Alan Bradshaw has driven countless types of cars in his drag racing career.
In 2021, he will check piloting a Funny Car off his bucket list.
Bradshaw is set to debut the “Back Attack” Funny Car. Based in Odessa, Texas, Bradshaw, and his new team are planning on competing in the Funny Car Chaos Series.
“I have driven everything from bracket dragsters to Top Fuel dragsters and I have always wanted to drive a Funny Car or Fuel Altered,” Bradshaw said. “I wanted to check it off the bucket list. At some point in time, you make things like that a priority. I want to race, and I think this will be a fun thing to do. It’s at a level of competition that’s pretty solid, but at the same time you’re not competing against the big budget teams.
“These guys (in the Funny Car Chaos Series) look like they have a lot of fun and this is something I have never done and for sure if I can learn how to drive a Top Fueler, I can learn how to drive a Funny Car. I’ve accepted the challenge.”
Bradshaw has an impressive resume. He won a Super Pro track championship in 1992 at Penwell Knights Raceway at Caprock Motorplex in Odessa. From 1993-2002, he drove his own Top Alcohol Dragster, highlighted by him capturing the NHRA Division 5 championship in 2002.
In 2003, Bradshaw joined forces with Randy Meyer and won NHRA’s Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster world championship. Bradshaw drove Bill Miller’s Top Fuel Dragster in 2006-2007 and then drove Dexter Tuttle’s Top Fueler in 2008.
From 2012-18, Bradshaw drove Doug Doucette’s Top Alcohol Dragster.
“I decided to step back and take a look at business and take car of some stuff here at home,” Bradshaw said about leaving the cockpit after the 2018 campaign. “After two years, it was like Ok I have been helping other guys with their toys and I want to go back out there and do it for myself. I had a blast. I was doing a bunch of the No Prep Series stuff. I learned a lot about wheel speed management and timing control.”
Bradshaw said the Funny Car he will be driving was originally built by Murf McKinney in 2015 for Jay Payne.
“Same ol’ deal, we are all racers who want to go fast and race within a budget,” Bradshaw said. “The car is like brand new and the body looks really nice and we are going to put this together and see what we can do.”
Bradshaw plans on making the first laps in his Funny Car at a test session in mid-February.
“I don’t know where we are going to go (testing) yet,” Bradshaw said. “It will either be Dallas or Baytown (Texas), somewhere close to us if you can call 400 miles close. We are going to do some testing and try and sort some things out and if all goes according to plan, we are going to try and hit the first Funny Car Chaos race, which is at the Texas Motorplex (in Dallas, March 26-27).
“I’m real excited with all this new. I’m used to having all the noise behind me and all the mess behind you and now I get to put it in my lap between your legs. It’s all about having fun.”
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— Competition Plus (@competitionplus) December 30, 2020
