No one can ever say Alex Laughlin is afraid to try something new.

This weekend at the Fallnationals at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas, the up-and-coming NHRA Pro Stock driver not only is piloting his Gas Money Garage Camaro, but he’s also making his Top Alcohol Dragster debut.

On Friday, he made his first run in Anthony Dicero’s Top Alcohol dragster – clocking a 5.585-second run at 265.38 mph - and then approximately 45 later he was behind the wheel of his Camaro.

“That was a fair pass,” said Laughlin about his TAD run, which was only his third career full pass in a TAD. “It was pretty though. This is our hometown race and I was actually pretty comfortable going up there to the starting line. I wasn’t too worried about it. Growing up, I drove a lot of dragsters and being in a dragster and being in the center of the track isn’t new.”

Laughlin, who drove a Top Dragster prior to joining the Pro Stock ranks, acknowledged he couldn’t get into too deep into thought about his Top Alcohol Dragster lap.

“Once I finished my alcohol pass and now we’re about to get the call to rn Pro Stock, so I need to flip the alcohol switch off and turn the Pro Stock switch on and hopefully not get it all mixed up.”

When Laughlin obtained his TAD license during runs at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, he went his fastest speed down a dragstrip at 271 mph.

“Going into the dragster (Friday) it was definitely weird turning the stage bulb on and not putting the throttle all the way down. I was just sitting there at idle. Now, I have to get in the Pro Stock car and run through the stage bulb and let the clutch out on time.”

Although Laughlin is thrilled to be competing in a Top Alcohol Dragster, he doesn’t have any bold plans for the future.

“This was kind of a fun thing,” said Laughlin, who resides in Granbury. Texas. “This is our hometown event and we’re just trying to make a little bigger splash. I do not know if we are going to run in the Top Alcohol Dragster again. We may run at Vegas or Pomona, I really don’t know. But, right now nothing is planned.”

In Pro Stock, Laughlin just missed finishing in the top 10 in the points to make into the Countdown to the Championship, but let that bother him as he won his inaugural Pro Stock race at St. Louis Sept. 25.

“This has been a whirlwind and very enjoyable,” said Laughlin about his hectic season.

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