Ashley Force defeats her dad to make NHRA funny car history

April 28, 2008 by Robert
Filed under NHRA

Comments Off

On the day racing legend John Force was going for his 1,000th round victory in his 500th career event, he was beaten by a woman. His daughter.

Ashley Force faced off against her famous drag racing dad in the final round of the 28th Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals Sunday in Atlanta and became the first woman in National Hot Rod Assn. history to win in the sport's marquee funny car class...

Read full story in the Los Angeles Times

Mike Ashley to return to Funny Car racing in St. Louis

April 28, 2008 by Robert
Filed under NHRA

Comments Off

Mike Ashley, co-owner with Roger Burgess of Gotham City Racing's two-car Funny Car team, has announced his return to NHRA Funny Car competition for the next five races, beginning in the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at St. Louis.

Ashley won three races – including the prestigious U.S. Nationals – and finished sixth in POWERade Series points in 2007. Melanie Troxel will continue driving the team's ProCare Rx Dodge Charger R/T that is tuned by Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald. Frank Hawley drove the second car here and at Gainesville, Fla...

Read full story

Tags: Melanie Troxel, Mike Ashley

IHRA Spring Nationals a Bittersweet Weekend for Dale Creasy Jr.

April 23, 2008 by Robert
Filed under IHRA

Comments Off

Defending Nitro Funny Car World Champion falls to Matt Hagan in the first round at Rockingham Dragway

ROCKINGHAM, NC (April 22, 2008) - Dale Creasy Jr. is never happy about a first-round loss at any IHRA national event. But when you consider how the weekend unfolded, the fact that his Torco teammate Matt Hagan went on to win his first...

Read full story

Tags: Dale Creasy, Matt Hagan

Hot rod driver racing for ill kids in Snellville

April 23, 2008 by Robert
Filed under NHRA

Comments Off

Nationally known hot rod driver Melanie Troxel made a pit stop Tuesday in Snellville at a charity for medically fragile children.

Troxel, head of the Gotham City Racing Team, showed off her white Dodge Charger Nitro funny car to some of the kids at the corporate headquarters of Dream House for Medically Fragile Children, Inc., a non-profit organization helping children transition from hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers back to their...

Read the full story by Beth Warren in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Tags: Dodge, Funny Car, Melanie Troxel, Nitro, racing

Blake and Nothstein following a dream

April 23, 2008 by Robert
Filed under NHRA, Racing News

Comments Off

One wants to drive top Funny Car, and the other, who's blind, wants to help him get there.

Marty Nothstein is eight years removed from winning an Olympic cycling gold medal, and Jay Blake is 11 years from an industrial accident that took his sight. Together, they say, they're going to the top of the drag-racing world.

Nothstein begins his third season of professional drag racing by joining Follow A Dream Racing, which runs a Top...

Read the rest of this great and inspiring story written by Mark Wogenrich in The Morning Call

Tags: Funny Car

John Force’s midlife crisis at 330 mph

April 18, 2008 by Robert
Filed under NHRA

Comments Off

Driving a funny car at 330 mph might not be the best time for a mid-life crisis. It's not like John Force has a choice.

For 30 years, winning was pretty much the only thing in his life. All of a sudden, he's trying to make it just one of many...
Read Jim Litke's full story on John Force at MSNBC

Tags: John Force

InstiGator Looking for More Bite

April 18, 2008 by Robert
Filed under IHRA

1 Comment

The Amalie Oil InstiGator Funny Car, powered by Torco Race Fuels, makes its way to the IHRA Spring Nationals in Rockingham this weekend looking to put a little more bite on its opponents when qualifying begins tomorrow.

While the team did well at the season opening race in San Antonio, (qualifying in the fifth position) the opening round match up with eventual event winner Laurie Cannister ended their chances early for a ...

Read full story

Tags: IHRA, Terry McMillen

NHRA Team Shirts

April 18, 2008 by Robert
Filed under NHRA

1 Comment

I just noticed that quite a few NHRA crew shirts are for sale over on eBay. They're a unique collectible if you are in the market for your favorite driver's team gear.