Jeff Arend confirmed to CompetitionPlus he will be driving a nitro Funny Car at the Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Speedway (Oct. 29-Nov. 1).

Arend will be piloting a Funny Car owned by Australians Peter and Helen Russo and tuned by Paul Smith.

“They hired Paul Smith to tune it and kind of put his baseline in it,” Arend said. “Paul ended up calling me because they base their car out of California when they are in town, and he told me to go over and check it out and see what they have and you and I can work together and we will get their car running better and get them a little driver coaching. That’s how it all started off.”

Arend said the plan was to test the car Nov. 2 in Las Vegas and if everything went well the Russos would enter the car at the season-finale - the Auto Club Finals Nov. 12-15 in Pomona, Calif.

“Then, Helen said why don’t you drive it in Vegas and make a couple of runs and get the car sorted out,” Arend said. “So, when Peter drives the car on Monday (Nov. 2 in Vegas) we will have the car in a better spot. I told Helen that sounded good. Paul then said let’s make more than two qualifying runs and try and qualify it well, which is where we are now. Paul Smith and I go back a really long way and it should be fun.”

Arend actually won his first national event driving for Smith at Reading, Pa., in 1996.

Arend acknowledged he and Smith will be plenty busy in Vegas preparing the Russo Funny Car.

“We are going to build the car Thursday and Friday at the track, and then go run it,” Arend said. “We have to change the fuel system on it and basically put Paul’s whole tune-up in it. I will go make a 300 or 400 foot run on the first run and we will take the motor out and make sure everything looks good, and then maybe go to halftrack and maybe go to the finish line on the third one.”

Arend has competed in two races this season - the season-opening Winternationals Feb. 5-8 in Pomona, Calif., and at the spring race in Las Vegas (April 10-12). Arend was driving a Chevy Impala for Steve Plueger.

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