TROXEL READY TO PUT NEW RIDE IN WINNER’S CIRCLE AGAIN AS NHRA GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES HEADS TO NORWALK
NORWALK, Ohio – For many motorsports fans, nothing is better in this world than getting a new car. The new smells, sounds and feelings that are associated with receiving a new ride are some of the most exciting ever felt.
Pro Mod driver Melanie Troxel feels just the same. But one big difference between Troxel and the average motorsports fan is that she has those experiences at more than 250 mph.
As the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series makes its seventh of 10 stops in 2011 at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Troxel is just getting a feel for her new ride, a turbocharged ’53 Corvette previously driven by team owner Roger Burgess.
“The starting-line procedure, specifically the way the car launches, is still a little awkward for me,” said Troxel, who made her first start in the new ride at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown and guided it to a victory in Bristol, Tenn., last weekend.
After Burgess announced the addition of a new driver to his R2B2 Racing stable, former NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series racer Leah Pruett-LeDuc, Burgess switched a few rides. He gave Pruett-LeDuc the ’68 Camaro that Troxel had driven and relinquished to Troxel his ’53 Corvette, the car in which he had posted the best time of the event at every race to that point in the season and top speed of the event at three of the four first races of the season.
It didn’t take long for Troxel to find the speed in her new car. In just her second qualifying run, Troxel set the national record for time and speed in the category with a blistering performance of 5.772 seconds at 258.71 mph. In Bristol, she drove it four rounds to take her second victory and move into a tie for seventh in the series point standings.
“We knew this combination had incredible potential,” said Troxel. “Roger had set low e.t. of every race this year, so we’ve already seen what the car is capable of. Now we have two cars running this same combination, so we should see some big things from both of us. As we all saw (in Englishtown and Bristol), it’s very, very fast, and that’s what we like.”
With a fast car and the support of her team, Troxel wants to show her support by grabbing a few more Wally trophies in 2011 for R2B2 Racing.
“I really want to win (more races) for Steve Petty, our tuner,” said Troxel. “He’s worked so hard to get this thing working.”
Troxel won’t be the only driver looking to walk away with the Wally in Norwalk. Points leader Khalid Balooshi swept the first two events of the season in his Speedtech ’68 Camaro but hasn’t returned to winner’s circle and is hoping to keep his championship hopes alive, and Englishtown winner and second-place driver Danny Rowe hopes to take the points lead from Balooshi with a Norwalk win. And don’t count out Troxel’s teammate Brad Personett, who is hoping to make a charge up the point standings and race to his first win of 2011.
Featuring the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars with an extremely diverse collection of vehicles, including ’63 Corvettes, ’68 Camaros, ’67 Mustangs, and ’68 Firebirds as well as late-model cars, the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series offers something for every kind of hot-rodding enthusiast.
The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is also part of the 60th anniversary celebration of NHRA. Legendary Top Fuel pilot Shirley Muldowney will sign autographs, meet fans and participate in the festivities.
• SCHEDULE: NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:30 and 6 p.m. on June 24 and 10:30 a.m. on June 25. The first round of Pro Mod eliminations begins on June 25 at 1:40 p.m. Pro Mod eliminations resume on June 26.
• TICKETS: For tickets for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, call (419) 668-5555 or visit www.summitmotorsportspark.tix.com.
• ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 30 minutes of racing highlights from the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Sunday, July 3, at 2:30 p.m. ET.
• ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS
WHAT: Fifth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, the seventh of 10 events in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. The race also will feature the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. NHRA is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2011 and will pay tribute to the evolution of the hot rod and honor its legendary racers as well as the sport’s current stars.
WHERE: Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio. The track is at 1300 State Route 18, halfway between Cleveland and Toledo and an hour and a half north of Columbus. The Ohio Turnpike is less than 10 minutes away.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, June 23-26
SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, June 24
NHRA GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying at 3:30 and 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 25
NHRA GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying at 10:30 a.m.; first round of eliminations begins at 1:40 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 26 - Pre-race ceremony, 10 a.m.
NHRA GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES eliminations continue at approximately 2:30 p.m.
TELEVISION: Sunday, July 3, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 30 minutes of racing highlights at 2:30 p.m. ET
2010 WINNER: Pat Musi
TRACK RECORDS: 5.910 seconds by Raymond Commisso, June 2010; 253.52 mph by Brad Personett, June 2010
NATIONAL RECORDS: 5.772 seconds by Melanie Troxel, June. 2011, Englishtown, N.J.; 258.71 mph by Troxel, June 2011, Englishtown
TICKETS: For tickets, call (419) 668-5555 orvisit www.summitmotorsportspark.tix.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Thursday: Adult, $12; Junior (6-12 years), free. Friday: Adult, $32; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Saturday: Adult, $45; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Sunday: Adult, $45; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Children 5 years and younger admitted free to general-admission and pit areas each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $42; Junior (6-12 years), $20; Child (5 years and younger), $10. Saturday: Adult, $55; Junior (6-12 years), $20; Child (5 years and younger), $10. Sunday: Adult, $55; Junior (6-12 years), $20; Child (5 years and younger), $10
NHRA GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES POINT STANDINGS
UPDATED 6/19/2011 (following the sixth of 10 races; victories in parentheses)
1. Khalid Balooshi, Dubai, U.A.E., Speedtech ’68 Camaro (2) 451
2. Danny Rowe, Laguna Hills, Calif., Sterling Bridge ’68 Camaro (1) 403
3. Roger Burgess, Duluth, Ga., ProCare Rx ’68 Firebird 332
4t. Ed Hoover, Gilbert, S.C., ’68 Camaro (1) 317
4t. Rickie Smith, King, N.C., ‘68 Camaro 317
6. Kenny Lang, Manitoba, Canada, Summit Racing ’53 Corvette 310
7t. Ray Commisso, Toronto, ProCare Rx ’68 Camaro 281
7t. Melanie Troxel, Duluth, Ga., RoadRage.com ’53 Corvette (1) 281
9. Brad Personett, Elkhart, Ind., ProCare Rx ’68 Camaro 263
10. Mike Janis, Lancaster, N.Y., ’10 Ford Mustang 256
