CHANDLER, Ariz. — Top Fuel standout Jasmine Salinas raced to her second consecutive semifinal finish at the NHRA Arizona Nationals last weekend at Firebird Motorsports Park.
Salinas is off to a stout start in her sophomore season of NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competition behind the wheel of her Valley Services Scrappers Racing machine.
Salinas experienced a few hiccups in qualifying on Friday, meaning the team would be entering the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Top Fuel Challenge, which takes place during qualifying on Saturday, without a clean pass under their belts.
In a rematch of the semifinals at the NHRA Gatornationals, Salinas faced former Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon in the first round of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. She was on a solid run but lost a few cylinders before reaching the finish line. While her pass of 3.843 seconds at 314.09 mph was her best pass of the weekend up to that point, it wasn’t enough for Langdon’s 3.806 at 326.32.
The Scrappers Racing team found their groove in the fourth and final qualifying opportunity on Saturday when Salinas rocketed her 12,000-horsepower dragster to the No. 10 position on the ladder with a 3.808 at 309.84.
In eliminations, Salinas faced Top Fuel veteran Clay Millican in the first matchup on Sunday morning. The two left the starting line with nearly identical reaction times, but Salinas outpaced Millican laying down a remarkable lap of 3.779 at 328.70, her best pass of the weekend, to get the round win.
The quarterfinals put Salinas against four-time and reigning world champion Antron Brown, a formidable opponent to say the least. While Brown got the starting line advantage, Salinas chased him down to take the win and advance to the semifinals for the second consecutive time.
Her race day came to an end in the semifinals against Doug Kalitta.
“We had another strong showing this weekend in Phoenix and it feels awesome to go back-to-back with another semifinal appearance,” said Jasmine. “I’m excited to also get another shot at Doug Kalitta as we rematch in Pomona during my second Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge! Our team is really coming together and these round wins really help us mentally. I know we still have a marathon ahead of us this season but I’m working on myself as a driver.
“As car and driver continue to come together, things are going to get real fun.”
Currently sitting fourth in points, Salinas will enter this week’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in California from a place of strength, already having gone more rounds in the first two events of the season than she did all of 2024. Finishing in the semifinals at the NHRA Arizona Nationals once again qualifies her for the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Top Fuel Challenge.
“I’m hopeful that going rounds will get the attention of new potential sponsor partners so we can continue to gain momentum out here,” Salinas said. “It’s partners like Pleasanton Ready Mix, Adam’s Pool Solutions, and Valley Services who’ve helped us get this far.
“And we’re actively seeking more partners at all levels to join us so that we can stay competitive in 2025 and beyond.”
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