Scott Palmer is on a roll, and he knows exactly why his performance is improving. He bought some Mojo. He had to go across the Canadian border to find it, though. "You can't buy mojo!" girlfriend and crew chief Ashley challenged him, but he insisted he did.

Actually, they were talking about two different kinds of mojo. Palmer was referring to the bottle of green liquid branded "Mojo Metal Polish and Sealant," an item he picked up at the Peterbilt facility in Edmonton when he visited the area for a match race earlier this month. So convinced that he had the real mojo, he dabbed the stuff behind his ears, as if it were cologne, before making his first pass of the weekend.

Just for the record, for those who wonder what a sniff of "mojo" is like, Palmer said, "It smells like coconut." Anyway, maybe Palmer is onto something, because he grabbed the tentative No. 11 position and will enter Saturday's action in 16th place.

And maybe crew member Kevin, his clutch man this weekend, is wrong. He's sporting a baseball-style cap stitched with the words "Scott Palmer Sucks." Joked Palmer, "It's actually true!" The hat started as a gag because another crew member Adam Rhoades, who works on Chris Demke's Top Alcohol Dragster, had a hat that read, "Dragsters Suck." Palmer swiped the hat and presented Kevin with the "Scott Palmer" version. The Top Fuel driver hinted that drag-racing fans might see more of them.

One other thing they might see Palmer driving is Mike Giaffino's '72 Maverick Pro Mod car at local outlaw races in Missouri. Giaffino, who used to turn wrenches on Palmer's dragster, has worked on Al-Anabi Racing owner Sheikh Khalid al Thani's ADRL Pro Mod car and on Frank Manzo's Top Alcohol Funny Car crew. He has been racing the Pro Mod car at Ozark Raceway and Tulsa and said he's thinking about entering a premier street-legal race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this fall. He also has been match-racing from Milan, Mich., to Alberta.

On the NHRA Top Fuel side, Palmer said he'll finish the Western Swing and head to Brainerd. He said he's unsure about whether he'll enter the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis or if he'll race at Las Vegas or the season finale at Pomona. But he plans to make the Dallas and St. Louis Countdown races.

All articles and photography published in CompetitionPlus.com are protected by United States of America and International copyright laws unless mentioned otherwise. The content on this website is intended for the private use of the reader and may not be published or reposted in any form without the prior written consent of CompetitionPlus.com.