Madison Begins New Season Qualifying No. 1 in Phoenix

Phoenix - Madison Payne qualified the Muscle Milk A/Fuel Dragster in the top position at the first Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event of the season. Madison ran a stellar 5.17 at 280 MPH to lead a tough eight-car field at Firebird International Raceway.

In round one, Madison took on number eight seed, Braiden Chesleigh. Chesleigh was a formidable opponent who ran a respectable 5.30 in qualifying. At the light, it was Chesleigh out first with a .072 to Madison's .090. As the cars moved down the Firebird track surface, Chesleigh began to have trouble and had to abandon the run. Meanwhile, Madison was on a clean pass and took the win with a very competitive 5.24 at 278 MPH.

In the semifinals, it would be a heartbreaker for the Muscle Milk team. Madison raced Idaho's Casey Grisel. At the start, Madison had a perfect 0.000 reaction time against Grisel's .058. While Madison had a good lead off the starting line, Grisel was able to catch up and pass her before the finish line with a quicker 5.22 at 278 MPH over Madison's 5.78 at 239 MPH.

Team owner Duane Shields was pleased with the team's effort and looks forward to the 2025 season. "We are happy to continue our number one qualifying streak in a very stout field. Unfortunately, the track conditions took us out in the semis. Team Muscle Milk is here to win so anything else is a little disappointing. But it's a long season and I'm looking forward to it" he said.

Next, the Muscle Milk team will race at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, on March 27-30. Duane and Madison would like to thank Muscle Milk, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Clean Boost, and Brad Anderson Enterprises for their support this season.