Troxel No. 12 in rain-shortened Chicago qualifying

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 10 of 23
CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals
Route 66 Raceway
Joliet, Ill.
Race Date: June 9-11, 2006

JOLIET, Ill. (June 10, 2006) - Melanie Troxel waited through a long rain
delay to finally make it into the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel
field at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway today.

The Top Fuel points leader claimed the No. 12 position in the Skull
Shine/Torco Race Fuels Top Fuel dragster with her pass in the third and
final qualifying session, a 4.555-second elapsed time at 308.50 mph.

After her first two attempts - a tire-shaking 11.255/76.97 and a
4.797/229.00, in which she shut off early - Troxel was not qualified last
night. Rain showers delayed the start of today's sessions, and after taking
nearly four hours to complete the third Top Fuel round, NHRA cancelled the
final session.

"You hate being in that position when you know there's bad weather coming
in," said Troxel, "but it happens occasionally and we just kept a good eye
on the forecast last night and the radar hoping that it was going to move
through. We got fortunate enough to have a window just big enough to get out
there and run.

"We're in the field and that's the important thing. We'll go out there and
give it our best shot tomorrow."

On waiting in the rain to run: "I was pretty sure that we were going to get
that session in, that eventually we would have an opportunity to do that,
but when it keeps drizzling on you and drizzling on you, just enough that
you can't go out there and race, it gets a little frustrating. It really
kind of wears you out, that anticipation to get out there.

"We're all pretty happy to have gotten that session in and that the car went
down the race track. Now we can take a big exhale and relax."

Troxel faces David Grubnic in first round of eliminations on Sunday.

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