Richard Freeman looked spread thin at the Professional Racers Organization test session at Gainesville Raceway.
The Elite Motorsports owner divided his time between six Pro Stock entries and a newly constructed Top Fuel operation preparing for its competitive debut at the NHRA Gatornationals.
The workload required constant movement between categories.
Freeman has lost nearly 100 pounds over the past several years through personal discipline, but the recent expansion into Top Fuel has added a different level of responsibility.
He acknowledged the strain without hesitation.
“Yeah, I don’t have enough money to eat,” Freeman said with a laugh. “We’re spending it like it’s water over here. No, it’s all good. Great to have all these cars down here early and ready.”
Gainesville marked Freeman’s first official preseason test as a full-time Top Fuel team owner with driver Tony Stewart.
Elite’s Pro Stock operation continued uninterrupted.
Six Pro Stock cars demanded the same engine maintenance cycles, valve adjustments and data review that built the organization’s reputation.
Freeman remained directly involved.
“This is my passion. Pro Stock is what I’ve loved, it’s what my dad got me going,” he said.
The Top Fuel program represents the next phase of Elite Motorsports’ growth.
Two brand-new dragsters were constructed during the offseason, and Gainesville served as the first official test for crew chief Mike Green and assistant crew chief Joe Barlam alongside Dustin Davis.
Top Fuel carries a different financial rhythm than Pro Stock.
“Those cars, they’re money eating, money hungry,” Freeman said.
Freeman said the decision to expand into Top Fuel was deliberate and long considered.
“Choosing the guys that I did, I knew they were going to take advantage of that situation, and we’re not concerned with being number one qualifier or hurting parts to do it,” he said.
His focus is long-term development.
“We want to learn and we want to try to do this a different way.”
The Stewart partnership accelerated that timeline.
“My opportunity to do Top Fuel came from having the opportunity for Tony to drive, which made it easier for me,” Freeman said. “That’s a great guy to get to sail, and he’ll do a fantastic job behind the wheel of that thing.”
The Gainesville test represents only the first phase.
Elite Motorsports has outlined plans to expand beyond a single Top Fuel entry in the coming seasons, adding additional drivers to the nitro stable as infrastructure and sponsorship align.
Freeman views the current program as foundational.
“We understand and expect that this is going to be a learning curve for us. It’s altogether different,” he said.
He studied established nitro operations before committing.
“We’ve had great people leading the way from Don Schumacher, John Force and all those, and those are icons of the sport.”
Replication is not the objective.
“I’m trying to take what I’ve seen and what I’ve learned from them and do it a little bit different,” Freeman said.
That includes blending Pro Stock precision with Top Fuel scale under one operational structure.
“We’re doing that by the way we park, by the way we operate our program, and we haven’t proved success yet, but we’ll see how that goes.”
Gainesville did not determine Elite Motorsports’ future in Top Fuel.
It did confirm the organization is committed to operating Pro Stock and Top Fuel simultaneously without compromising either.
Freeman believes the long-term health of the sport requires expansion in the nitro ranks.
“We’ve got to start forming the next opportunity to grow the nitro ranks,” he said. “We can’t just rely on the same names forever. We’ve got to build the next deal.”
