Shane Gray excited about future after semifinal finish in Topeka
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact: Rob Geiger (832) 971-9345 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shane Gray excited about future after semifinal finish in Topeka ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TOPEKA, Kan. (May 22) -- Valvoline/Nova Services Pro Stock driver Shane Gray was all smiles after the NHRA Kansas Nationals on Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka. The four-time Pro Stock winner wasn't happy he lost in the semifinals, of course, but he was more than pleased with the performance of his Gray Motorsports team -- led by co-crew chiefs Jim Yates and Dave Connolly -- in Topeka. "The car is running great," Gray said. "I'm so happy with all the guys, happy with the Gas Monkey team, happy with everything we've got going on. The car is good, our customers are happy, so life is good." Gray's performance also helped him inch closer to ending the domination of KB Racing this season, which won on Sunday for the eighth time in eight races in 2016. Gray's Camaro was within six-thousandths of a second of the quickest cars -- those of Jason Line and Greg Anderson -- on race day, giving him hope for the future. Gray's first pass of 6.653 seconds at 207.91 mph dispatched five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. and was the third-quickest run of the opening round, .006-second off Line's top run. In the second round against Alex Laughlin, whose car is powered by a Gray Motorsports engine, Gray made a pass of 6.664 seconds at 207.15 mph that was .006-second off the best run of the round. Gray then had a shot at Line in the semifinals, but an unfortunate accident by Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson likely ruined Gray's chances. Wilkerson's car broke an oil line and crashed just past the Christmas Tree, hitting the wall in the left lane and leaving a pool of oil that the NHRA Safety Safari had to clean. The next pair of Funny Cars swapped lanes, with Courtney Force being moved to the left lane. She then smoked the tires and lost. Line was lined up in the left lane but changed at the last moment, putting Gray in the left lane. "I thought we might've had something for him until the accident happened," Gray said. "I saw the last pair of Funny Cars swap lanes, and the team who had the left lane lost. Then Jason swapped lanes on me, so I pretty well figured we'd have some problems." Gray's car didn't make a full pass, rattling the tires in a 7.725-second run at 135.16 mph while Line sped to the final with a run of 6.670 seconds at 207.43 mph. And while Gray was pleased with his race car, he wasn't happy with his driving Sunday. "I need to sharpen up my driving," Gray said. "I'm not pleased with that, but I just need to do it and not talk about it. That's just one of them deals. But the main thing is we've got a fast race car that's getting better. I look forward to the next few races, for sure." Valvoline/Nova Services Pro Stock driver Shane Gray was all smiles after reaching the semifinals of the NHRA Kansas Nationals on Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --30-- Visit GrayMotorsports.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Fs7LKJiLuD8wvsIe2VE6yCU5o4AS-_PL4DFtIpks6FIezgJI4qqyD6-pmYHbVvfQsHSGxnqFt0f3lF_K0zRhmhyY2ZynY1QAv641Qc0YQt4UyZKEH5AeYsOgl9RqEWXPh5X1yIXitnD5d6W7FXm_Uj_Sg904nT6QjOasF8wvqd-UWEzRWQTPnA==&c=Eud-dldHRO37pHGwnZoo8dd4TMsv8tV1mcO8CmCRXvSyCgwkPeWjUQ==&ch=NINwxVMenrzHSKpc7LON6gUdda21aEE-BIJbcc_tB5-1gbhPJhaVSA==], Valvoline.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Fs7LKJiLuD8wvsIe2VE6yCU5o4AS-_PL4DFtIpks6FIezgJI4qqyD09xtcOwv_CSS-pclq8HHk3k-qV5ozcK6Sd_ZMggXLvTrls5KcWi27CFrWKGnVEKbB34OPD-QVR6fZ9v73irIHv5wSsTKHqQeK2N-EaDIqHAjmsJ4a2vxgM=&c=Eud-dldHRO37pHGwnZoo8dd4TMsv8tV1mcO8CmCRXvSyCgwkPeWjUQ==&ch=NINwxVMenrzHSKpc7LON6gUdda21aEE-BIJbcc_tB5-1gbhPJhaVSA==], NovaMud.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Fs7LKJiLuD8wvsIe2VE6yCU5o4AS-_PL4DFtIpks6FIezgJI4qqyD09xtcOwv_CSBq1jAUIowN-2uLocjHRcB_VMslXgDLgi3qCxvzA7GzYGRf5Rt63iV4H_f6v0e7Ms8ED4kjhfmq2Ok7JnF2qu_1CA3uQcINN60Kz_V6G2tOE=&c=Eud-dldHRO37pHGwnZoo8dd4TMsv8tV1mcO8CmCRXvSyCgwkPeWjUQ==&ch=NINwxVMenrzHSKpc7LON6gUdda21aEE-BIJbcc_tB5-1gbhPJhaVSA==], and GeigerMediaGlobal.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Fs7LKJiLuD8wvsIe2VE6yCU5o4AS-_PL4DFtIpks6FIezgJI4qqyD4GmLjBjYftk7OzVbOnU8oUYXM6eTtzoJ84KLvFgoZGv0kGwoz3-uw7uF8cei7kdXaLV0EhFBXwclJwcKmWgo79aAiPxQdTqsOae3yz7ls4LTLowXLGWszUVrOkXqIz6CQ==&c=Eud-dldHRO37pHGwnZoo8dd4TMsv8tV1mcO8CmCRXvSyCgwkPeWjUQ==&ch=NINwxVMenrzHSKpc7LON6gUdda21aEE-BIJbcc_tB5-1gbhPJhaVSA==] for more info. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward this email http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=uiezvfkab&m=1110439661844&ea=$submit@theautochannel.com$&a=1124791863588 This email was sent to submit@theautochannel.com by rob@geigermediaglobal.com. 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