Concord, NC – Shawn Reed captured his first NHRA Top Fuel victory last weekend in Reading, PA after recovering from an on-track incident, which left him sidelined for seven weeks.  Reed’s triumph at the 2025 Countdown opener vaulted him from 10th up to fifth place (tied) in the Top Fuel point standings heading into this weekend’s event.

Reed’s other 2025 successes include winning the PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Fla. earlier this year, and the IHRA Outlaw Series in Hebron, Ohio two weeks prior to the race at Maple Grove. Between his back-to-back IHRA and NHRA victories, Reed has yet to lose a round since his return.

Following a disappointing DNQ at the 2024 Reading event, last year’s Charlotte 2 race served as a turning point for the Shawn Reed Racing team, and they have been steadily adding to their momentum ever since.  In Charlotte, Reed recorded his best qualifying position of the season (2nd) during the event.  He went on to record a semifinal finish at the following event in St. Louis, and posted round wins at two of the remaining three events on the 2024 schedule. Continue reading →

READING, PA – Eight weeks after a top-end crash at the NHRA Northwest Nationals left Shawn Reed with multiple fractured ribs and an amputated left index finger, the independent Top Fuel driver raced to his first career NHRA Top Fuel victory Sunday evening at the 40th NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway. It was Reed’s first NHRA race back in competition in his Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel dragster after taking several weeks off to recover from the crash. He entered the weekend 10th in the Top Fuel points standings and is now tied for fifth going into the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship.

The win came just one week after Reed raced to victory at an IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series race in Hebron, Ohio, while preparing for his NHRA competition return. The event served as a test run to get Reed comfortable in the car again, and he ended up defeating three-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Larry Dixon in the final round to claim his second win of the season outside NHRA competition, adding to his victory at the PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Fla., in February.

While Reed was on the sidelines, he tapped NHRA on FOX broadcast team member and former Bachelorette contestant Jordan Vandergriff to serve as a replacement driver. With Vandergriff driving at the final two races of the NHRA regular season, Shawn Reed Racing maintained its Countdown to the Championship eligibility, allowing Reed to continue his pursuit of a Top Fuel world championship starting at the Reading Nationals. Continue reading →

Mohnton, PA – Reed returns to NHRA competition for the first time since his Seattle accident, which left him sidelined for seven weeks as he recovered from injuries that included multiple fractured ribs and an amputated left index finger.

He enters the first race of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship fresh off a win from the IHRA Outlaw Series event in Hebron, Ohio last weekend where he defeated Larry Dixon in the final round to score his second non-NHRA Top Fuel win of the season (also won the PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Fla. in February).

Reed’s participation in the IHRA event served as a test run to ensure he was ready to return to NHRA competition for the start of the Countdown.  Shawn will be competing this weekend with a few adjustments, including a modified steering wheel and glove
The Shawn Reed Racing team will start the 2025 NHRA Countdown to the Championship from the No. 10 position’25 marks the team’s second Countdown appearance; they finished the 2024 season ranked 10th in the final standings. Continue reading →

BROWNSBURG, IN – It’s full speed ahead for multi-time IHBA drag boat champion-turned NHRA Top Fuel driver Shawn Reed as he prepares to make his return to the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at the upcoming NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish, Sept. 10 – 12. Reed has sat sidelined for the past six weeks following a crash at the NHRA Northwest Nationals, which left him with multiple fractured ribs and an amputated left index finger.

Before he fully confirms his participation in the Reading race, however, he will return to the seat of his Reed Trucking & Excavating dragster this weekend at the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series in Hebron, Ohio. It will be the first time Reed will strap into his dragster since the Seattle incident. While Reed is eager to once again have the opportunity to chase win lights in just a few days, the primary purpose of his trip to Darana Raceway is to ensure his comfort level behind the wheel of his 12,000-horsepower machine.

“Ever since the dust settled from my accident, I’ve been champing at the bit to get back behind the wheel,” Reed said. “Jordan (Vandergriff) did a great job, and I was happy to give him that opportunity, but I’ve got to admit, it was hard standing on the sidelines watching someone else drive my car at these last two races.” Continue reading →

INDIANAPOLIS – Aboard the Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel dragster, Shawn Reed Racing fill-in driver Jordan Vandergriff made a string of impressive runs throughout the NHRA U.S. Nationals, the sport’s premier event, but a puff of tire smoke in Monday’s opening round of eliminations led to an upset loss, ending Vandergriff’s day early.

For the second consecutive event, the former Bachelorette contestant and NHRA on FOX team member sat at the controls of team owner/driver Shawn Reed’s 12,000-horsepower machine, as Reed continues to recover from an on-track incident from earlier this summer. The Indianapolis race marks the third consecutive event where Reed has sat out. Vandergriff began competing and collecting points on Reed’s behalf, starting with the Brainerd, Minn. race, and this weekend at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Vandergriff returned as Reed’s fill-in driver and effectively cemented the Shawn Reed Racing team as contenders in the 2025 NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, kicking off in less than two weeks.

After a solid outing in Brainerd which saw Vandergriff qualify third, reset his career-best speed multiple times, and earn a round win, the team continued their upward trajectory in Indianapolis. The weekend began on an impressive note when crew chief Rob Wendland tuned the Reed Trucking & Excavating dragster to a stout 3.683 E.T. at 333.33 mph on Friday night under the lights. The run was a career-best elapsed time for Vandergriff and placed him second on the Top Fuel timing sheet. Like many nitro teams, they struggled to make a full pull in the heat on Saturday, but returned with two good runs on Sunday, including a 3.770 E.T. during the weekend’s final qualifying session, which held up to be the second-quickest of the round. Continue reading →

Indianapolis – NHRA on FOX broadcast team member Jordan Vandergriff is making his second appearance behind the wheel of the Reed Trucking & Excavating dragster this weekend as team owner/driver Shawn Reed continues to recover from an on-track incident last month.

Indianapolis marks the third consecutive event where Reed will sit out. Competing and collecting points on Reed’s behalf in Brainerd, MN.

Vandergriff qualified No. 3 and advanced to the quarterfinals in his first appearance with the SRR team.  No. 10 ranked Reed is expected to make his return in time for the first race of the NHRA Countdown in Reading, PA.

Jordan Vandergriff talks about Indy, “Heading into the ‘Big Go,’ this Shawn Reed Racing team and I have built some great chemistry. We proved that by qualifying third in Brainerd and resetting my personal best speed, twice. Indy is the perfect place to keep it rolling. This is a historic race on drag racing’s biggest stage, and we want to show what this team and this Reed Trucking & Excavating dragster are capable of. We know we are quick and that we can run in the top half of the field. With every lap we make, the goal is to keep improving, keep pushing, and put ourselves in a position to go deep on race day.” Continue reading →

BROWNSBURG, IN – One week after making his long-awaited competition return with the Shawn Reed Racing Top Fuel team at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., it was announced that Jordan Vandergriff would be back in the driver’s seat of the Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel dragster for the upcoming NHRA U.S. Nationals, the sport’s premier event. Team owner/driver Shawn Reed remains sidelined for the third consecutive race as he recovers from an on-track incident last month, which left him with two fractured ribs and an amputated left index finger. In his absence, Reed appointed Vandergriff to race and collect points on his behalf at the Brainerd event and has called upon Vandergriff to once again serve as the fill-in driver of his 12,000-horsepower machine during next weekend’s race in Indianapolis, the final event of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ regular season.

“This was not a difficult decision,” said Reed, who plans to return to the driver’s seat in time for the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, beginning in Reading, Pa., Sept. 12-14. “Admittedly, it took some time and a lot of weighing out pros and cons when it came to deciding who would drive the Reed Trucking & Excavating dragster in Brainerd. But after seeing how easily Jordan mixed in with the crew and jumped right back into competition mode after knocking the rust off those first few runs, it wasn’t even a question for me for Indy, I knew I wanted Jordan back in the car. Continue reading →

BRAINERD, MN – With young gun Jordan Vandergriff filling in for injured Top Fuel driver Shawn Reed, the Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel team made strides at the penultimate race of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Competing at Brainerd International Raceway, Vandergriff made the most of his opportunity to fill in for the sidelined Reed, who was injured in an on-track incident two races ago near Seattle. Vandergriff qualified third, set two new career-best speeds, and turned on a win light on race day to earn points towards Reed’s Countdown to the Championship eligibility as the regular season winds down.

In Vandergriff’s first run in competition since the 2019 season finale, he launched off the starting line, started to haze the tires, and backfired the supercharger to coast to a 4.084 E.T. at 245.76 mph, putting him No. 5 on the qualifying sheet. Vandergriff ended the day with a 3.800-second pass at 328.30 mph in the second session. On Saturday, crew chief Rob Wendland sent Vandergriff on a 3.757-second pass at Vandergriff’s career-best speed, 333.58 mph, but the best was yet to come. He just missed a new career-best E.T. with his 3.705 E.T. at 334.32 mph in the final session, but was able to reset his speed record once again. The pass was the second-quickest of the session, earning two bonus points and moving Vandergriff up to third on the final qualifying order. Continue reading →

Brainerd, MN – After a violent crash at the NHRA Northwest Nationals left team owner/driver Shawn Reed sidelined from his driving duties until at least the first event of the 2025 NHRA Countdown in September, opted to utilize a fill-in driver at the final two regular-season Mission Foods Series events.

NHRA on FOX broadcast team member and former Bachelorette contestant Jordan Vandergriff will pilot the Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel dragster at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals with Reed’s U.S. Nationals’ driver plans to be announced.  Vandergriff will be collecting points on Reed’s behalf this weekend at Brainerd International Raceway.

Reed currently ranks 10th in the Top Fuel point standings and must maintain his top 10 ranking by the conclusion of the Indianapolis event in order to ensure his playoff-eligibility status.

Prior to this weekend’s Brainerd event, Vandergriff competed in 11 events in the Top Fuel division during the 2019 season. His best showing came from the Dallas race where he powered to a runner-up finish.  This weekend’s event marks Vandergriff’s first time competing in Brainerd. Continue reading →

BROWNSBURG, IN – Jordan Vandergriff was named interim driver of the Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel dragster at the upcoming Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, it was announced today by team owner/driver Shawn Reed, who is sidelined as he recovers from a crash that occurred during last month’s NHRA Northwest Nationals near Seattle.

The news broke on Friday via Facebook Live, after much hype and speculation, with Reed announcing that Vandergriff has been commissioned to pilot his 12,000-horsepower machine in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 15-17. Reed will announce his NHRA U.S. Nationals replacement driver on a later date but confirms that he will rely on a fill-in driver for that event.

The decision was made to utilize a stand-in driver at the final two regular-season NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series events in an effort to secure Reed’s status as a playoff-eligible driver. The No. 10-ranked Top Fuel pilot is planning to return to the cockpit in Reading. Pa. for the first race of the 2025 Countdown to the Championship.

Continue reading →