As his first full-time season in Top Fuel comes to a close, Shawn Reed is already looking ahead to 2025 and his debut appearance at the PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park. For Reed, the timing of this event is ideal for sharpening his competitive edge. “First and foremost, it’s about a month before the opener,” Reed shares. “The three months off that we have is too long. I really love this race because it’s a month early. About the time you get done in November, you have the banquet, and then you’ve got a couple of months to get everything ready. I like less time off.”

Photos by Auto Imagery

Reed, a former drag boat racer, earned his Top Fuel license in 2015 and made his NHRA debut the following season. He competed on a part-time basis over the next five seasons before a taking a hiatus in 2021. He returned in 2024 with renewed vigor, committing to a full Mission Foods Drag Racing Series campaign with veteran crew chief Rob Wendland calling the shots. After a slow start that saw him only adduced out of the first round twice in the first season’s first 16 races, his self-owed dragster has become a legitimate raceday contender; he ran a career-best 3.676 at Dallas, advanced to the semifinals in St. Louis, and has been to the quarterfinals at the last two events. With that, he’s moved up to ninth in the standings and is eyeing a top-10 finish.

While some racers see early events as a chance to shake off the rust, Reed is looking to bring his team back up to speed quickly. “I want to kind of forget about the first half of my season,” he says. “I’m so excited. We’ve got all of our guys back—crew chiefs, all the team members. So, I’m hoping to start off much better than I did last year…hopefully starting it the way we’re leaving off this year. The car’s running pretty good, consistently going down the track A-to-B, so I can’t wait to have 12 or 14 Top Fuel cars going for eight spots at Bradenton.”

The PRO Superstar Shootout offers a valuable opportunity for Reed to test his new car, and he’s got his eye on refining his setup. “We’re putting together a budget to test in Bradenton,” he explains. “I’m going to pull out a new car there; every car has its own personality, so we’re going use it to test for some different clutch setups, things like that.”

Reed sees the competition as both a test session and a chance to prove himself.

“There’s big money on the line…but just to be recognized by my peers and being congratulated on the team I put together in such a short amount of time is awesome.”

The Shootout’s unique format also adds to the excitement. Shawn Reed relishes the idea of going head-to-head with racers from other classes. “I might get to go up and race Ron Capps in a Funny Car or Buddy Hull,” he says. “Heck, I might even get to race my teammate Eric Latino in a Pro Stock car. It’s going to be great for the fans and bring more people into the sport.”