national event victory came at the Gatornationals March 15, 2015, in Gainesville, Fla.

This is Massey’s second race in the Top Alcohol Dragster class this season as he ran at Belle Rose, La., in an NHRA Division 4 event earlier this month. He qualified fifth before losing the first round after smoking the tires on April 10.

“Houston was coming up and we ran the Division 4 race in Belle Rose and decided well, what the heck, we might as well come out and see what we can do and see some of my friends who I haven’t seen in a long time and just have fun and go back to the roots. The main goal this weekend is to have fun, that’s about it. If we win that’s great.”

Massey is driving the same dragster Chase Copeland drove last year and Massey’s reunited with the same team he used to work with from 2006-2008.

Massey has had plenty of success in the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks, winning NHRA’s Division 4 championship in 2006 and he was the 2007 JEGS Allstars champ in TAD. Additionally, Massey won three national events in Top Alcohol Dragster – Atlanta and Brainerd, Minn., in 2007 and Atlanta again in 2008.

“We are just planning on just having fun with this deal this year,” said Massey, 33. “We don’t really have a set plan of exactly what races we are going to run. I do have a couple of opportunities for a Top Fuel deal with a team or two for one or two races here and there, but I’m not wanting to go out and run fulltime right now, but if there are opportunities that come up to just go out and have fun, that’s what I want to do.”