Shawn Reed is returning to familiar grounds and aiming high as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads to Firebird Motorsports Park for the Arizona Nationals, March 21–23. Driving the Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel Dragster, Reed enters the event determined to capitalize on his past success and achieve a breakthrough victory.
Reed’s experience at Firebird Motorsports Park extends beyond the drag strip. Before competing in NHRA Top Fuel, Reed amassed an impressive collection of trophies racing Blown Alcohol Hydro Boats in the IHBA Lucas Oil Series on the facility’s lake, a unique background he credits for his competitive edge.
Last season at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, Reed demonstrated strong performance, qualifying eighth and reaching the quarterfinals. He secured his first round win of the 2024 season by defeating Jasmine Salinas in round one before narrowly falling to eventual race finalist Steve Torrence.
Coming off a challenging season opener in Gainesville—where despite a solid seventh-place qualifying effort, he was defeated in round one by Jasmine Salinas—Reed and his team are eager to rebound with a standout performance in Phoenix.
“We’re looking forward to this race after the rough outing in Gainesville,” Reed said. “We just didn’t seem to get into a rhythm back there with all the rain and weather and power outages and drones hitting buildings—it just wasn’t meant to be for us that weekend. This race, no excuses. We are geared up and full speed ahead for chasing that Wally! The guys haven’t forgotten what winning feels like, and I have no doubt we’ll achieve success in Phoenix.”
Fans can follow Reed’s pursuit of victory starting Friday, March 21, at Firebird Motorsports Park.
This story was originally published on March 19, 2025.
The post Shawn Reed Set to Make Impact at NHRA Arizona Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.