After 139 days out of her Scrappers Racing/Valley Services dragster, Top Fuel driver Jasmine Salinas made her return to the cockpit last weekend at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The Scrappers Racing team wowed fans with a remarkable performance at the world’s biggest drag race, powering to an impressive semifinal finish, her fourth of the season.
“At the beginning of the season, the car was performing really consistently,” said Salinas. “And that consistency gave me confidence, but I knew that was something that had built up over four races. We didn’t do any testing before this race. As much as I wanted to hit the ground running, I had to remind myself that this is a journey. It wasn’t realistic to think that I could just jump back in the car and start winning again. I really tried to balance my expectations.”
After running into tire smoke in the first round of qualifying, the Scrappers Racing team, led by Joe Barlam and Adem Cave, found its groove. In Q2, Salinas sped down the track at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway to record a 3.775-second run at 326.56 mph. Her third qualifying effort was also solid, as her 3.847 at 322.42 was the fourth-quickest of the session. Tire smoke hijacked her fourth and fifth qualifying opportunities, but her earlier pass secured a spot on the ladder in a packed field of tough competitors.
Entering eliminations from the No. 14 position, Salinas faced T.J. Zizzo, a formidable competitor to say the least, who qualified third in the field. Salinas got the starting line advantage over Zizzo and held on to that lead to nab a Round One victory.
“After that first round win, I was so amped up and it just felt like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be,” Salinas remarked. “You can hear it in my top-end interview. I’ve never been so fired up in an interview, or at least never felt comfortable showing that spicy side of my personality before. It was a really powerful moment for me.”
Riding high after their first round win, the Scrappers Racing team felt ready to take on defending NHRA U.S. Nationals champion Clay Millican in the quarterfinals. Salinas raced her 12,000-horsepower dragster down the track with the quickest run of the round, 3.780 at 329.10, to defeat Millican.
In the semifinals, Salinas faced Motorsports Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, an opponent Salinas had defeated both times they had faced each other in Top Fuel competition. Stewart got the jump on Salinas off the starting line and held on to his lead as Salinas ran into tire shake early in the run, ceding the win to Stewart.
“I approached this race from a place of gratitude,” said Salinas. “I’m so happy to be back and wanted to enjoy the day for however long it lasted. It was great to see that the car wasn’t losing consistency. I wasn’t quite as strong as I wanted to be on my reaction times, but I was able to hold my own with the other drivers who have been racing all year. Reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Nationals was a huge confidence booster. Those are the moments I have to hold onto when my resolve gets shaky.”
Despite having competed in only five of the 14 races contested thus far in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Salinas showed the drag racing community that she has the chops to compete at the highest level. She has yet to experience a first-round loss this year and finished the regular season with an 11th-place points standing. She and the Scrappers Racing team are currently seeking funding to participate in at least three of the final six races of the season.
In the meantime, the team will continue to soldier forward, taking advantage of every opportunity to make laps. They will head to Hebron, Ohio, this weekend to compete in the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series event at Darana Raceway.
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