Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr., still waiting for his first round-win of the season, had an exciting time at Houston even before the race began.

He and wife Melanie Troxel, a Top Fuel dragster driver, toured NASA for an ESPN reality show and tried out the facility’s flight simulators.

Johnson will turn 39 years old Friday, and the veteran who drives the Chevy Impala SS for Don Prudhomme's Snake Racing will be looking for a belated birthday gift at the April 13-15 SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

He's 10th in points, tied with Tim Wilkerson.