Racing Spencer Massey in the first round of the NHRA Auto Club Nationals left Scott Palmer feeling a measure of sentimentality. Help from a few friends put him alongside a longtime friend in the first round.

Even though Massey beat Palmer decisively in the first round, the memories overshadowed the loss.

“Spencer was with me when I started this Top Fuel team,” Palmer explained. “We got to the races and unloaded the trailer. Me and Spencer … it was the two of us.”

Racing Spencer Massey in the first round of the NHRA Auto Club Nationals left Scott Palmer feeling a measure of sentimentality. Help from a few friends put him alongside a longtime friend in the first round.

Even though Massey beat Palmer decisively in the first round, the memories overshadowed the loss.

“Spencer was with me when I started this Top Fuel team,” Palmer explained. “We got to the races and unloaded the trailer. Me and Spencer … it was the two of us.”

Palmer and Massey managed to put the sentiments aside for their first race. In the opposite lane was a car and not a friend.

“It’s awesome and great, who would have ever thought we’d be racing against one another one day,” Palmer admitted. “We couldn’t believe I was doing it much less him [Spencer] on the big time. Look at where we came from.”

He raced and lost against an old friend, but it was another group of friends that kept him in the game.

Palmer had help during the weekend from the Lagana Brothers, Bobby and Dom, as well as their 14-year old clutch guy known only as “Little Wes”. Also in the mix was Rex Harris, whose father was Top Fuel legend Clayton Harris.

There has even been a measure of assistance from Massey’s crew chiefs Donnie Bender and Todd Smith.

“These guys are unbelievable and we have struggled all year long,” Palmer said. “We didn’t want to finish the season without fixing the problems. It would be a long winter to end on that.

“The Laganas stepped in after Richmond and worked with us for the last three weeks to get this car to work right. They have straightened out a lot of the problems and now we’re going down the track. We also made the show in Pomona and got to race Spencer, it doesn’t get any better than that.”

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