Preparation for the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello season started before 2017 ended. Our top concern was that our long-time chassis builder, Brad Hadman was retiring and we needed a new chassis source.

We finished the year strong, qualifying number one at Indy. I predicted during media day at St. Louis that we were going to set the world record and we did just that that weekend.

Some of the fuelers had seen breakage in the top framerails in the front section of chassis, so tubing thickness and reducing the distance between upright bars were going to change per NHRA rules. It was time to consider an entirely new chassis from a new builder for the next season.

In December, we purchased a basic chassis from Don Schumacher Racing: just a base chassis with one of our bodies mounted. Our team started assembly of the car with specific design ideas per our crew chief, David Grubnic.

Adjustability is an awesome feature with a Schumacher chassis. The motor angle and the rear wing are adjustable which is a big deal in a Top Fuel car. “Grubby” got the car set up the way he wanted, and we tested the last week of January.

We hadn’t started the car yet; essentially it contained the same proven parts and pieces from 2017. With the car running very well last season, we did limited experimentation. Now, we had a pretty good list of items to try once we knew the chassis was effective with our engine and drivetrain combination.

We implemented changes in small steps, but in fifteen attempts to go down the track, it only went past the 330-foot mark twice. That’s a lot of runs not to make it completely down the ‘strip.

Grubnic, Mac Savage (car chief), and I are twenty-year veterans, and we’ve seen this before. But still, you could sense the team’s frustration. The recorded data was showing some promise in how the engine reacted, the driveshaft, G-meter; all those things. We told our team we knew they had worked hard, and we’ve all been there. Sometimes you leave testing, go to the race and the car will go right down the racetrack. We had no choice but to hope that would happen for us at Pomona.

Two days later, we went to Pomona and on the first qualifying session spun the tires just like in testing. Then the most unexpected thing happened. On the next run on Friday afternoon, we made our 3.628-second lap at 322 mph: a new national record, besting our own 3.631.

We went to Phoenix for testing which turned into a very long four days. We smoked the tires immediately on the first run; with the same combination from last season.

Our first full run on that car was the national record, which is just insane. Even on that run, I shut off at the mph light and still ran 322 mph, so it could have been even better!

For the first round, we backed off the tuning to make sure we made it down the track; the car ran 3.70 at 332 mph for the first round win. Second round we had the bye run and turned up the tuning. The tires got loose, but not unexpectedly. The car has been freaking amazing. In the semis, we were against Doug Kalitta and put a cylinder out at the step of the throttle which ended our weekend.

Phoenix was up next, and we were still having trouble figuring out the characteristics of the new chassis. We smoked the tires on the first run, then on the second run, it went 3.66 at 335 mph — a new speed record. Holy moly, the fastest-ever 1,000-foot run in Top Fuel!

We towed back to the pit area, and the NHRA tech guys were there to inspect the car for the national record. They were not even done with checking the car when Tony Schumacher went 336. So, I am the quickest man ever, and for about 20 minutes, I was the fastest.

The off-season was short, but seemed so long at some points. Some days it seemed endless, and then you’re last-minute scrambling and wondering ‘where did the time go?’ We’re still reaping benefits from our off-season efforts, yet still having growing pains.

When we complete a full pass, it is unbelievably quick. Right now, it’s more about getting down the racetrack consistently. How much performance can we afford to give up to make sure the car will make it down the track more often? Now you know our current goal.

The moral of the story is that time off in the winter is extremely long, but never long enough to come out perfect.