Mike Salinas Returns to Top Fuel, Will Race Daughter

Mike Salinas Returns to Top FuelIcon Sportswire - Getty Images

After a two-year absence from Top Fuel competition, Scrappers Racing team owner Mike Salinas is returning later this month.

Salinas will join his daughter Jasmine Salinas at the IHRA Triple Crown event at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pennsylvania. It marks the first time the father/daughter duo has competed in the same category in their careers. Both drivers are racing under the Valley Services banner.

“I’ve been working to get back in the driver’s seat since I had my surgery,” said the elder Salinas, who turned the Top Fuel dragster over to Jasmine after the first race of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

“But I had to get healthy again. Then work has been so busy, it became my main priority, and I haven’t had the time. The last time I raced, Jasmine was ‘Mike’s daughter in A/Fuel.’ She’s been doing good in Top Fuel, and now I’m coming back as ‘Jasmine’s dad.’ When we do line up together, it will be pretty fun.”

Since Jasmine made her Top Fuel debut at the 2024 NHRA Winternationals, Jasmine has come into her own as a driver and has been managing the race team’s day-to-day operations. This year, she is competing in a hybrid schedule of NHRA and IHRA events in order to maximize seat time on a limited budget as the team continues to seek full-time funding.

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“I’m excited for my dad to get back into the driver’s seat,” said Jasmine, who had a runner-up finish at an IHRA event earlier this year in Benson, North Carolina. “He’s been working so hard to make this happen, and there’s been a lot that he’s had to prioritize, both with his health and business. We’re planning to do more races together this year, so I can’t wait to see what it’s like to line up against my dad and have him as a teammate. This has been a dream of ours for years.”