Madison Qualifies Well but Lost After Long Staging Battle

Pomona - Madison Payne in the Muscle Milk A/Fuel Dragster qualified well at the historic Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals held at the Los Angeles County Fairplex. Madison posted a strong 5.17 at 279 MPH run during the first qualifying session which was good for the number two position but was later knocked down to third at the end of qualifying for the Top Alcohol Dragster class.

In round one, Madison raced number 14 qualifier Garrett Bateman. As the cars approached the starting line, a long staging duel ensued where neither car moved into the staging beams to activate the tree. Finally, Madison moved in and staged followed by Bateman. At the hit, Madison got off the line first with a great 0.030 reaction time to Bateman's 0.040. As the A/Fuelers charged down the track, Bateman gained the lead and never relinquished it. Bateman rang up a 5.23 at 272 MPH to Madison's competitive 5.30 at 273 MPH. "Duane told me to go ahead and stage because we had been sitting there for so long and I don't blame him. I trust Duane because he's the car owner and he always has good intentions" Madison said after the long staging battle.

Beyond the first-round loss, Madison focused on the positives that came out of Pomona. "We learned a lot this weekend and qualified well. Now, we are looking forward to racing in Vegas" She said. Next, the team moves on to the first four-wide race of the year held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 11-13. Madison and car owner Duane Shields would like to thank Muscle Milk, GRP, NGK, Clean Boost, and Brad Anderson Enterprises for their support in 2025.