Being a TV media personality definitely has perks that Bruno Massel enjoys.

Massel works on ESPN’s broadcasts of NHRA races and is the host for the TV shows TruckU and Garage Squad, shown on the Velocity channel.

“I’ve done all the live events for ESPN for this year,” Massel said. “We are in our ninth season with TruckU, which is a how-to-show on trucks. Garage Squad is a prime time show we started last year and we are in the middle of production of it right now. We wrapped up an episode of shooting last night, and I had to do voice over work on (Wednesday night) from my computer, and then be back at the track to qualify (Thursday morning). The TV thing is a lot of fun. I get to talk about things I love, cars and drag racing. It’s a blast.”

Massel, however, loves racing at heart and the two-time Comp Eliminator world champ will be competing at the Lucas Oil Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Ill., July 9-12.

Massel will be competing this weekend behind the wheel of both his Autogeek.net turbocharged Chevy Cobalt and COPO Camaro.

“I have been to four races this year,” Massel said. “Normally I would be quite a way into my schedule right now, but we have just been to a couple here and there.”

Racing at Chicago is an easy transition for Massel, as he only lives 25 miles from the track in Woodridge.

“I’m really fired up,” said Massel about racing at Chicagoland Speedway. “We test here constantly, but unfortunately this year, because of all the rain, every chance we’ve had to come out here and test it has been rained out. The track is always good and we always have a ton of family and friends out here and that adds a little bit of pressure, but also makes it a lot of fun.”

Back in 2012, Massel doubled up, winning both the JEGS All-Stars race and Route 66 Nationals the same weekend.

“I had my wife and kids and friends and other people who had never even been to a drag race cheering me on in the winner’s circle and that was really cool,” Massel said.

Despite his limited number of races this season, Massel has lofty goals for this weekend.

“I have pretty high expectations,” Massel said. “We made a bunch of changes with the motor combination in my turbocharged car, and we actually got to make a couple of hits two weeks ago at an eighth-mile track (Byron (Ill.) Dragway), and the car ran good. It seems to like we are now back to where we were when we were winning races with the comp stuff. You need racer’s luck and you need to be on the right side of the ladder, but I think we have a car that is capable of winning. The COPO has been flawless and I have gone a bunch of rounds, but I just haven’t been able to put it in the winner’s circle.”

Massel acknowledged he plans on working in the media and racing as long as he can.

“I would like to (continue) to do a mix of both,” Massel said. “I would like to be able to play in both worlds as long as possible. I still love racing and I still have people with the sponsors and the relationships I have to be able to do it.”