Tom Shelar - Team Manager: Grew up in Lancaster, Ca where street racing was a common weekend activity in the late 60's and early 70's. 1975, built my first engine. A Chrysler 383 for a 65 Sport Fury. The next project was a 68 Dodge Dart with a 383 in it. Built the car from the ground up, Engine, Trans, Rear end, Interior, and raced it a OCIR on Wednesday nights. It would run 13.80s at just over 100 mph driving it in off the street with the exhaust and power steering still hooked up and never shifting into high gear. Fun Stuff for a street car. These trips to OCIR was were I first saw Fuel cars. I decided if I wanted to run a Fuel car I need allot more money. So I sold my Dart and settled down to build my career in Manufacturing. After college and working in the industry I landed a job with a Cad/Cam company helping develop software. A few years passed and I started a new company and began to distribute Mastercam. 25 years later I have managed to build the # 1 US distributor of the #1 Product in the industry.

1996, Now that the Business was up and running I could afford to go have some fun running a Fuel car. Walt Stevens was attending a training class at one of my facilities and told me about his friend that had a Front Engine Fuel car. It turned out to be Frank Rootbeer Hedge. He only lived a few miles from me so I started spending many evenings at Franks house learning about running a Fuel car. It was allot of fun racing with Frank and the guys over the years. I started out doing the clutch and building engines. We managed to win a few races along the way and build a solid running car. We were #1 Qualifier at Pomona and Sears Point and Oklahoma during the first year and won the Oklahoma race several years in a row. The hook was sunk Deep after that. After Racing with Frank for 6 years he decided to move to Oklahoma. That changed how we did things as the car was left with me in California to prep and race and Frank would come in as the owner tuner. We ran for 2 years like this as we were gathering parts for a new car. In 2004 we managed to land a deal with the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas thanks to the help of Dale Singh. That was all we needed to put the 2nd car in full running order. We recruited Mindy Fry to take over the Driving job in the 1st car and moved Sean Bellemeur into the seat of the new car. We won the first time out with the new car. In 2004 we took the new car to the HHRR in Bowling Green and swept the race. Low Et Top Speed and Won. In fact we managed to win the next 3 HHRR to roll up 4 in a row.

The fun part is how we have been able to use the Cad/Cam Manufacturing background to design and build our own parts. Cylinder heads , Intake Manifold , Scoop and Injector combination , Wings and various other parts. To see your own Designs go out and Win the 2008 Championship brings a great feeling of accomplishment.

 

Brett Johansen - Crew Chief:  Age, 42 - Brett was basically born into drag racing. He has a very long family history (Howard's Cams & Rods) in the sport. He is the son of Jerry Johansen (crew chief for the 1961 NHRA Champion "Twin Bear" driven by Jack Chrisman).

Brett's exposure to nitro came very early (still in diapers !!!) while his father was crew chief for the "Howard's Cam Rattler" driven by Larry Dixon Sr.

Spent many years helping out various "Howard's" customers over the years learning everything he could about a race car from the ground up. Was fortunate enough to win Indy before the age of 20 while working on Al Dapozzo's Top Alcohol Dragster. He always had the desire to be a crew chief but never thought it would happen. Brett was exposed to his first nostalgia event while attending the first NHRA Reunion. That is when he was officially bitten by the bug again.

He started servicing the clutch for Frank Hedge on his car driven by Tim Gibson.

In 2004, HighSpeed Motorsports was born and a second team car was added with Sean Bellemeur moving over from Frank's car to the new car. Brett was given his first chance as crew chief and the new team went to 5 finals in their first season. The team has finished in the Top 5 in each season since 2004 and won the fist NHRA Heritage Top Fuel Championship in 2008.

Sean Bellemeur grew up around the race track with his mother Nancy, and father Gregg. Gregg drove many cars including AA Fuel Altered, Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car.

When Sean was 5 years old, his family partnered up with Tom Lemon and Jack Burr on their Top Alcohol Funny Car driven by Tom Bristow. This is where Sean learned most of his mechanical knowledge about race cars.

In 1995 the Bellemeur family built a junior dragster and proceeded to win many track championships and in 1997 had a runner up finish at the NHRA National Championships in Denver. In 1998 The Bellemeurs built their front engine dragster. They ran in the VRA A/Fuel class and won National Championships in 2001 and 2002. During that time Sean also worked on different race teams gaining experience and knowledge.

The Bellemeurs sold their A/Fuel car at the end of the 2003 season and began building a Top Alcohol Funny Car along with being hired by High Speed Motorsports to drive their Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragster.

In 2007, Sean signed with the Ron Meer Motorsports Top Alcohol Funny Car team and finished 3rd in national NHRA points as well as earning the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Pacific Division Championship. Along with that Sean won "Driver of the Year" honors, and Bob Devour won "Crew Chief of the Year". That team has since liquidated and Sean has rejoined his family team with sponsorship from Mastercam and Lucas Oil. Sean has also continued on with HSMS and currently serves as the assistant crew chief and test driver.

Another passion of Sean's is working fire/safety. He is an instructor for SFI (Safety Foundation Inc.) Incident Response teams and is currently working at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield with their Emergency Response teams.

Walt Stevens - Floater:  (in his own words) Well let's see, I grew up in the Culver City area. Was in the Army from 1957 to 1959. Came Home and that was the start of my street racing. Went to Jail in 1960 for street racing down on Culver blvd. Said this is was no fun.

