Madson Payne Concludes Season Finishing Eighth Nationally

Pomona California - Madison Payne concluded her first full season driving the Muscle Milk A/Fuel Dragster at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona. Madison qualified ninth with a strong 5.24 at 276 MPH for yet another juggernaut field of tough contenders.

In round one, Madison faced a familiar opponent, Tony Stewart. Both Stewart and Madison have come a long way since the 2022 season when they both began their careers driving an A/Fuel dragster. At the start, it was Stewart out first with a .050 to Madison's .083. As the cars moved past the starting line Madison began to lose traction as did Stewart a little farther down the track. Both drivers had to peddle but Madison was farther behind as she smoked the tires sooner in the run. Stewart meanwhile was able to recover and won the round with a 5.31 at 276 MPH to Madison's 7.45 at 129 MPH.

While it wasn't the finish to the season the team expected, they still had a great season finishing eighth nationally with back-to-back final-round finishes which included Madison's victory at the historic NHRA US Nationals. "We qualified for the toughest field in Top Alcohol Dragster history. Unfortunately, we smoked the tires in round one. As the season ends, we are thankful for our Indy win and a number eight national finish" team owner Duane Shields said.

"It was a good first full season with our win at Indy. But from here we will regroup and come back better. The season didn't end the way we wanted it to, but we'll figure it out and be stronger as a result" Madison added.

With less than a week since the conclusion of the season, the Muscle Milk team is already excited to begin next season. "We are looking forward to our 2024 season and we have to thank our sponsors for all they do for us" Duane said. Duane and Madison appreciate all of the help they have received this season from Muscle Milk, GRP Connecting Rods, NGK Spark Plugs, Brad Anderson Enterprises, and Clean Boost.