Summoning John Travolta, Top Fuel ace Scott Palmer wants his mojo back in Houston

HOUSTON – Standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona, Top Fuel pilot Scott Palmer didn’t summon Glenn Frey and the Eagles, as so many others have in that exact location, but the rather odd combination of John Travolta and the Bee Gees. It all makes perfect sense for Palmer, the driver of the 11,000-horsepower Magic Dry Organic Absorbent dragster, as he explains.

“I’m driving over from Vegas and I stopped in Winslow Arizona because, well it’s Winslow Arizona from the Eagle’s song Take It Easy,” Palmer said. “But I didn’t exactly feel like taking it easy because we have a great racecar that just hasn’t shown the world what we’re capable of this year.

“So I’m in Winslow and instead of seeing a girl in a flatbed Ford, I see the Mojo Coffee Company and it hits me…we need to get our Mojo back. That’s been my goal ever since. It started in Winslow and I bought enough Mojo coffee for everyone and we’re gonna be drinking lots of it. Plus, that store was owned by Navajo Indians and they really believe in mojo. It’s a spiritual thing to them, and now me too.”

Palmer has a point. His dragster has run well all season but they just haven’t caught a break on race day just yet. The only thing that seems to be missing from their successful 2018 campaign, then ended in a second consecutive top-10 finish, is a dash of better luck.

“We had a great race last weekend in Vegas other than the results don’t show it, which has happened a few too many times this year,” Palmer said. “Had we been in any other race that first round, we would have advanced, but in our group, everyone runs their best pass of the weekend against us. That’s a loss of mojo right there.

“Our car ran exactly what we wanted it to run and we don’t feel we need to change anything other than getting our mojo back. I’m going to change our luck this weekend.”

Currently ranked 12th, just 54 markers out of the NHRA Mello Yello Series top 10, Palmer says even his current perch in the points has meaning.

“If you Google how to get your mojo back, No. 12 on the list is get your swagger walk back, and they have a video of John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever walking down the street like a boss,” Palmer said. “You gotta watch him walk. He knows he has mojo. I’m talking to NHRA about changing my intro music right now to the Bee Gee’s Stayin’ Alive. I don’t know if I can do that in Texas without getting beat up but I’m willing to try.

“I’m also stopping at every Sonic Drive-In I see going across Texas. I love Texas because they have plenty of Sonics everywhere. That’s my place. Mojo Coffee and Sonic has to work.”