Nitro Dogs Racing

A familiar face returns as popular Top Fuel shoe Baca gears up for 2009

With details such as a major sponsor and schedule yet to be disclosed, popular Top Fuel driver David Baca is readying for his return to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Baca, whose only action since the 2006 season was a two-race stint in the Matco Tools dragster at the final two races of 2007, will begin the 2009 season with his own team.

“I’m pretty close to announcing a sponsor that could have us attending half the races or a little better, but we have to keep it under wraps at the moment,” said Baca. “We’re going to test in Phoenix and come out with a vengeance in

Pomona.”

The timing is right for Baca to return to the sport. After a two-year layoff, Baca’s racing equipment is fresh, and his business, Allstate Contract Floors, is squared away so that he can be a player in NHRA’s fastest category once again. Baca has always been a threat to make competitive laps, having run as quick as 4.485 seconds and as fast as 331.69 mph in quarter-mile racing.

“It gets in your blood,” said Baca. “I was able to keep my license current when I drove the Matco car in 2007. It’s pretty cool anytime you can have a chance to drive for one of the best tuners in the world in Lee Beard.

“We’ve been known to run fairly well. We’re going to go out there full steam ahead. I think we can run right there with them. If you look at some of our time slips when we ran at 1,320 feet, we made a lot of runs that were .80 to .82 at the 1,000-foot mark. We’re pretty optimistic.”

Baca’s reorganized team will be headed by crew chief Rick Henkelman, who often challenged him on the Top Alcohol Funny Car circuit in Northern California in the 1980s, and car chief Jon Schaffer. Schaffer began wrenching for Baca at 15 years old and most recently was a part of Doug Herbert’s team.

Baca, a longtime driver in the alcohol categories, jumped to the fuel ranks as a co-owner with Henkelman in 2002. The pair had a successful debut season with Cory McClenathan wheeling their entry to a fifth-place finish in the points standings and a win at the season-closing event in

Pomona. Baca took over the driving chores the following season and finished seventh while posting a final-round finish and two No. 1 qualifying positions. Baca is hunting for his first win after three losses in the money round.

“I don’t feel like we’ve missed a step,” Baca added. “We plan on coming out and being a factor right out of the gate. Hopefully, those guys will be going, ‘Uh-oh, that guy’s back again.’

“We’ve always had such a loyal fan base. It’s been great to have my own little sector of Baca-maniacs. I want them to know we’re coming back out, and I can’t wait to see them all at the track.”