KENT, Wash. — It has been a long and circuitous journey for Brandon Welch, but the NHRA Funny Car newcomer is now living his dream and he doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon.

Brandon Welch – NHRA photo

Welch made his professional debut in 2015, racing the final two events of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. He has taken the next step this year and will have three races under his belt in 2016 when he heads to Pacific Raceways for the 29th annual Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, Aug. 5-7.

The journey to this point might have taken a little longer than Welch had expected, but with the chance to race in back-to-back races to close out the Western Swing in his 10,000-horsepower AutoAnything.com Chevrolet Monte Carlo along with plans to race eight total times in 2016, the rising star couldn’t be more excited about his current position.

“To get a little taste of driving this car, I want to live in this world all the time,” said Welch, who is the grandson of veteran NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Chuck Beal. “To race 3-4 times in a little over a month is great and to do it two weekends in a row is fantastic. It’s been a lot of fun and a great time. The guys are working hard and doing a great job.

“I think there’s something endearing and something people like about a team that looks at this massive challenge and goes after it. We’re going to work hard and do whatever we can to climb this mountain to get where we want to go. I think we’re definitely on the right path.”

J.R. Todd (Top Fuel), Tommy Johnson Jr. (Funny Car) and Chris McGaha (Pro Stock) were last year’s winners at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event held at the multi-purpose motorsports facility near Seattle. It is the 16th of 24 races during the 2016 season and will be broadcast on the FOX national broadcast network for the first time.

Brandon Welch – NHRA photo

Welch’s journey started more than 15 years ago, working as a crewmember on Beal’s Top Alcohol Funny Car as a teenager. From that point, his dream became to drive a nitro Funny Car, something that finally came to fruition for the 33-year-old Welch in 2015 thanks to Beal and AutoAnything.com. He raced in Las Vegas and Pomona to close out 2015, but took another step this year when he qualified for eliminations for the first time in Norwalk.

“We completely overhauled and upgraded our parts and engine set-up in the offseason,” Welch said. “It’s taken a couple of races to it honed in and our goal is to consistently be in the 4.00s. If we got in the 3.90s, that would be amazing. I think I would throw a party. But if we’re a consistent 4.00s car, we can qualify and win rounds. I was happy with the progress we made from Norwalk to Chicago. Hopefully we can continue to improve in Sonoma and then Seattle.”

The goal at Pacific Raceways will be to qualify in a loaded Funny Car field, but Welch, a California native, is excited for the back-to-back races on the West Coast. The races in Norwalk and Chicago got his feet wet for the 2016 season, and now Welch plans on enjoying the moment with family and friends at Pacific Raceways.

“To be on the West Coast, it’s really an opportunity to share this passion with a lot of different sponsors and partners,” Welch said. “I’m glad we were really able to focus on what we were doing in Norwalk and Chicago, but we’re all getting excited about racing on the West Coast. It’s going to be a lot of fun. All the feedback we’ve gotten from everyone has been really positive and it really validates all the work we’ve done.”

But the journey for Welch is nowhere near complete. He will make his first Funny Car appearance at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals and then will race three more times following that to close out his season, hoping to play spoiler during the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship in the process.

In Seattle, Welch will have to deal with the likes of points leader Ron Capps, who has four wins this year, as well as defending event winner Tommy Johnson Jr., Jack Beckman, defending world champion Del Worsham, Matt Hagan, Courtney Force, John Force, who has eight wins at Pacific Raceways and won last weekend in Denver, Beckman, Alexis DeJoria, Tim Wilkerson and Robert Hight. It’s a daunting list of competitors but Welch is simply thrilled to have the opportunity to race against the elite Funny Car talent.

“It’s a good start and we’re really excited about being able to do eight races this year,” Welch said. “As long we’re making progress, our goal is to go full-time as soon as possible. It would be an amazing thing and we’re going to keep working towards that.”

