NHRA veteran Doug Foley makes feelings known with bold Gatornationals push after major offseason upgrades

Doug Foley, the Top Fuel race car owner and driver, recently discussed the improvements his Foley Lewis Racing dragster team has made during the offseason as he prepares for the upcoming season. The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is set to kick off this weekend with the NHRA Gatornationals. The season-opening event is scheduled to be held from March 6-9 at Gainesville Raceway in Florida.

Foley and his team have upgraded their racing program during the off-season. A notable change was relocating their operations from Brownsburg, Indiana, to Mooresville, North Carolina, and pairing up with crew chief Doug Kuch on a full-time basis for the first time since returning to the sport in 2019.

In a recent interview with Drag Illustrated, NHRA Top Fuel veteran Doug Foley shed light on their offseason improvements ahead of the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals.

“We made some progress in testing down at the PRO Superstar Shootout, but now it’s time to start the NHRA season and see the results of the work we did over the winter. We moved our team from Brownsburg, Indiana, back to Mooresville, North Carolina. We brought our crew chief, Doug Kuch, on full-time starting in December, which is the first time we’ve had a full-time crew chief since we came back to Top Fuel in 2019,” Doug Foley said.

“That allowed him to spend more time preparing the car, bringing in brand-new AJ 8-cylinder heads, and working on the supercharger program. We’re really trying to improve and grow the program,” he added.

Their efforts are a part of a broader goal to enhance the Foley Lewis Racing team’s performance and competitiveness in the 2025 NHRA season. In preparation for the 2025 NHRA Gatornationals, the #16 dragster team also conducted a two-day test session at Gainesville in February.

Doug Foley, who drives the #16 dragster, has competed in multiple drag racing series for decades, leaving his mark in both NHRA and IHRA racing series. The 61-year-old first gained recognition in the early 2000s, racing in Top Fuel and collecting multiple event wins in IHRA before moving to NHRA.

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“The Gatornationals is just a huge race” - Doug Foley

In the aforementioned interview, Doug Foley reflected on the giant significance of the NHRA Gatornationals, comparing it to the prestige of the Indianapolis 500. The Gatornationals is considered one of the biggest races on the calendar, with its popularity having grown even more recently, with sold-out crowds elevating its status.

Reflecting on the increased hype of the NHRA season-opener, Doug Foley said:

“The Gatornationals is just a huge race. It’s kind of like the Indy of the beginning of the season. It’s become one of our largest races of the entire season. Gainesville has always been a big one, but with the sold-out crowds they’ve had the last few years, it’s just on another level.”

The 70th NHRA drag racing season is set to kick off on March 9 with Gatornationals at 10:30 a.m. ET.