DOUG FOLEY TRANSITIONS TO TEAM OWNER ROLE; GARY PRITCHETT NAMED 2026 TOP FUEL DRIVER
MOORESVILLE, NC - Doug Foley Racing announced today that Doug Foley will transition from driving duties to a full-time team owner role beginning with the 2026 season. Gary Pritchett has been named driver of the team’s Top Fuel dragster.
“We are going to do a driver swap in 2026,” Foley said. “I am going to get out of the seat. And I just felt like we could be better all the way around and I kind of wanted to focus more on just taking the team to another level, and so I decided to get out of the seat.”
Foley, a veteran Top Fuel competitor and multi-time IHRA event winner, said the move allows him to focus on strengthening the organization both competitively and commercially.
“I just didn't feel like our team was at the level it could be, and that's my goal to fix that,” Foley said.
The team will compete in a combination of NHRA and IHRA events in 2026. Foley said the hybrid schedule provides opportunities for growth while maintaining a competitive presence across both sanctioning bodies.
Pritchett, a former Top Alcohol Dragster competitor and longtime Top Fuel crew member, earned his Top Fuel license in 2015 under the guidance of crew chief Doug Kuch.
“Doug Kuch actually got me my Top Fuel license back in 2015 in Charlotte and coming full circle,” Pritchett said. “I feel like all the stars are kind of aligning and really excited for the opportunity.”
Pritchett said the opportunity represents a career milestone.
“It feels like I got the opportunity I've been waiting on my whole life,” he said.
Additional announcements regarding partnerships and testing plans for the 2026 season will be released in the coming weeks.
DOUG FOLEY ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF RON DOUGLAS AS CONSULTANT TO FOLEY LEWIS RACING TOP FUEL TEAM
PHOTO BY: AUTO IMAGERY.COM
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 3, 2026) – Veteran nitro crew chief Ron Douglas will join Doug Foley’s Foley Lewis Racing Top Fuel team as a consultant for the 2026 season, the team announced today. Douglas joins a proven group led by longtime Foley Lewis Racing crew chief Doug Kuch as the team prepares for what Foley describes as a “rebuilding year” beginning at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season opener, the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
Douglas brings to the table years of experience leading championship-contending teams in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. He’ll support the existing efforts of Kuch, who tuned for Foley early in his Top Fuel career and returned to the team at the end of the 2023 season.
“I've always admired what Ron has accomplished in his career,” Foley said. “We’ve always been looking for somebody who could come in and put their eyes on the computer and their hands on the parts and see something through a different lens. We were fortunate that Ron was available. He’s a little bit different than some of the other crew chiefs in that he’s very hands-on. That’s only going to enhance what happens under the awning here and help the team continue to get better at what they do.”
The addition of Douglas comes at a pivotal time for Foley Lewis Racing as the team looks to bounce back from a 2025 season that dealt multiple blows, from the loss of team co-owner Tim Lewis early in the year to a crash at the end of the season.
“I really felt like we were getting there over the last couple of years, and I felt like we may have taken a step back in 2025,” Foley said. “There were opportunities that were missed. I don't feel like I drove even close to my best, and it was a tough year overall. It started with losing Tim and never got better. This year is a fresh beginning. We’re going to put our heads down, focus on what our new goals are, and forget about 2025.”
Foley’s 2026 schedule will begin at the NHRA Gatornationals and will include a mix of NHRA national events and IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series races. A part of Foley’s new strategy for the season involves choosing when to race and when to test and refine.
“This year, we’re putting a bigger focus on quality over quantity,” Foley said. “It’s difficult for smaller teams like ours to get quality runs in, so if we need to go testing instead of going to the next race, that’s what we’ll do. If we feel like we’re getting behind, we’re going to take a timeout and figure out where we’re weak and how we can get better. We’re looking at it as a rebuilding year.”
When Foley fires up his 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster at the Gatornationals, returning partner Authority Garage Supply Inc. will be bannered on the side as the primary sponsor. United Garage Door Company, LiftMaster, C.H.I. Overhead Doors, Coble Enterprises, Red Line Oil, and The BAMR Company are also returning as partners.
For more updates on Foley Lewis Racing, visit www.FoleyLewisRacing.com and follow the team on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FoleyLewisRacing