Cruz Pedregon Grabs Top Qualifying Spot at Virginia NHRA Nationals
Cruz Pedregon qualified first in the NHRA Fuel Funny Car class for this weekend’s Third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals POWERade Drag Racing in Petersburg (Richmond), VA. Pedregon’s 4.041 second E.T. at 306.88 MPH put his Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara out in front during the third round of Qualifying on Saturday. Cruz is currently sixth in the Countdown to the Championship. He is 115 points behind points leader Tim Wilkerson and is only 43 points behind second place Jack Beckman. With a good performance this weekend, Cruz can dramatically improve his POWERade Championship Point Standing.
Tony Pedregon ran his Q Horsepower Chevy Impala to a second place qualifying position. Tony’s quickest run happened in the last round of qualifying on Saturday with a 4.041 E.T. at 305.22 MPH. The third place qualifier, and third driver to hit a 4.041 E.T. was Mike Neff in his Old Spice Ford Mustang. Melanie Troxel qualified fourth with a 4.047 E.T. at 309.98 MPH, the fastest speed so far this weekend. Troxel's performance was consistently fast in each round of qualifying and could have a a very good weekend if she maintains consistency. Ashley Force took the fifth qualifying spot with a 4.048 E.T. at 304.46 MPH. The top five qualifiers have an elapsed time spread of just 0.007, which will make for some close racing this weekend.
ESPN2 will air the Virginia NHRA Nationals Eliminations from 7:30 PM to 10:30 ET on Sunday October 12th, and will replay Eliminations on Friday October 24th from 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM ET.
First round pairings and qualifying results:
Cruz Pedregon Advance Auto Parts Solara 4.041 306.88
Tony Bartone Canidae Pet Food Monte Carlo 4.157 292.71
Tony Pedregon Q Horsepower Impala 4.041 305.22
Jerry Toliver Rockstar Energy Drinks Charger 4.125 299.00
Mike Neff Old Spice Mustang 4.041 304.80
Ron Capps NAPA Auto Parts Charger 4.088 295.98
Melanie Troxel ProCare RX Charger 4.047 309.98
Gary Scelzi Mopar Oakley Charger 4.081 301.00
Ashley Force Castrol GTX Mustang 4.048 304.46
Tim Wilkerson Levi, Ray & Shoup Impala 4.079 302.48
Robert Hight AAA of So. Cal Mustang 4.056 304.32
John Force Castrol GTX Mustang 4.078 298.21
Jack Beckman Valvoline/MTS Charger 4.059 301.54
Del Worsham CSK Impala 4.078 296.70
Tommy Johnson Jr. Monster Energy Drink Charger 4.070 303.64
Jeff Arend DHL Solara 4.078 302.55
Drag racing circuit takes steps toward mainstream
June 18, 2008 by Robert
Filed under NHRA, Racing News
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Great news for drag racing! Checkout this article from Cox News Service:
Anticipating NASCAR-like growth spurt, sport markets itself to broader audience
The National Hot Rod Association appears to be positioning itself for a growth period similar to the one NASCAR enjoyed in recent years as that sport broadened its fan base from mostly automotive enthusiasts to mainstream America.
The NHRA itself has taken several key steps recently — the hiring of the giant sports-marketing firm IMG and adding the powerhouse ad agency Edelman to help steer its public-relations campaign. And a new track is ...
Read the full article by Rick Minter at Ohio.com
Melanie Troxel Top Qualifier at Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Melanie Troxel qualified fastest at the 11th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago (Joliet). The teams battled the weather, endured rain , wind, and tornado warnings while trying to qualify. Qualifying results and first round pairings:
(R.T.) E.T.- MPH
1 Melanie Troxel (.090) 5.050-259.41
16 Gary Densham (.108) 4.928-309.98
2 Mark Oswald (.087) 4.822-319.52
15 Jack Beckman (.076) 4.895-316.82
3 Ashley Force (.141) 4.817-318.02
14 Robert Hight (.098) 6.344-142.51
4 Ron Capps (.099) 6.135-153.68
13 Scott Kalitta (.105) 4.918-305.29
5 Cruz Pedregon (.099) 4.992-297.09
12 Bob Tasca III (.030) 5.276-251.11
6 Gary Scelzi (.125) 4.897-312.21
11 Mike Neff (.140) 4.966-307.44
7 Jerry Toliver (.096) 9.084-89.07
10 Tony Pedregon (.062) 4.884-311.49
8 John Force (.081) 4.904-313.07
9 Tim Wilkerson (.064) 4.919-280.89
Troxel looks to ride first Funny Car win to eventual title
"Winning at least takes some pressure off," said Troxel, who took over driving the Gotham City Racing Dodge from owner Mike Ashley. "We've been on track the last three or four races, and it's nice to have some results to show for it."
Her Funny Car victory in Bristol was a reversal of form this year for Troxel, who missed four events and has three first-round exits. She pegs some of her troubles to adjusting from the dragster's rear engine and open cockpit to...
Read the full article by Gary Graves in USA Today
NHRA Young Drivers Proving Themselves Once Again
TOPEKA, Kan. - It must have felt a bit like proving themselves all over again.
In 2006, Melanie Troxel reached a stunning nine final rounds with two wins in her first year of fulltime competition in Top Fuel, good enough for a fourth-place finish on the year. Then she followed that with another two-win season in 2007, firmly establishing herself as a contender in Top Fuel.
[snip]
Both Troxel and Connolly come to Topeka fresh off of their first wins of the season. For Troxel, the victory was a landmark.
After struggling through the first half of the regular season, Troxel became the second female to win a race in Funny Car, and the first female and the 14th driver overall to reach the winner's circle in the sport's two fastest categories, Top Fuel and Funny Car....
Read the full article
From Indy to Charlotte, NHRA racers work to spread the message
It may be the busiest non-NHRA-racing weekend of the year, but many teams of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series are from sitting out around the backyard barbecuing steaks. From Indianapolis to Charlotte, many of NHRA's top drivers and teams are taking advantage of the intense focus on the weekend's Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 to help bring more awareness to NHRA drag racing.
From shop tours to facility visits, from the media centers down to pit road, some of NHRA's best and brightest will show the circle-track crowd what makes the NHRA world go around.
In Indianapolis, where the 92nd annual Indy 500 will take the green flag at 1 p.m. Sunday, but there's plenty going on the day before. Melanie Troxel, recent...
Tags: Cruz Pedregon, John Force, Melanie Troxel, Tony PedregonMelanie Troxel wins in Funny Car at Bristol
Melanie Troxel defeated top qualifier Mike Neff in the final round of the rain delayed O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee. Until tonight, Troxel had yet to win an elimination round during her first season in Funny Car. Mike Neff's car (6.471s E.T. / 146.21 MPH) had trouble at the line and suffered an engine explosion mid track, while Melanie Troxel (5.066s E.T. / 310.27 MPH) pedaled her car and struggled to keep it straight. Troxel becomes the second woman to ever win in the NHRA Funny Car class, following Ashley Force's first victory less than a month ago.
Congratulations Melanie!
Tags: Melanie TroxelMike Ashley to return to Funny Car racing in St. Louis
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...
Tags: Melanie Troxel, Mike Ashley