On this episode of Powerboat Talk, we catch up with Tony Scarlata, a Southern California racer and lifelong hot boat enthusiast whose career has put him behind the wheel of some of the best-known and most successful Top Alcohol Flatbottom drag boats in the sport.
Scarlata grew up in Northern California, where much of his childhood was spent boating on the Sacramento Delta with his father and family friends. After earning a football scholarship to Oregon State University, his father rewarded him with his first boat, a jet boat. Scarlata wasted little time making it faster. He took out a $4,000 student loan and used the money for a different kind of education, buying a big-block Chevy for the boat.
His racing career began in 1990, and it wasn’t long before other boat owners were putting Scarlata in the driver’s seat. He scored his first major victory in 1997, winning Pro Gas Flat at Augusta, and eventually made the jump to Top Alcohol Flat. Along the way, he drove Rick Jackson’s Flatzilla and spent four years piloting one of Kevin Felkins’ Canyon boats.
Some of Scarlata’s greatest success came driving Tommy Thompson’s Canyon Shazam. According to Scarlata, the team collected six Top Alcohol Flat championships during their run together. They also made history at Bakersfield in 2017 when Shazam ran a 4.96 e.t., becoming the first Top Alcohol Flat to dip into the four-second zone.
Drag boats weren’t Scarlata’s only racing passion. He also competed extensively in circle racing, driving Super Stock and K-boats. That chapter of his career came to an end following a violent crash in Australia in 2010. Scarlata nearly drowned in the accident and spent several days in a medically induced coma while doctors worked to reduce swelling on his brain. Afterward, he stepped away from circle racing.
Scarlata has also left his mark on the sport outside the cockpit. In 2016, he helped create the Outlaw Nationals, now an annual post-Thanksgiving tradition at the Sundance Saloon on the Parker Strip. The event had an unlikely beginning: a very public challenge between Scarlata and fellow drag boat racer Shane Westerfield that led to an impromptu race on the river. What started as a grudge match grew into an event that celebrated its 10th running last year.
More recently, 2026 has brought another unexpected chapter. Despite not having a full-time ride, Scarlata was named Series Manager of the IHRA Outlaw Drag Boat Series in February. Just four months later, he was relieved of the position. Scarlata takes us behind the scenes of that short-lived IHRA experience and shares his perspective on some of the craziness that unfolded along the way.
Scarlata remains a familiar face at National Jet Boat Association (NJBA) drag boat races, where he lends a hand to fellow competitors, takes younger racers under his wing, and often works the starter’s barge.
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