After 139 days out of her Scrappers Racing/Valley Services Top Fuel dragster, Jasmine Salinas came back swinging at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. The world’s biggest drag race became the stage for her return, and she delivered – racing all the way to a semifinal finish, her fourth of the season.
“At the beginning of the season, the car was performing really consistently,” Salinas said. “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.”
Her weekend started rocky, with tire smoke in the opening round of qualifying. But crew chiefs Joe Barlam and Adem Cave dialed it in. In Q2, Salinas blasted to a 3.775-second run at 326.56 mph, then followed with a strong 3.847 at 322.42 to claim the fourth-quickest time of the session. A couple of misfires later in qualifying didn’t matter – she was safely in the field against the best of the best.
From the No. 14 spot, Salinas drew third qualifier T.J. Zizzo in round one. She nailed the tree, grabbed the starting line advantage, and never let go.
“After that first round win, I was so amped up and it just felt like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be,” she said. “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.”
That fire carried straight into the quarterfinals. Facing defending U.S. Nationals champ Clay Millican, Salinas laid down the quickest run of the round – 3.780 at 329.10 – to advance.
Her day ended in the semis against Tony Stewart, a matchup she’d owned 2-0 coming into Indy. This time, Stewart cut the better light. Salinas shook the tires early and had to give way.
“I approached this race from a place of gratitude,” Salinas said. “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.”
Her resolve is holding plenty strong. Despite running only five of 14 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series events this year, Salinas has yet to suffer a first-round loss and still finished the regular season 11th in points. She and the Scrappers team are chasing funding to hit at least three of the final six races in 2025.
For now, the mission is simple: keep racing, keep growing. Next stop is Hebron, Ohio, where Salinas will join the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series at Darana Raceway. Another chance to make laps. Another chance to prove she belongs.
And if Indy was any indication, Jasmine Salinas is back – fired up, fast, and ready for whatever’s next.
This story was originally published on September 5, 2025. 
The post Jasmine Salinas: “I’ve Never Been So Fired Up” first appeared on Drag Illustrated.