Crazy? Maybe. But you can’t deny the drive that keeps the father and son duo of Mark and Jake Sanders on the fast track to success in this crazy game called drag racing.

That is because Mark, better known by his car name as “Mr. Explosive,” spent the past week traveling 3,828 miles from his home in Seattle through rain, snow and four time zones to Jupiter, Fla. to compete in this weekend’s Nitro Jam season opener at Palm Beach International Raceway.

The trip was an adventurous one, as Sanders will quickly point out, with a stop at the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. and the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, as well as some major alligator sightings around the track, but according to Sanders, the long haul was more than worth it to be able to compete with the Nitro Jam series this year and hopefully challenge the best Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car drivers in the business for a championship beginning this weekend.

"I'm really excited to get back to some nitro racing, especially in the Sunshine State. I'm ready to get out there and turn on a few win lights,” Saunders said. “I am really looking forward to traveling around and competing with the Nitro Jam series and hopefully ending the year hoisting that Ironman trophy. That would make all the travel really worthwhile.”

Sanders enters the 2011 season with two career Nitro Jam victories after sweeping the Salt Lake Nitro Jam in Utah last year. And after some pre-season testing on Tuesday to get the team ready, the “Mr. Explosive” crew, headed by the “Force of the North” Mark Sanders and his son Jake, are looking forward to a big year beginning with what they hope is a win this weekend in south Florida.

"It's a new year and we are going to be running on some new tracks, but I'm looking to keep our winning ways from last year,” said Jake Sanders, Crew Chief of the ‘Mr. Explosive’ Funny Car.

This weekend’s Palm Beach Nitro Jam will be the first of nine events on the 2011 Nitro Jam schedule. And as the season gets underway, the team is looking forward to traveling across the country to make a serious run for the Nitro Jam Prostalgia Funny Car Championship

"The 2011 season will be our busiest one yet. We are looking forward to being a part of the Nitro Jam tour in 2011 and visiting a lot of new places. We can’t wait to get the new year underway,” Sanders added.

Look for the Mr. Explosive 1970 Nova Nitro Funny Car at a Nitro Jam event near you. For more information about Mr. Explosive Racing, visit the team at www.mrexplosiveracing.com or catch them on Facebook. You can also follow all of the action from the Nitro Jam series and get tickets online at www.nitrojam.com or on Facebook.