Muscle Milk Team Takes Convincing Win in Phoenix

Madison Payne added a second win to her 2025 season by taking home the Wally at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in Phoenix. The Muscle Milk team was on a roll and dominated by taking low ET in each round of eliminations. Madison qualified fourth with a 5.33 at 274 MPH.

In round one, Madison faced Oregon's Mike Austin. At the hit, it was Austin out first with a better reaction time, but the Muscle Milk machine quickly passed him. With the win, Madison took low ET of the round by a tenth with a fine 5.21 at 277 MPH over Austin's valiant 5.40 at 255 MPH.

In the second round, Madison took on another Oregon-based competitor, Joey Severence, who was fresh off a big win in Dallas. At the light, it was Severence who was out first, but down track, his parachute came out early. Meanwhile, Madison was on another great run and again set low ET for the round. Madison advanced to the finals with a 5.23 at 278 MPH over Severence's 6.85 at 107 MPH.

The final round would pair Madison against Anthony Troyer. At the starting line, Troyer was a little quicker with a .056 reaction time to Madison's .074. Troyer then lost traction while Madison was on another consistent pass and took the event victory with yet another strong 5.23 at 278 MPH to Troyer's 9.68 at 78 MPH. Madison was excited to score the late-season win. "It was a great race, and I have high hopes for the last few races to come. I want to close this chapter on a high note" she said.

Next up for the team is the Dodge NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas this coming weekend. Madison and team owner Duane Shields would like to thank Muscle Milk, NGK Spark Plugs, GRP Connecting Rods, Clean Boost, and Brad Anderson Enterprise for their support of the 2025 season.