HOUSEHOLD OF PAYNE

National Dragster, May 13, 2005 by Littlefield, Brad

JAY AND SHELLY PAYNE ARE YOUR TYPICAL PARENTS WHO DRIVE SUPERCHARGED, METHANOL-BURNING, 230-PLUS-MPH RACE CARS AT DRAGSTRIPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY BY BRAD LITTLEFIELD

Jay and Shelly Payne might be one of the more successful drag racing couples in NHRA history. Jay, who operates John Payne Trucking during the week, has won 27 national events, eight division championships, and the 1995 Top Alcohol Dragster national title. Shelly, daughter of three-time Top Alcohol Funny Car champion and hardcore racing parts manufacturer Brad Anderson, is the third-winningest female driver in NHRA history with four wins in Top Fuel and one in TAD.

The Claremont, Calif., couple enjoyed a transition year in 1999, when Shelly's driving career was put on hold and Jay switched from TAD to TAFC. They also married that year, and a family soon followed. Now, Jay and Shelly bring along daughter Madison, 3, and son Toby, 8 months, when they compete in TAFC and the AMS Pro Mod series.

The two-car, Valvoline-sponsored Pro Mod team owned by Anderson was born out of Shelly's desire to get back behind the wheel. They contemplated running a TAFC, but Pro Mod offered Anderson the chance to run exclusively at national-event-caliber tracks and expand his customer base. Shelly made some laps after the 2003 season ended and before taking time off to expand her family with Toby.

Jay was asked to drive the car in Shelly's place during the 2004 season, and as the team adjusted to tuning the Pro Mod entry, Jay adjusted to driving it.

"I have to muscle the [Top Alcohol Funny Car] down the racetrack, but the Pro Mod takes some finesse," said Jay. "They're different from one another, but they're both a lot of fun."

Shelly joined Jay in the Pro Mod ranks this season, and five years removed from her last season competing on the NHRA tour, her excitement from getting back behind the wheel is accompanied by a new set of challenges.

"It feels really great to be driving again," said Shelly. "The Pro Mods are unlike anything I've ever driven. The short wheelbase makes them a handful, and the suspension makes them difficult. I like driving a race car that I can shift, though. It has been tough, but I'm still learning. It has also been a challenge for the team to get used to having to tune the car and the motor."

The learning curve for the team was accelerated during the off-season with the purchase of two new Jerry Haas-built Stratus entries. The new cars, along with Anderson's off-season tune-up changes, showed their promise at the team's first event of the 2005 season, the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals, where Jay grabbed the attention of other Pro Mod racers when he won the event and set the national speed record at 236.03 mph.

"No one was as surprised as we were," said Jay. "We went into that race with cars that we had never run from A to B before, and we were able to make good, consecutive laps."

The Paynes often race the TAFC and Pro Mods at the same event, which requires quite a balancing act, especially because the two play integral roles in the maintenance and performance of the TAFC.

"It's tough," said Jay. "Fortunately, Brad Anderson, Donnie Peterson, Andre Monarque, and Dick Jackson do a great job of preparing the Pro Mods for us."

"It wears us out," said Shelly. "Sometimes we're worried about maintaining the alcohol car, getting back to the staging lanes for Pro Mod, feeding the kids, and other things all at once."

With an ambitious racing schedule that has been compounded by rainout dates, the Paynes will have attended more than 30 races by season's end. "We're planning a trip to Cancun this off-season," said Shelly. "Our kids, Mom, Dad, and my sister Leigh and her family will spend some much-needed relaxing time together outside of racing."

Jay and Shelly agree that being married to another racer is advantageous because of the time they spend together and the strong common interest, which provides a great means by which to communicate. They also appreciate certain qualities about one another.

"Everybody knows Jay as a fun-loving guy," said Shelly.

"Coming from a serious racing family, I can appreciate that. He's more serious than people think, though."

Added Jay, "Shelly is a very determined person. That's why she's been successful, in racing, and that's why she'll be successful in Pro Mod."

For Jay, parenthood has come a second time around. He has two other children, daughter Jaimee, 29, and son Chance, 27.

"Jaimee and Chance have jobs and live on their own now, but they still come out to some of the local races," said Jay. "When they were growing up, I devoted so much time to business that time with them was often limited. Now, I can really appreciate being able to spend time with my kids."

Madison and Toby go to all of their races. Madison, who attends school every Tuesday and Wednesday, has more frequent-flyer miles than your average 3-year-old.

"Drag racing is a great sport for families. Everybody is involved, and the kids are great at the racetrack," said Jay. "The traveling is the only thing that's harder than it used to be. Fortunately, the kids are good travelers."