In Top Fuel, Todd piloted his dragster past Shawn Langdon in the final round a year ago and is after his first win in 2016. Langdon won back-to-back races earlier this year while everyone is chasing three-time 2016 winner, points leader and reigning world champion Antron Brown. Also in focused pursuit of the Top Fuel Wally trophy will be Doug Kalitta, who has three wins in 2016, eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, who won recently in Denver, two-time 2016 event winners Steve Torrence, Brittany Force, and Clay Millican.

In Pro Stock, McGaha will be racing to defend his event win but he and the rest of the field will have an uphill battle. Series leader Jason Line and teammate Greg Anderson have combined for 13 wins this season, with Line taking seven wins. Both have three Seattle victories. Catching up won’t be impossible in the redesigned Pro Stock class, which features fuel-injected engines, flat hoods, 10,500 RPM rev-limiters and shortened wheelie-bars. Those looking to knock down Line and Anderson include Bo Butner who sits third in points, Allen Johnson, who won the most recent race in Denver, 2014 top rookie Drew Skillman, Vincent Nobile, five-time champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. and two-time, reigning world champion Erica Enders.

The Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of the sport earn their racing stripes.

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand how the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature rounds at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 1 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 800-884-NHRA (6472). Tickets also are available online at www.nhra.com/tickets. Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult. For more information about the NHRA visit www.NHRA.com.

Before heading to Pacific Raceways, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will make a stop at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California’s Bay Area for the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 29-31. Keep up with all the NHRA action on FOX and FOX Sports 1.

* * *

PROTECT THE HARVEST NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS presented by Lucas Oil FACT SHEET

WHAT: 29th annual Protect The Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the 16th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – earn points leading to 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships. The NHRA Lucas Oil Series also will be featured at this event.

WHERE: Pacific Raceways, Kent, Wash. The track is located 10 miles east of Interstate 5 on Highway 18. From I-5, use Exit 142A (Auburn exit) and travel east 10 miles on Highway 18, following the signs to the track. From other points, use Highway 18 and exit S.E. 304th St. or S.E. 312th St.

COURSE: Championship drag strip; Track elevation is 280 feet above sea level; Track direction is east to west.

WHEN: Friday through Sunday, Aug. 5-7

SCHEDULE:        

FRIDAY, Aug. 5- LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying

MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, Aug. 6- LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations

MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 1 and 4 p.m.

SUNDAY, Aug. 7 – Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.

MELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION:      

Friday, Aug. 5, FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 8 p.m. (ET).

Sunday, Aug. 7, FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at Noon (ET).

Sunday, Aug. 7, FOX will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 4 p.m. (ET).

2015 EVENT WINNERS: J.R. Todd, Top Fuel; Tommy Johnson Jr., Funny Car; Chris McGaha, Pro Stock.

MOST VICTORIES: John Force, 8, FC; Bob Glidden, 6, PS; Joe Amato, 5, TF; Warren Johnson, 4, PS; Tony Schumacher, 4, TF.

TRACK RECORDS:            

Top Fuel – 3.727 sec. by Richie Crampton, Aug. ’15; 328.30 mph by Spencer Massey, Aug. ’15.

Funny Car – 3.912 sec. and 322.88 mph by Jack Beckman, Aug. ’15.

Pro Stock – 6.488 sec. and 213.40 mph by Chris McGaha, Aug. ’15.

NATIONAL RECORDS:    

Top Fuel – 3.676 sec. by Brittany Force, May ’16, Topeka, Kan.; 332.75 mph by Spencer Massey, Aug. ’15, Brainerd, Minn.

Funny Car – 3.862 sec. and 335.57 mph by Matt Hagan, May ’16, Topeka, Kan.

Pro Stock – 6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March ’15, Charlotte, N.C.;  215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May ‘14, Englishtown N.J.

TICKETS: For tickets call (800) 884-NHRA (6472). Tickets may also be purchased online at http://www.NHRA.com/tickets.

Story and photos courtesy of the NHRA