Chris McGaha plans to burn the candle at both ends this weekend at the NHRA SpringNationals at Houston's Royal Purple Raceway. The second-generation drag racer will have cars competing for trophies in three categories.
 
McGaha will continue to run the decidedly quick Harlow Sammons Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the Pro Stock category while George McMillan, who drove for McGaha last fall in Dallas, will again be behind the wheel of the Harlow Sammons Stock COPO Camaro. Don Alexander will drive a unique D/D (dragster) in Comp Eliminator.

Chris McGaha plans to burn the candle at both ends this weekend at the NHRA SpringNationals at Houston's Royal Purple Raceway. The second-generation drag racer will have cars competing for trophies in three categories.
 
McGaha will continue to run the decidedly quick Harlow Sammons Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the Pro Stock category while George McMillan, who drove for McGaha last fall in Dallas, will again be behind the wheel of the Harlow Sammons Stock COPO Camaro. Don Alexander will drive a unique D/D (dragster) in Comp Eliminator.
 
"I think this weekend is going to be a lot of fun," said McGaha, a two-time low qualifier in 2014, just five events into the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. "I like having George race my COPO; he's my buddy. And Don is an old friend of the family – heck, he's probably been friends with my dad Lester for 30 years. The dragster that Don is going to drive is what I started racing Comp in years ago. It's a 5-speed transmission like a Pro Stocker and has a V-6 I built from scratch and ran a few times myself. That V-6 is my pride and joy."
 
The Texas-based Harlow Sammons team headquarters are in Odessa, not too terribly far from Houston, and so they count Houston as one of their home tracks. Although McGaha hasn't yet established solid footing in a Pro Stock car at Royal Purple Raceway and has had particular troubles in qualifying there, this year he believes that the chances for success are greatly improved. His season-long scorecard backs up his sentiment, with his most recent low qualifying performance awarded at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, just two weeks ago.
 
"I haven't had any luck there in Houston Pro Stock racing, and my first Pro Stock DNQ [non-qualifier] was there. But I think this year is going to be better for us all around," said McGaha, currently No. 10 in NHRA's Pro Stock standings. "You never know what the future holds – this is Pro Stock racing. But we have the engine in the car that we were No. 1 qualifier with earlier this year in Phoenix, and I think it's going to be a good weekend.
 
"We'll have family and friends there, and that's always real nice. I'll be there to help if George and Don want me to, but I'm pretty much letting them run wild. On Friday, we don't run the Pro Stock car until 4pm, so you'll more than likely find me away from the hoopla of Pro Stock and in the sportsman pits. I'm feeling great. I'm ready to go."