TUCSON, Ariz. (March 20, 2012)
– For any driver, having an opportunity to race at the national level
in front of thousands of screaming fans at your home track is more than a
dream come true.
Just ask some of the competitors on the Nitro Jam tour.
Predominantly
an east coast based racing league, the addition of some western
facilities to the schedule over the past few years has allowed teams
that normally wouldn't see home an opportunity to be featured on the big
stage and race in front of their local fans. And that couldn't be more
true than with the Arizona Nitro Jam this Friday and Saturday at
Southwestern International Raceway.
Ron Maroney returns to pilot his own Fuel Altered in 2012, the aptly named "Blind Faith"
Among
the nearly two dozen nitro machines set to take to the track this
weekend at SIR are two of the biggest names in the sport and they both
hail from great state of Arizona. Mike Savage, from Tucson, is the pilot
of the famous "Candies and Hughes" AMSOIL Prostalgia™ Nitro Funny Car
and Ron Maroney, from Chandler, is the defending Fuel Altered World
Champion and driver of the "Blind Faith" entry and both are thrilled to
hit the track this weekend and get their season off on the right foot.
"SIR
is the best track in Arizona and it is the track I like to call home,"
Maroney said. "And it will certainly feel good to return home to compete
in front of these incredible fans later this week. Southwestern
International Raceway will be rocking when Nitro Jam brings in the most
diverse nitro show in the country including our crazy Fuel Altered
class. Fans haven't seen anything until they see a Fuel Altered wiggle
down the track at speeds over 200 miles per hour."
Maroney
is the defending series champion in the Fuel Altered class, driving
"Nanook" to the 2011 crown over Jason Richey in "Pure Hell" and will
look to repeat this season behind the wheel of a new car. This season
Maroney will leave behind the ride he took to a championship last year
and return to his own Fuel Altered, the aptly named "Blind Faith" ride.
The "Candies and Hughes" team is based in Tucson, a short drive from SIR
"The
car I will be driving this year is actually my own car. I drove the
'Nanook' last year when they need a driver to help fill-in," Maroney
said. "I mean, I grew up watching that car dominate the drag racing
scene and to get a chance to take that car to the championship was a
dream come true. Now Kyle (Hough) will be taking over the 'Nanook' and I
will return to my own car and hopefully we can duplicate the success we
had last year."
The
other driver looking to make some noise this weekend at Southwestern
International Raceway is Mike Savage in the "Candies and Hughes" Funny
Car. Savage and the "Candies and Hughes" team are based in Tucson and
will make the short drive down the road this weekend to take one three
of the best Funny Car pilots in the country.
"The
'Candies and Hughes' crew has been hard at work putting together a new
engine combination for this season," said team owner Jim Broome. "The
old 500 cubic inch combination was good for 10 years, but the cars in
this class are going faster and faster each year. Our original 2005
record was in the low six second range. Teens wouldn't even get you in
most shows today.
"This
year we are looking at a much smaller cubic inch engine that will live
at 10,000 RPM. We have a great team that includes Jim and Jimmy Basko,
Ray Randazzo, Kenton Greth, Mike Meitzner and of course Mike (Savage)
who will be returning for his tenth year behind the wheel. We can't wait
to get the season started."
Last
year Savage competed in a handful of Nitro Jam events, visiting his one
and only final round in Tucson last year. This season Savage and the
team will once again return to Tucson and a few additional events
against the likes of defending series champion Peter Gallen in the
"Poverty Stricken" machine, James Day in "War Eagle" and Tim Boychuk in
the "Troy Lee Designs" Pontiac.
"We
really look forward to seeing some new tracks and meeting new fans
along the way," Broome said. "This should be a very exciting year with
the quality of the cars participating."
The
Arizona Nitro Jam will take place this Friday and Saturday at
Southwestern International Raceway in Tucson. Adult tickets are just $20
if purchased in advance and includes a pass to the FanFest Pit Party.
For more information on the event visit www.nitrojam.com for complete
details.
