30 Under 30 Honoree Joey Haas Planning NHRA Top Fuel Debut with Totten Motorsports|
Nostalgia Meridian Fuel driver Joey Haas is taking his racing plan to the next level in 2020. Haas, a Elevate Illustrated30 Nether 30 award recipient in 2019, will be stepping up to the NHRA Pinnacle Fuel ranks at select events this flavour, piloting the dragster owned past Terry Totten.
The partnership began with a elementary Facebook conversation, when Haas posted a photograph of his nostalgia Top Fuel and Funny Car license. With Totten building a new nitro Funny Car for this twelvemonth, there was a need for a driver to make full the empty seat in the dragster.
Terry Totten
"Joey's a good guy and a good driver," says Totten. "We thought of Joey because he'due south young and he'southward got a pretty good following already. He expressed some serious interest in wanting to get to the next level, and he but wants to keep climbing. I recollect he could do real well."
Later on numerous letters between Haas and Totten, conversations grew more serious. Shortly afterwards PRI, Haas traveled to Totten Motorsports in Gretna, Nebraska, to get seated in the car and brand sure everything would work.
"As soon as Terry showed an involvement, I had to leap on it," Haas says. "This has been a lifelong goal of mine, and I do not plan to stop hither. I cannot thank Terry Totten and his team enough for this opportunity."
But even with a car and commuter in place, Haas still needed funding to make it piece of work. Enter John Hale and Flake Lofton. Hale, a nitro Funny Car driver himself, is the owner of All-time of Texas Barbecue Sauce; Lofton owns Strutmasters.com, a household proper noun in elevate racing.
"John Unhurt, we've been running with him since probably 2008," says Haas. "He sponsors Funny Motorcar Chaos. He's seen me abound every bit a driver in my booze Funny Car, and we've kept in bear upon. So I always knew he was in that location to help out. And I talked to Chip, because I know he talks to the guys without a lot of funding, and he but does information technology out of the graciousness of his heart. There'south a lot of guys he helps that are underfunded teams going out at that place and doing it, that wouldn't take a chance without him."
The first order of business organization will be to have Totten's Top Fuel and Funny Car to Wild Horse Motorsports Park, about Phoenix, for the NHRA test session Jan.31-Feb. 2. Haas plans to earn his Top Fuel license during testing, while Totten will get his nitro Funny Motorcar license. Both will return a few weeks later for the NHRA Arizona Nationals Feb. 21-23, and also run at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals April 3-5 in Las Vegas. If all goes well, Haas hopes to compete at additional races in the fall.
"Possibly St. Louis and Dallas. I'thousand trying to keep the middle of the season open so I can still run the nostalgia front-engine Superlative Fuel car with the Extreme Top Fuel excursion hither in the Midwest," says Haas. "I'm nevertheless committed to those guys and the car Steve McClain owns. And if any dates are still open, I plan on running my booze motorcar at Funny Automobile Chaos. So I got a hand in a bunch of cars here, but we just go far work."
Joey Haas with DI founder Wes Buck
Throughout the process, the men remain humble and realistic about their goals for 2020. Going against teams with almost unlimited budgets, Haas and Totten volition take completely volunteer crews, and know the importance of running consistent numbers without tearing up parts.
"Information technology'southward a lot of piece of work for i small group of people to field two cars," says Totten. "There'south always these thresholds. Once you starting time running 3.90'due south at 300 mph, that starts to have its toll on the parts. Our budget is gonna allow us to become out and go in the show, and take on the large guys."
Adds Haas, "Our goal is to qualify No. 15. We don't expect to go out there and run 3.70'south and 3.80's all twenty-four hour period long, just we tin can run consistent 4.0'due south or high 3.90'due south. If I qualify, I experience similar my whole racing career, if information technology all ended tomorrow, I would be satisfied."
It'due south exciting to see what the future volition hold for the 28-yr-quondam Haas. Already an experienced driver in the world of nostalgia Elevation Fuel, Funny Car, and Fuel Altereds, going Tiptop Fuel racing on the biggest phase has always been the end goal. And with that goal is now firmly in sight, Haas hopes it's only the beginning.
"Information technology's definitely the biggest pace we've taken. I apparently couldn't practise it without Terry coming to present me the opportunity, and Chip and John beingness able to back up information technology. I don't know if they'll go on to the autumn races, only I'm definitely gonna try to button them to assist out. A few small sponsors go a long way to be able to do more than. And everything'southward open up to bigger and better opportunities. If everything works good, maybe that's all I do next year is the big show stuff."
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Source: https://dragillustrated.com/30-under-30-honoree-joey-haas-planning-nhra-top-fuel-debut-with-totten-motorsports/