IDA ZETTERSTRÖM
Early Exit for Ida Zetterström During Gatornationals Debut
GAINESVILLE, FL – Multi-time European drag racing champ Ida Zetterström will have to wait until the next event on the NHRA Mission 
Foods Drag Racing Series tour to capture her first win light of the year as the Swedish speedster bowed out in the first round of eliminations at the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals on Sunday morning.
Aboard the JCM Racing Top Fuel dragster and making her Gainesville Raceway debut, Zetterström qualified her machine 13th after an abbreviated qualifying show due to persistent rain showers washing out all on-track activity on Saturday. In the weekend’s opening session, Zetterström’s machine shook early, and she ended the round in the fourteenth spot. In the second session, she took her 11,000-horsepower rail straight down the groove with a clean pass of 3.781 seconds at 316.67 mph to move one position on the ladder up to 13th. With racing canceled on Saturday, Zetterström was locked into the No. 13 position to start race day and faced Doug Kalitta in the opening round, setting up a showdown between Zetterström, the 2023 FIA European Top Fuel champ, and Kalitta, who secured his first NHRA Top Fuel title that same year. Unfortunately for Zetterström, the race would go Kalitta’s way. She stood on the throttle and her machine instantly lost traction while her opponent crossed the finish line in 5.575 seconds to score the ugly round win. Continue reading
Ida Zetterström Reflects on Rookie Season in NHRA Ahead of Final Two Events
BROWNSBURG, IN – As teams prepare to “pull the ‘chutes” on the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, Swedish 
speedster turned Indianapolis resident Ida Zetterström is eager to finish strong in the race to become NHRA’s Rookie of the Year. With seven other candidates up for the title, the driver of the JCM/VP Racing Fuels/Edelbrock/COMP Cams/Dodge Top Fuel dragster knows that the competition for this coveted award is fierce, but she’s hopeful that her many contributions to the sport, across two continents, will help her chances at winning this year’s Road to the Future award.
The select group of motorsports media who elect the Rookie of the Year are encouraged to consider on-track and off-track achievements. This is good news for Zetterström because although she only started competing in August, she’s gone above and beyond to make her mark on the series all season long.
While eagerly awaiting her chance to get behind the wheel of a JCM Racing Top Fuel dragster, Zetterström attended every 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Series event leading up to her late-summer debut. Although she would have preferred to be in the cockpit, Zetterström wholeheartedly adopted the role of being an extra set of hands for her teammate Tony Schumacher’s crew. She pitched in wherever she could, helping with everything from mixing fuel to packing parachutes. The opposite of a bystander, Zetterström used the opportunity of touring the NHRA circuit to get to know fans in each market, while also capitalizing on the chance to learn the unique characteristics of each facility so that she is well-prepared when she returns as a competitor. Continue reading
Rookie of the Year Contender Ida Zetterström Reaches Semifinals in Top Fuel Debut at Brainerd
BRAINERD, MN – Reigning FIA European Top Fuel champion Ida Zetterström’s rookie campaign in NHRA Top Fuel started off on a strong 
note at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, where Zetterström raced to a semifinal finish aboard her red, white, and blue JCM Racing/VP Racing Fuels/Edelbrock/COMP Cams/Dodge Top Fuel dragster.
As one half of the first pair in Top Fuel’s first qualifying session, Zetterström laid down a respectable 3.809-second pass at 326.87 mph to go to the No. 11 spot. She encountered traction issues early in her second qualifying attempt and clicked it off. Zetterström ran a 3.825 E.T. in the third session on Saturday, then stepped up to a 3.789 E.T. at 324.36 mph to wrap up qualifying. Despite the improved performance she ended up No. 14 on the final qualifying order, making her the 21st woman to qualify for an NHRA race in Top Fuel.
Zetterström’s first race day in NHRA competition started with a first-round match against four-time world champion and No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence. The rookie grabbed a major starting line advantage and charged to another weekend-best performance, a 3.773 E.T., to get the holeshot win over Torrence and his 3.75 E.T. The performance also tied Zetterström’s career-best E.T. set in FIA European Top Fuel competition. Continue reading
Ida Zetterström Launches NHRA Rookie of the Year Campaign
BROWNSBURG, IN – European speed queen Ida Zetterström will officially launch her campaign for NHRA’s 2024 Rookie of the Year at this 
week’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota. The Swedish sensation is ready to take American drag racing by storm in her patriotic red, white, and blue JCM Racing VP Racing Fuels/Edelbrock/Comp Cams/Dodge Top Fuel Dragster.
With only eight races to make her mark, Zetterström knows she’s got to go full throttle from the start. Embracing her new home in the U.S., and with a tongue-in-cheek nod to the American political battle dominating the news cycle, Zetterström’s campaign is firing on all cylinders as she prepares to make her grand debut alongside her JCM Racing teammate Tony Schumacher. She’s on a mission to set off win lights and win over the hearts and minds of NHRA enthusiasts in hopes that a solid fanbase will work in her favor when it’s time for members of the media to cast their ballots for NHRA’s Rookie of the Year in November.
