TRAVIS SHUMAKE HONORS FATHER TRIPP DURING WINTERNATIONALS, 1000TH NHRA FUNNY CAR RACE

By: Werner Communications

PHOENIX (April 9, 2026) — The 66th edition of the famed NHRA Winternationals will be a celebration of Funny Car history as the sanctioning body presents the 1000th Funny Car race in its 75th anniversary season. Legends will be on site, and a special trophy will be presented to the Funny Car winner. One of the significant figures recognized will be the late Tripp Shumake, winner of the 100th Funny Car race. The well-respected driver will be celebrated on track as well by his son Travis Shumake, who will honor his late father, with a paint scheme honoring the winning livery from the 1981 NHRA Southern Nationals.

“This is going to be an emotional weekend for me for sure,” said Shumake. “My dad was so well liked by everyone when he raced, and he is a part of history winning the 100th Funny Car race. To be able to honor him with the Little Hoss Funny Car will be amazing. We learned a lot in Phoenix, and I really want to put on a good show for the fans this weekend in Pomona.”
 
Driving for Funny Car veteran Dave Bejamin, the Funny Car will feature the famed Little Hoss colors of his father’s original car owner, Johnny Loper. The second-generation driver will be making his second career start in the Legacy Funny Car Series with the support of new season–long sponsor Le Tour as well as Total Seal.
 
Shumake is adding Le Tour wines, a non-alcoholic wine that tastes like the real thing. Le Tour starts with real French grapes, sourced from trusted vineyards and made using traditional winemaking methods. Through a gentle dealcoholization process, the alcohol is removed keeping the flavor and structure intact.

“Getting together with Le Tour wines for the rest of the season will be very exciting,” said Shumake. “I love wine and I love drag racing. Their dealcoholization process means I can enjoy both at the track. This is a great environment for them to activate and introduce Le Tour to a huge audience. We are planning on all sorts of fun things with other drivers and at races all over the country.”
 
The Legacy Funny Car Series will have two qualifying sessions on Friday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Prior to his qualifying runs Shumake will be a featured guest on the NHRA stage at 12:00 p.m. to talk about his racing career and his father Tripp. On Saturday Shumake will have one final shot to make the eight-car qualified field with a final qualifier at 12:05 p.m. The first round of eliminations will be contested on Saturday afternoon with the semifinals and final round held on Sunday, April 12 between the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series eliminations.
 
For information on tickets or schedules visit www.nhra.com and for more information on Travis Shumake and his racing program head over to www.travisshumake.com.