Steve Chrisman wants to pick up the pace at 51st NHRA Winternationals

Reading NHRA racer entry lists may not create much excitement, but Steve Chrisman happens to find them quite useful.  The information helps him prepare a limited racing schedule for his Nitro Fish Top Fuel team and assuage his competitive desire.

There was no need to consult any list when it came to the season-opening 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals that begins Thursday at Auto Club Raceway.  Chrisman, 56, has attended every one.  “I was six years old when I watched my dad win the first race at Pomona,” he said before shifting his focus to the upcoming event.

“I’m looking forward to racing at Pomona,” Chrisman said.  “(Crew chief) Kevin Meredyk and I are going to make a few changes to see if we can get the car to run faster.  If it does go faster, it may help us get to more races.”

He races conservatively, making the most of his limited budget by carefully choosing which events to attend.  This will be the 60th race of his career.

When Chrisman looked at last year’s entry list for a race in Englishtown, N.J., he saw an opportunity to head east.  It turned into a two-race adventure that included a stop at Topeka.

 “We qualified at both races,” he recalled.  “What we made there by qualifying helped us keep racing. Every dollar counts.”

Unlike the professional teams that have hired help, Chrisman and Meredyk do much of the work.  It is Chrisman who drives the transporter to the races.  He stopped to race in Topeka before continuing to New Jersey.  “The ride to Englishtown wasn’t bad,” he commented, “but the ride from there to Anaheim sure was.”

This weekend he gets the perks of a hometown race.  It’s not far from Anaheim.