NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

It has been a long and circuitous journey for Brandon Welch, but the Funny Car newcomer is now living his dream and he doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon.

 

Welch made his professional debut in 2015, racing the final two events of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. He has taken the next step this year and will have three races under his belt in 2016 when he heads to Pacific Raceways for the 29th annual Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, Aug. 5-7.

 

The journey to this point might have taken a little longer than Welch had expected, but with the chance to race in back-to-back races to close out the Western Swing in his AutoAnything.com Chevrolet Monte Carlo along with plans to race eight total times in 2016, the rising star couldn’t be more excited about his current position.

 

“To get a little taste of driving this car, I want to live in this world all the time,” said Welch, who is the grandson of veteran NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Chuck Beal. “To race 3-4 times in a little over a month is great and to do it two weekends in a row is fantastic. It’s been a lot of fun and a great time. The guys are working hard and doing a great job.

 

“I think there’s something endearing and something people like about a team that looks at this massive challenge and goes after it. We’re going to work hard and do whatever we can to climb this mountain to get where we want to go. I think we’re definitely on the right path.”

 

J.R. Todd (Top Fuel), Tommy Johnson Jr. (Funny Car) and Chris McGaha (Pro Stock) were last year’s winners at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event held at the multi-purpose motorsports facility near Seattle. It is the 16th of 24 races during the 2016 season and will be broadcast on the FOX national broadcast network for the first time.

 

Welch’s journey started more than 15 years ago, working as a crewmember on Beal’s Top Alcohol Funny Car as a teenager. From that point, his dream became to drive a nitro Funny Car, something that finally came to fruition for the 33-year-old Welch in 2015 thanks to Beal and AutoAnything.com. He raced in Las Vegas and Pomona to close out 2015, but took another step this year when he qualified for eliminations for the first time in Norwalk.

 

“We completely overhauled and upgraded our parts and engine set-up in the offseason,” Welch said. “It’s taken a couple of races to it honed in and our goal is to consistently be in the 4.0s. If we got in the 3.90s, that would be amazing. I think I would throw a party. But if we’re a consistent 4.0 car, we can qualify and win rounds. I was happy with the progress we made from Norwalk to Chicago. Hopefully we can continue to improve.”

 

The goal at Pacific Raceways will be to qualify in a loaded Funny Car field, but Welch, a California native, is excited for the back-to-back races on the West Coast. The races in Norwalk and Chicago got his feet wet for the 2016 season, bit the Sonoma Nationals did not go as planned, as Welch failed to make the 16-car field. He were bumped down to the 17th qualifying position during the final qualifying session and were unable to move themselves back into the field.and now Welch plans on enjoying the moment with family and friends at Pacific Raceways.

 

But the journey for Welch is nowhere near complete. He will make his first Funny Car appearance at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals and then will race three more times following that to close out his season, hoping to play spoiler during the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship in the process.

 

In Seattle, Welch will have to deal with the likes of points leader Ron Capps, who has four wins this year, as well as defending event winner Tommy Johnson Jr., Jack Beckman, defending world champion Del Worsham, Matt Hagan, Courtney Force, John Force, who has eight wins at Pacific Raceways and won last weekend in Sonoma, Beckman, Alexis DeJoria, Tim Wilkerson and Robert Hight. It’s a daunting list of competitors but Welch is simply thrilled to have the opportunity to race against the elite Funny Car talent.

 

“It’s a good start and we’re really excited about being able to do eight races this year,” Welch said. “As long we’re making progress, our goal is to go full-time as soon as possible. It would be an amazing thing and we’re going to keep working towards that.”

 

The Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of the sport earn their racing stripes.

 

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand how the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.
 
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature rounds at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 1 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7.

 

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 800-884-NHRA (6472). Tickets also are available online at www.nhra.com/tickets. Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult.