Epping, NH – Epping kicks off a grueling schedule of four races over a five week span and Reed is looking at this time to make some big moves in the point standings.  He currently occupies the No. 11 spot and will look to begin climbing back into the top 10 this weekend.

The team tested in Indianapolis ahead of the recent Joliet event and noted an improvement in performance during the race weekend.

“We are ready, expressed Reed, “We’re looking forward to heading up to Epping. We tested at Indy before the Chicago race and found some things there that we were able to apply during the race weekend and the car responded well. We smoked the tires against Tony Stewart in E2, but it could have just as easily gone the other way, and we could have found ourselves in the semifinals at that event. So, looking forward to more continued progress on the race track this weekend, and a nice dinner on the coast.” Continue reading →

JOLIET, IL – After racing to a new career-best speed during qualifying, Shawn Reed, pilot and owner of the Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel dragster, built on his continuing positive momentum when he reached the quarterfinals at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals by defeating Dan Mercier on a holeshot effort in the first elimination round on Sunday.

Inclement weather plagued qualifying on Friday and Saturday as rapid and remarkable fluctuations in air pressure, density, temperature, wind speeds, and wind direction made tuning tricky.

Reed opened qualifying on Friday afternoon with a full pull down the track, recording a 4.150 E.T. at 230.10 mph. As a dust storm started rolling in later that day, Reed made the smart decision to shut off early in his second qualifying attempt so as not to risk unnecessary damage from battling powerful crosswinds. Reed powered to a blistering 3.720 E.T. in the third qualifying opportunity, posting the fastest speed of his Top Fuel career (334.82 mph) in the process. While he made another respectable pass in the final heat of qualifying, it was that top-speed run from the third session that put him in the No. 7 position on the ladder. Continue reading →

Joliet, IL – Reed sits less than two competition rounds behind the No. 10 ranked driver and will be looking to crack back into the Top Fuel top 10 this weekend in Joliet.  He expects that to happen this weekend.

“Really happy to be getting back to two-wide racing. It’s been a busy couple weeks in the shop with the guys working on our clutch and with a couple of things they found. I’m really excited to stab the gas. We are trying to test coming up as well, so hopefully we can get up there and run fast and more importantly, run consistent passes, and keep making progress on our 2025 campaign.”,  explained Reed.

2024 Route 66 NHRA Nationals Event Recap:
Qualified fifth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Josh Hart in E1; defeated by Shawn Langdon in E2)

Last Event (Charlotte 1):
Qualified fourth; First round exit (defeated by Doug Foley, Antron Brown in E1)

CONCORD, NC – A solid qualifying performance at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte placed Shawn Reed fourth in the final order heading into race day at zMAX Dragway. Like many of his competitors, Reed struggled to put together a clean run in the opening round on Sunday, ending his effort to add more win lights to his 2025 total.

Aboard his Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel dragster, Reed opened the weekend with a great pass, recording a 3.739 E.T. at a career-best speed of 334.40 mph, which held up to be the fourth-quickest run of the session. In round two of qualifying, Reed kept his machine hooked up and barreling straight down the groove to post a 3.703 E.T., which once again stood strong to be the fourth-quickest elapsed time of the round. On Saturday, Reed participated in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge thanks to his recent outing in Las Vegas where he finished in the top eight, earning him a bid to the specialty race. Unfortunately for the PRO Superstar Shootout winner, Reed’s machine lost traction, and he was not able to advance to the final round of the Mission Foods-backed challenge. More tire smoke followed in the final qualifying session, but Reed’s 3.703 E.T. from Friday night held for fourth out of the 17 Top Fuel dragsters on the property vying for a spot in Sunday’s elimination field. Continue reading →

LAS VEGAS – Top Fuel privateer Shawn Reed clinched his first round win of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season on Sunday during the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas. In his fourth outing competing in a four-wide format, Reed lit up the scoreboards when he powered his Reed Trucking & Excavating machine to the quickest run of his quad, defeating his three round-one opponents. A clutch issue in the second round prevented him from moving on, but Reed leaves Las Vegas pleased with the team’s continued forward progress as they prepare for the upcoming stretch of summer races.

The team made a statement in the weekend’s opening qualifying session with crew chief Rob Wendland tuning the Reed Trucking & Excavating dragster to a 3.953-second pass at 309.77 mph in the unseasonably hot conditions, which saw temperatures soar into the 90s all weekend long. The run held up to be the second-quickest of the round, awarding the team with two bonus points for their efforts. In Friday’s second session, Reed made another clean pass to close out the first day of qualifying. He hazed the tires during Saturday’s first run but clocked his best run of the weekend, a 3.847-second pass at 322.65, during the final session to settle into the No. 7 seed on the Top Fuel elimination ladder. Continue reading →

POMONA, CA – After an early exit at the NHRA Arizona Nationals one week prior, Top Fuel racer Shawn Reed was looking to the NHRA Winternationals to be a rebound race that would put his Reed Trucking & Excavating team solidly back into the top 10 on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series leaderboard. Unfortunately, Reed saw his hopes for a second 2025 trophy go up in smoke during the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Reed opened the weekend with a tire-smoking run but quickly bounced back during Friday’s second qualifying session, powering his 11,000-horsepower machine to the finish line in 3.698 seconds at 331.36 mph to move up from 13th to eighth in the qualifying order. Like many nitro teams struggling to adapt to the cold weather, Reed experienced a loss of traction during Q3 on Saturday, but his Rob Wendland-guided team closed out the weekend’s qualifying rounds with another solid pass, this time posting a 3.724 E.T. at 333.91 mph.

Starting from the No. 10 spot and with new partner ATRO Parts on board for the second event, Reed lined up opposite Clay Millican in the first round of eliminations on Sunday. His race day was short lived, however, as his machine lost traction as soon as Reed stood on the throttle while Millican posted a 3.874 to advance. Continue reading →

CHANDLER, AZ – As he prepared to compete at a facility where he’s previously enjoyed success on the water, Top Fuel standout Shawn Reed was eager to add to the momentum he’s experienced so far this year after winning the PRO Superstar Shootout in February ahead of the start of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. But the multi-time IHBA drag boat champion turned professional drag racer came up short in the first round of eliminations at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.

Qualifying was a bit of a roller coaster for the Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel team. After an exciting announcement earlier in the week introducing their new associate partner, ATRO Parts, they smoked the tires in the first round of qualifying but came back strong in the second time trial of the day when Reed sped down the track at Firebird Motorsports Park to record a stellar run of 3.757 seconds at 328.46 mph.

As qualifying continued on Saturday, Reed went up in smoke on the first hit but once again returned to the track with a vengeance for the final qualifying opportunity, making another impressive run of 3.875 at 322.42. Continue reading →

CHANDLER, AZ – Top Fuel racer Shawn Reed and his Reed Trucking & Excavating team are pleased to announce the addition of ATRO Parts, a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty polyurethane truck parts, to their partner roster. ATRO joins the team as an associate-level sponsor, kicking off a four-race agreement that will see Reed fly the ATRO logo on the side of his 11,000-horsepower machine starting with this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals near Phoenix.

“When you hit the throttle on a nitro-fueled high-horsepower machine, and blast down the track at 330 miles-per-hour in under four seconds, you greatly appreciate the quality, durability, and reliability of the parts in the vehicle underneath you,” said Reed. “Whether it’s in our Top Fuel car or my fleet of Reed Trucking & Excavating heavy-duty vehicles back in Washington, those attributes are not an option, they’re a necessity. We rely on ATRO’s parts to keep things operating smoothly at our ‘day job,’ and we’re proud to now represent them on the race track starting with this weekend’s event at Firebird Motorsports Park.”

Beyond his outing in Phoenix, Reed will carry the ATRO logo on his Top Fuel dragster during the NHRA Winternationals next weekend in Pomona, Calif., as well as the Indianapolis and Dallas events, scheduled for later in the season. Continue reading →

BRADENTON, FL – Multi-time drag boat champion Shawn Reed raced to victory on Saturday during the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park to capture his first trophy on asphalt. Reed powered past current and four-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Antron Brown and two-time champ Brittany Force to reach the final round where he laid down an impressive blast of 3.699 seconds at 330.39 mph versus Josh Hart’s 3.724-second effort.

The win was right on track with the steady momentum the Shawn Reed Racing team had been building in the NHRA Mission Foods Series. Reed, who previously enjoyed a standout career on water, made the move into full-time Top Fuel racing in 2024 and spent his rookie season on the NHRA tour chasing win lights as he and his Star Racer Belts/Reed Trucking & Excavating team worked to find their groove. While the first half of the season was slow going, the team saw a sizable uptick in their performance during the latter half of the season, which helped to propel them to a Top 10 finish to close out their rookie year. They were looking to carry their positive momentum into 2025, and after their five-day outing in Bradenton, Fla., feel confident and well-prepared heading into their sophomore season. Continue reading →

Remarks on First Pre-Season Test Passes at PRO Event in Bradenton

BRADENTON, FL – Former drag boat champion turned Top Fuel pilot Shawn Reed is full speed ahead as he gears up for his sophomore season competing on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series circuit. Reed made his full-time NHRA debut in 2024 and enjoyed a late-season surge which propelled him and his Reed Trucking & Excavating team to a Top 10 finish.

Reed’s core crew, led by tuner Rob Wendland and assistant crew chief Ryan Elliott, remains intact as the privateer team prepares for a second season of high-stakes racing and competing for their first Wally trophy as an organization. Admittedly, the rookie team got off to a slow start in 2024, securing only two round wins throughout the entirety of the regular season, but saw their hard work and efforts pay off in the final stretch of the year. At each of the final five events on the schedule, the Reed Trucking & Excavating team qualified in the top half of the loaded Top Fuel field, including scoring two No. 2 qualifiers. In St. Louis, Reed powered to a semifinal finish and followed that up with two quarterfinal appearances at the Dallas and Las Vegas events. Reed also reset his career-best E.T. and speed during the playoffs and clocked a pair of impressive 3.6-second runs during the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. Continue reading →