World Series Of Pro Mod Champion Spencer Hyde To Pilot Paton Top Fuel Car
World Series Of Pro Mod Champion Spencer Hyde To Pilot Paton Top Fuel Car
World Series of Pro Mod Champion, Spencer Hyde, is set to make his Top Fuel debut at Empire Dragway July 22 followed by Grand Bend Motorplex on August 5.
Drag Illustrated's World Series of Pro Mod Champion, Spencer Hyde is set to make his Top Fuel debut in the Paton Family Top Fuel Dragster at Empire Dragway in Leicester, NY on July 22 for the Mid-Summer Mayhem. Shortly after this event, Paton and Hyde will team up again at the WDRA Canadian Nationals at Grand Bend Motorplex in Ontario, Canada on August 5.
Hyde and his family chase the PDRA Championship series on a regular basis, but this collaboration with Paton Family racing is something that has been in the works for a while now.
"Last July, I started my Top Fuel licensing process with the Paton Family at Toronto Motorsports Park and the plan was to finish my license runs at Gainesville in February and compete in the Gator Nationals this past March", said Hyde. "Those plans quickly changed when I received my invitation to the World Series of Pro Mod event in late January. I still completed my Top Fuel license in Gainesville but my focus had switched back to Pro Modified for the 2023 season.
That shift in priority turned out to be a great move as Spencer and his team won the $100k event from the #32 qualifying spot and quickly became a house-hold name in the world of Drag Racing.
"After the success of the WSOPM, Todd Paton called me and said they had booked their two Top Fuel Cars into 4 match races this summer at local race tracks and he asked if I would drive the car at two of them, I of course said yes', said the WSOPM Champ. "The first one will be this weekend at Empire Dragway and this will be the first time I make a side by side run in a Fuel car, so I’m pretty excited for that. Also Empire seems to do an amazing job of packing the stands on Saturday nights and there’s nothing better than racing in front of a full house."
Hyde will be skipping the PDRA Northern Nationals in Martin, Michigan to run the second Top Fuel event at Grand Bend Motorplex August 5, 2023.
"Grand Bend Motorplex will always be special to me. It’s my home track, where I made my first run in a Jr. Dragster, where I won my first race (in multiple categories) and we hold the Pro Mod Track Record there", said Hyde. "I absolutely love racing in the US and chasing the PDRA series around, but there’s something special about coming back to your home track and running in front of family and friends who have watched you from the very beginning. To be able to match race Todd at home in a Top Fuel Dragster is going to be pretty special!"