(Joey Sosenka warming up the Mr. Magoo Funny Car in 2000 at the O'Reilly Nationals)
Summer - 2002
The Mr. Magoo Top Fuel racing team of Spring Branch, TX has been competing for almost the entire NHRA tour in 2002 with much success. Don Sosenka, wife Lana and son Joey have run the Mr. Magoo funny car for many years and are enjoying their first season in Top Fuel competition. The main reason the Sosenka’s make the long hauls to national event locations such as Seattle, Englishtown and Denver is to raise awareness of Dystonia, a powerful and painful disease that attacks the muscles in the human body. Don’s wife Lana has been fighting this disease for over ten years.
Don Sosenka started racing seriously in the early 70’s with a Alcohol Funny Car. Don’s Dad, Frank Sosenka, owned an auto parts sstore in San Antonio called Magoo’s and that’s where the name Magoo came from. Ever since then, Don has used the Magoo name on his racecars.
Joey Sosenka, the son of Lana and Don, hopes to take over the driving duties in the Mr. Magoo Top Fueler soon. Joey has the crew chief for the Mr. Magoo race team for over five years. This past July after the NHRA national event at Denver’s Bandimere Speedway, Joey suited up and made his first top fuel passes. Everything went as planned, with several two hundred foot passes and then two half track passes. Joey felt very comfortable in the car and told me, “You can hop in there and do it, it’s really not hard.”
(Lana Sosenka directing her son back into the groove after his first top fuel burnout)
At the races, it is truly a family operation. Both Lana and Joey help tremendously in preparing the car for racing, always with a huge smile on their faces. Don can be counted on running low five second elapsed times and making events at the bottom of the qualifying field. In this day of million dollar sponsorships, large staffs of crew members and multiple eighteen wheel support vehicles, the Sosenka’s define an “independent” race team. The team reflects the sixties and seventies where in nitro drag racing, a pickup and trailer is all you needed to travel the country. With few hurt parts, no onboard computers, and no heavy budget, the Sosenka’s have had great success. This year at the NHRA Atlanta race, Don took out Tony Schumacher’s US Army Top Fuel dragster and John Smith’s Prestone backed entry to advance to the semi finals. Win or lose you can tell they love what they do.
(Joey on his first Top Fuel run)
For these Texas racers, battling down the quarter mile with Dixon and Bernstein from coast to coast is a dream come true. For Joey, it is a new start to a future full of nitro fumes and hopefully more awareness and a cure for his mother’s disease, Dystonia. Be sure to stop by the Mr. Magoo pit area at this month’s NHRA O’Reilly Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex to find out more about Dystonia. You can also visit mrmagooracing.com.