At Famoso Dragstrip, Andy and Ryan Partridge have taken on track prep duties with a focus on providing racers a consistent racing surface from the first pass to the last.
The brothers bring years of experience from Irwindale, where they spent roughly 15 years working around the facility before eventually handling much of the prep work themselves.
“The last several years at Irwindale we were primarily handling drag strip prep,” Andy Partridge said.
Now at Famoso, the responsibilities are shared.
“Both of us will be involved,” Andy said. “If I’m not here, he is, and vice versa.”
Ryan Partridge said the move into drag strip preparation required a different approach — and a lot of learning.
“Track prep is almost black magic,” Ryan said. “Scraping, spraying, mixtures, different glue — there’s a lot that goes into it. Ask 100 racers how they want the track and you’ll get 100 different answers, so you really have to look at the data.”
To help remove guesswork, the team plans to rely on measurable consistency rather than feel alone.
“I’ve got a grip meter coming so racers know what they’re getting when they show up,” Andy said. “That’s the big thing.”
The Partridge family’s connection to the sport goes back decades. Their grandfather Bernie and grandmother Phyllis were longtime figures in NHRA Division 7, while other family members were involved in announcing and facility operations at tracks including Irwindale and Fontana. That background shapes how they approach the job at Famoso.
“The heritage of the place is important,” Ryan said. “We want to keep the history but still move forward and improve things where it makes sense.”
Ryan will not be present every race weekend but will assist during the week with preparation and maintenance, while Andy handles the day-to-day track work.
“The goal is Andy as the lead guy day to day,” Ryan said. “I’m here to help and keep continuity, but he’s more than capable.”
From early morning track cleaning to maintaining equipment and monitoring changing conditions, the focus remains the same — delivering a predictable racing surface racers can trust each time they stage.