I grew up around dirt cars as my Dad and my Uncle races Midgets from 1946 to 1952. But in high school friends (John Peters & Ny Frank) were running a two motor dragster. I use to help sometimes, and go to the races with them. That's how I got from dirt to drags. Later in 1963, I was at old San Gab Raceway and the next thing I was helping to build a front motor top fuel car with Root Beer Frank Hedge. We had a deal with the A & W Root Beer Company to help with the car. That's if we finished it. That was in 1963, so Frank and I build the car at his dad's house. We started in Jan 1964 and ran it in June of that year. I always wanted to drive a dragster and that was my chance. It was the start of my racing career.

The first night out with the fuel car. I ended up running 185 mph with an 8.25 E.T. After trying to get it down the track 3 or 4 times. That when I became a (Nitro Junky). After driving the A & W car, for about 6 months. Frank & myself, parted and I started driving anything that I could.

We raced until 1973, won some big races driving the Odd Couple, The Winter Nationals in 1971, and next was the March Meet in Bakersfield 1971. Raced all thru out the states with the Piranha, this was in 1966. Got out to drag racing to raze a family, I started flying at that point, Thanks to Dusty Rhodes. Got into flying, big time. Ended up flying Robert Nethercutt, around, from the Merle Norman Car Collection. Did that for from 1978 to 1981. Plus helped out in the Machine shop, building car parts for the Museum. 1982.

We ended up at Samco Scienfitic, Running there machine Shop. The owner of the company, had a 40 foot off shore boat, so he had me working on the boat. The next thing I knew, I was racing with him and his Son. From 1983. Until 1988, that's when he sold the company to Corning, From N.Y. Was back in the Machine Shop, Had 10 guys working at that time.

Don Madden had a new shop in the Palmdale Area, I had him make me a cam for one of my street rods. So I started, helping him with the number 7 sprint car. That Don Madden ran, Raced with Pepper Fite Corp & Dons Ford team, off and on for 3 to 4 years, He had some very good drivers. In that car Billy Boat, The Gas Man ( Richard Griffin ), and we used to kick ass, All over the western states. Won a bunch of races. The Gas Man was one of the best drivers in the sport

Back in 1997, Root Beer Frank called me and wanted me to come by his house, to see What he had just got, a very nice front motor top fuel car. Asked if I would stay and help him Get the car together, to run it up in Palmdale that next day. That was an all night er, we did go and Run the car. We had Wild Bill driving the car. We ran that car with Mastercam helping us out,

That's a funny story; I was going to classes at Mastercam, in New Barry Park, That's when I told Tom Shelar about the race car. Asked if he would like to come by and see what we were doing.

Well that was the start of getting some help from good racing friend, Tom has been racing with The old Mastercam car of Franks, and today we have been racing the High Speed motorsports Top Fuel car. We got a very good deal on this car. This was in 2002, Worked our Butts off Thru All of these years, and it was so butching to end up with the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage 2008 Championship. We have had Troy Green in the sit for the last 2 or 3 years, Had Sean Bellermeur Driving the car, when we started. The very first time out, with a new car. Was at Bowling Green, KY and won the race. We have won that one 4 years in a row. Last year was not too good.

At bowling Green, But that's drag racing. Still having fun. Looking forward to winning the championship again this year. Want to thank the hard work of our team. Without them we would not make it that goes for Tom, Dale, Brett, Rick, Todd, Roger, Frankie, Sean, Troy, Danny and Rian, and the girls. Arlene and Amelia.

Bert Toulotte - Fuel & Oil: In 1967 Jungle Jim pulled me out of a crowd and said to take the end of his parachute and walk it down the way. I helped him race, that night and I was hooked! Worked at Precision Engines in Hyattsville MD, in 1968, practically met everyone who toured when they came thru the DC area. Went on the road with Bruce Wheeler and the Wheeler Dealer Top Fuel dragster. Bruce sold it the summer of 1969. College and my business followed.

Fast forward to 1999, Tom Shelar asked me to help him work on Mastercam AA/FD that he and Frank Hedge owned. That team morphed into the High Speed Motorsports Team I've been the fuel mixer and oil guy. My duties also include all of the graphic design work on the team, car design & paint, trailer graphics, all the handouts and print design, and the uniforms.

 

Arlene Eliason - Team Secretary:  Arlene got hooked. Her first nitro experience was from the truck at the starting line, March Meet 2002, when the Mastercam car ran a 6.04 and the huge crowd went crazy. She hasn't missed a race since! She recorded run times from the stands, made sandwiches for everyone, and accepted the job of Corporate Secretary after High Speed Motor Sports, Inc. was formed. She is now having a blast recording races as an apprentice photographer. She is looking forward to another Championship year for the High Speed Team.

 

Don Ewald - Webmaster & PR: Attended first drag race at Lions in 1960 and was hooked. First race car was a C-Gas '55 Chevy which led to a B/Alterd. Drove first fuel dragster in 1966... a 301 cu in SBC Jr. Fuel entry which led to his first top fuell ride in 1967. In 1969 Ewald bought the first of his own Top Fuel cars and continued racing through the transition from front engine to rear engine dragsters until economics forced him to retire in 1979.

Got back into drag racing when the nostalgia movement started in the 90s and has been involved since. Started what's turned out to be the worlds largest drag racing photo/history website in 1998 (WDIFL.com) and ultimatly published websites for many other entities including High Speed Motorsports. He remains one of the original people involved in HSMS which has turned out to be one of the most successful Nostalgia Top Fuel teams running today.

Also, member of the Grants Pass Elks and on the board of directors of the Rogue Valley Humane Society.