Shawn Reed Racing Post-Race Recap: Norwalk

MacKenzie Richards
Jun 30
3 min read

Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals

Event 10 of 20

Summit Motorsports Park

Norwalk, Ohio

June 27 – 29, 2025

Shawn Reed Shows Promise in Norwalk Heat

NORWALK, Ohio (June 29, 2025) – A first-round exit at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Sunday morning didn’t accurately reflect the progress Shawn Reed and his Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel team made at Summit Motorsports Park. Reed and crew chief Rob Wendland made the most of the hot conditions with top-five performances in qualifying before losing a tough opening-round match to four-time world champion Steve Torrence.

Qualifying was a roller coaster for the Reed Trucking & Excavating team. In the first session on Friday afternoon, Reed raced from A to B seamlessly to lay down a pass of 3.84 seconds at 322.42 mph, putting him No. 5. He encountered tire smoke on Friday evening, but the team came back strong on the first Saturday hit with the fourth-quickest pass of the heat, a blistering 3.826 E.T. at 318.32. The last qualifying effort resulted in tire smoke for many of the drivers, including Reed. Still, his run from earlier in the day landed him in the No. 11 position going into eliminations.

On Sunday, Reed left second behind Torrence, but he took the lead by the 330-foot mark. They exchanged the lead once again further down-track when Reed started spinning the tires. Torrence also spun and both drivers lost their blower belts, leaving them with only momentum to get to the finish line. Reed didn’t have as much momentum as Torrence, with his 4.00-second pass at 285.77 mph falling to Torrence’s 3.939 E.T.

“We had some issues early on, but I think we’re getting a handle on it,” Reed said. “That run right there, it just barely started spinning down-track. When you spin, you put a couple holes out. I never saw Steve Torrence one time until about 700 feet. He started spinning and we both kicked the belts off. I was ahead of him at half-track. As soon as I started to smile, I saw the nose of the other car. You can't go up there racing a Torrence thinking they're going to not make it down the track. That's the game. You have to be aggressive, but not too aggressive. But Torrence didn’t take us lightly either. He spun too.”

Despite the early exit, Reed leaves Norwalk optimistic as he continues his second full season competing in Top Fuel.

“It's hard not to get down, but it's easy to stay up because it's just racing,” Reed said. “Everything has to go right. It just goes to show how a team has to be a team. You've gotta keep plugging away. The car is responding. It's all right. I would've liked to win a couple rounds and get into the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Seattle, where I'm from, but we’ll regroup and get ready for the next one.”

Reed’s home race, the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 18-20, at Pacific Raceways, is the next stop on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule.

Qualified: No. 11 (3.826 E.T. at 318.32 MPH)

Elimination Round Results:

E1: 4.000 E.T. at 285.77 MPH defeated by Steve Torrence 3.939 E.T. at 313.73 MPH

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Point Standings (Unofficial):

1 Tony Stewart 848

2 Shawn Langdon 796

3 Justin Ashley 771

4 Doug Kalitta 661

5 Antron Brown 630

6 Brittany Force 592

7 Steve Torrence 569

8 Clay Millican 537