Some race weekends are about more than just wins.

For standout rookie Spencer Hyde, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals was all about honoring Jack Hyde, the family member who got him into drag racing as a child. His special Jack and the Green Stock livery was a replica of the stock car that Jack, now 83 years old, drove in the 60s and 70s. The entire weekend, Hyde was surrounded by friends and family at Summit Equipment Motorsports Park, the facility he considers his American home track. 

“I have to thank Jim [Head] for letting us race the Jack and the Green Stock Funny Car,” said Hyde. “It was cool to have so many friends and family members at the track, especially Jack. Seeing the car on the track was so cool. This will be a memory I don’t think I will ever forget.”

For the second weekend in a row, teams dealt with extremely high temperatures that made track conditions and general comfort difficult. Despite this, Hyde made a solid run right out of the gate during Q1 on Friday, a 4.005 second, 314.97 mph pass, the third quickest of the round, earning him one bonus point. That run stuck as his best pass of qualifying, earning him the No. 9 qualifying position and a round one matchup against Daniel Wilkerson. Wilkerson was first off  the starting line, and Hyde was not able to catch up. 

“This was a great weekend even if we didn’t get the win,” said Hyde. “This was a tough weekend for every team with the track conditions. We had some solid runs but just missed it a little today. Props to Wilkerson and his team for having the better car this time. I know we have many future matchups in our future.”

Leading up to race day, Hyde had a full schedule that included a media tour in Toledo, Ohio where he had two morning show interviews and two taped interviews for local TV. Then on Friday, he made a strong effort to take down reigning Norwalk ice cream eating contest champion Jianna Evaristo, but she remained unstoppable.

He went straight from ice cream eating to the Pro/Am hot saw competition, where he was knocked out in the semifinals when his professional partner got DQ’d.

He then squeezed in an interview with Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider podcast, before going back to the Head Racing pits to officially unveil the Jack and the Green Stock car. 

“The highlight for sure was Jack seeing the car for the first time.,” he added. “I could tell he was doing his best not to get too emotional in public, but it meant a lot to the both of us.” 

After Norwalk, Hyde is now looking out west. The time off ahead of the Seattle race will allow the Canadian business owner (from Stratford Ontario) to refocus and recharge before getting back to the final races of the regular Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. 

“This was a good race for me since it was the second of back-to-back races and I felt really comfortable in the car,” said Hyde. “I am taking all the positive experiences and getting better every race. We have some time off before Seattle and I’ll be ready to head west. I can’t believe we are already halfway through my rookie season, and four races away from the Countdown. Everyone told me this year would go by quickly, and they were right.” 

Hyde and the Head Racing team will be back in competition at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals on July 18-20 at Pacific Raceways.

Posted by Elon Werner
Photos courtesy of Mark Rebilas & NHRA