MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Veteran nitro crew chief Ron Douglas will join Doug Foley’s Foley Lewis Racing Top Fuel team as a consultant for the 2026 season.
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 (Fla.) 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.
“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.”