That’s why she’s hitting Brainerd International Raceway with a grassroots campaign replete with all of the requisite garb. Zetterström and her Jon Schaffer-led Top Fuel team will be giving away “Zetterström for 2024 Rookie of the Year” pins, stickers, and yard signs throughout the weekend. Merchandise celebrating the Zetterström/Schaffer ticket will be available at the NHRA Nitro Mall, and a campaign ad featuring the Indianapolis resident is set hit the social media airwaves this afternoon. Continue reading
Ida Zetterström Announces 2024 NHRA Schedule and Crew Chief, Expands Relationship with Dodge
Zetterström to Compete in Eight 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Series Events Under the Tuning Direction of Jon Schaffer
BROWNSBURG, IN – The JCM Racing team has announced that 2023 FIA Top Fuel champion Ida Zetterström will make her NHRA 
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series debut at Brainerd International Raceway, Aug. 16 – 18, in Brainerd, Minnesota. Aboard the JCM/VP Racing/Edelbrock/CompCams Top Fuel dragster, Zetterström will stage a 12,000-horsepower machine in competition for the first time in the U.S. when qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals kicks off on Friday, Aug. 16.
“I’m so excited to share that I’ll finally be hitting the track at Brainerd and will be competing alongside my teammate, Tony Schumacher, in the final eight of 20 races on the schedule this year,” said the Swedish-born racer who relocated to the Indianapolis area in January to be near JCM Racing’s Brownsburg, Indiana headquarters. “I’ve been champing at the bit to share my first race date, but we wanted to wait until we had it completely buttoned up first.
“Fans have been asking what’s taking so long for me to get on the track, but the reality is, it takes a while to assemble a new operation. I didn’t move to the U.S. and hop into the driving role of a team and operation that already existed. Instead, we’re building this team from scratch and there’s a lot that goes into that. In addition to building a car and figuring out a crew, we have to stock our parts inventory, trucks and trailers need to be purchased and outfitted as fully stocked race rigs, wraps need to be designed, approved, and installed. The list goes on and on, but I’m so glad that we finally have that Brainerd date confirmed because now the countdown is on – 86 days!” Continue reading
Edelbrock Performance Continues Ongoing Partnership with European Speedster Ida Zetterström
Zetterström Continues Preparations for U.S., NHRA Debut with JCM Racing
BROWNSBURG, IN – NHRA Rookie of the Year candidate Ida Zetterström continues to ramp up support for a late summer debut in the 
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series with the addition of Edelbrock Performance, a leading manufacturer of specialty automotive and motorcycle aftermarket parts, to her growing roster of partners.
Zetterström, a three-time series champion on the European drag racing circuit, announced last week that VP Racing Fuels would be backing her new U.S. venture. Today, she is thrilled to share that her ongoing partnership with Edelbrock Performance will continue into 2024 as she prepares to join the NHRA tour as a member of JCM Racing.
“It is such an honor for me to be able to announce that I am partnering with Edelbrock this year as I join the NHRA circuit for the first time,” said Zetterström, who is set to embark on her NHRA career fresh off of capturing the 2023 FIA Top Fuel championship in Europe. “Having grown up a bit of a gearhead, Edelbrock is one of those brands that just feels so familiar to me. I loved spending time helping my dad in his auto repair shop as a kid, and I remember always seeing Edelbrock boxes everywhere. This feels like a full circle moment.”
VP Racing Joins Ida Zetterström’s Campaign for 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year
BROWNSBURG, IN – When 2023 FIA Top Fuel champion Ida Zetterström begins her campaign for NHRA’s 2024 Rookie of the Year, she 
will have the support of VP Racing, one of the motorsports industry’s most recognizable brands of race gas, additives, and lubricants, in her corner as she embarks on her inaugural season competing on U.S. soil.
Prior to relocating to Brownsburg, Indiana from the Åland Islands of Finland last month, Zetterström enjoyed tremendous success competing on the FIA and FIM series circuits in Europe. In addition to her 2023 title, Zetterström is also a two-time champion in the Super Street Bike category. She won her first Super Street Bike crown in 2019, becoming the youngest competitor and first female in the category to do so. Her accomplishments caught the attention of VP Racing, prompting the market leader in high-performance racing fuels to present her with the organization’s ‘Special Award,’ which recognizes a racer who had an exceptionally standout season. With the rising young upstart on their radar, it was simply a matter of time before Zetterström and VP would come together to partner in an official capacity.
VP RACING JOINS IDA ZETTERSTRÖM IN HER CAMPAIGN FOR 2024 NHRA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
San Antonio, TX – VP Racing Fuels, Inc., the global leader in performance fuels, lubricants, and additives, announced today that VP Racing 
is an associate partner of Ida Zetterström and JCM Racing for the 2024 NHRA season, as Zetterström chases the Rookie of the Year honors, in the 21-race NHRA Mission Foods Series season.
“We’re excited to be part of Ida Zetterström’s historic quest in the 2024 NHRA season,” said Bruce Hendel, Senior Vice President – Global Sales for VP. “Ida has impressed us for several years, winning VP’s Special Award 2019 for her outstanding performance racing Super Street Bikes in Europe. Joining her as she enters the NHRA’s premier professional series is fitting for the global leader in performance racing fuels, motor oils, and additives.”
Prior to relocating to Brownsburg, Indiana, from the Åland Islands of Finland last month, Zetterström enjoyed tremendous success competing on the FIA and FIM series circuits in Europe. In addition to her 2023 FIA Top Fuel champion title, Zetterström is a two-time Super Street Bike champion.
