Brandon Welch will make his Professional debut in Funny Car at the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas in a car owned by his grandfather, veteran NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Chuck Beal, with backing from AutoAnything, one of America’s fastest-growing e-commerce retailers of automotive accessories and performance parts. The team also plans to compete at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona.
“We have been out of competition for a few years, but the work never stopped,” said Beal. “When I decided to give my grandson, Brandon, a shot in the driver’s seat, it meant building a new car and investing the time to ensure he was completely comfortable driving 10,000 horsepower at over 300 mph. I’m very pleased with how the car and Brandon have performed in testing, and I look forward to mixing it up in NHRA competition with backing from the great folks at AutoAnything.”
Associate sponsorship will come from aFe Power, a manufacturer of automotive cold air intake systems, performance air filters, fluid filters, intake manifolds, turbochargers, programmers, throttle-body spacers and exhaust systems, as well as coil-over and suspension products.
Welch, a 15-year veteran crewmember, will make his Professional debut looking to play spoiler in the Countdown to the Championship.
“I’ve dreamed about making my Professional debut since I was a kid running around our family’s Alcohol Funny Car pits in the ’80s,” he reflected. “To compete with my grandfather tuning, primary sponsorship from AutoAnything, and the potential to play Countdown spoiler is the perfect scenario.”
According to Beal, once Welch earned his competition license in June, the pieces fell into place.
“Right about when Brandon earned his competition license, we met with AutoAnything, and I was blown away by how much we had in common,” said Beal. “They are a San Diego-based business with a strong family-owned background. As an automotive aftermarket parts retailer, they’re a perfect match with NHRA fans. Brandon actually worked in e-commerce marketing for years, so he’s a perfect representative. We look forward to showing them how loyal NHRA fans can be.”
