Baltimore, Maryland-based John Gaydosh made his 2016 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season debut at the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals, and he qualified his Gaydosh Performance Chevrolet Camaro – newly fitted with the EFI combination and sleek, scoopless hood – in the No. 15 position.
“We’re pretty optimistic about this year,” said Gaydosh prior to the first round of eliminations. “We’ve moved up each pass, we’ve made improvements every run. We only got one pass on the car with the fuel injection [in Bradenton testing] before we hurt a rocker arm. We didn’t have a spare, so we left there and Gray Motorsports brought me spare parts so I could race here. Q1 [the first qualifying session at the Gatornationals] was only our second full pass of the year. If it wasn’t for the Grays, Mike Smith from Gray Motorsports, and Robin Lawrence from Holley, I wouldn’t be here. So yeah, I’m happy. I’m loving life.”
Without a major sponsor, Gaydosh might have opted not to rejoin the Pro Stock ranks after major changes were announced for 2016, including the switch to electronic fuel injection (EFI) and a 10,500 rev limiter.
“I was hesitant because I knew it was going to be very expensive, and it’s hard for us as a small team without proper funding. But I’m the type of person who doesn’t know how to give up. Anybody who knows me, knows that I don’t know when to stop. A lot of people told me that I couldn’t do this, but that’s the worst thing you can say to a guy like me. Don’t tell me I can’t do something, because I’m going to do it. I’ve never been the type of person to say, ‘I wish I would have done this.’ I’m going to do it, and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability. That’s why we’re here.”
Gaydosh will compete in 10-12 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events in 2016. His next scheduled event is the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.
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