Top Fuel points leader Troxel focused on keeping her dream season alive

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 11 of 23
K&N Filters SuperNationals
Old Bridge Township Raceway
Englishtown, N.J.
Race Date: June 16-18, 2006

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 14, 2006) - The 23-event 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series is nearly at the halfway point, and Top Fuel points leader
Melanie Troxel, who has led from the very first event this year, knows she
needs to keep up the momentum if she's to win her first Top Fuel
championship.

Troxel has reached the final round in seven of the 10 events so far, winning
twice driving the Skull Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels Top Fuel dragster
for Don Schumacher Racing in her first full season in the class, but she's
looking over her shoulder at Doug Kalitta, who is closing in.

The team's performance at this weekend's K&N Filters SuperNationals in
Englishtown, N.J., is critical to Troxel's quest. Only 71 points separate
her from Kalitta (she has led by as many as 156 points this year), and
Troxel is determined to snap Kalitta's streak of four wins in the last five
races.

Troxel has two round wins over Kalitta since she returned to Top Fuel
competition with Don Schumacher Racing in Denver last year, and she's
looking to add to that record. She wasn't able to do that in last weekend's
final round, however, when Kalitta won after she was disqualified for
crossing the centerline when the car made a bizarre move to the left at the
launch. En route to the final, however, she put together a stellar string of
successively-quicker rounds.

"Well, I think we accomplished what we needed to last weekend as far as
stepping up our program," she said. "We just didn't quite get the job done
in the final round.

"There were a lot of indications that we're back to running like we had been
earlier in the year (where she became the first Top Fuel driver to reach the
first five final rounds of a season)," she said. "The Skull Shine dragster
ran great. We're still not quite sure what happened in the final round, but
up until that point the car was consistent, went down the track, and picked
up a little bit each round. We just didn't come away with the win.

"We need to continue on that kind of pace to step up our program and if
we're fortunate enough that Doug Kalitta doesn't make it to the final then
we need to capitalize on that and gain some points. And if we're fortunate
enough to make it the final and meet him there, then we need to come away
with that win.

"He's chipping away at our lead. This is that tough time of year. The
three-race swing can go so fast and make a huge change in the points (the
St. Louis race follows next weekend after consecutive events in Chicago and
Englishtown, N.J.). That was a good step, making it to the final round last
weekend. We just need to keep up that momentum."

Did she ever expect to be in the lead at this point of the season? "The goal
was to win two races by the halfway point," she explained, "and we've
accomplished that. I wanted to have a legitimate shot at the championship,
and we're definitely ahead of schedule.

"We've been leading the points the entire year and we need to keep at it.
There's absolutely no room to relax and enjoy our success. It's going to be
tougher than ever. Obviously, Kalitta's team has a lot of momentum right now
and we need to keep pace with them if not break their momentum all
together."

MELANIE TROXEL QUICK FACTS:
* Top Fuel points leader by 71 points after Pomona and Las Vegas wins and
runner-up finishes in Phoenix, Gainesville, Fla., Houston, Atlanta and
Chicago
* First NHRA Top Fuel driver to reach the final round in the first five
events of a season
* Troxel has reached six consecutive final rounds (two wins) dating back to
final event of 2005. The string was broken at Bristol Dragway
* She has now reached seven final rounds in 10 events in 2006
* With Tony Schumacher's five straight final-round appearances to end 2005,
Don Schumacher Racing has been in 12 consecutive final rounds
* Was named the first quarter winner of 2006 Driver of the Year voting
* Won her first national Top Fuel event in Pomona, Calif., Feb. 12, 2006
* 2006 is her first full season of Top Fuel competition
* 33 years old, born Aug. 31, 1972
* Born in Littleton, Colo., lives in Avon, Ind., with husband and Funny Car
driver Tommy Johnson Jr.
* Two national event wins in Alcohol Dragster in 1999 (Seattle and Topeka)
* Has seven runner-up finishes in Top Fuel: in 2000 (Dallas 2), 2005 (Pomona
2), Phoenix 2006, Gainesville 2006, Atlanta 2006 and Chicago 2006
* She has qualified No. 2 twice so far, at Bristol Dragway in 2006 and
Heartland Park Topeka 2006. She also has two No. 2s (Dallas '05 and Pomona 2
'05)
* Drove limited schedule for Don Schumacher Racing in 2000, her first year
in Top Fuel 
* Rejoined DSR in the 13th event of 2005 (Denver)
* Runner-up in Alcohol Dragster points in 1999
* Ran limited Top Fuel schedule in 2002 and 2003
* Career quickest elapsed time in Top Fuel is 4.458 seconds, set in 2005
in Dallas
* Career fastest speed is 331.04 mph, set 5/7/06 at Atlanta Dragway
* In 2005, in 11 races, Troxel had eight round wins
* Troxel is the quickest and fastest female driver in NHRA history, after
clocking the 4.458-second pass and 330.31-mph speed in Dallas '05. She has
since upped that speed to 331.04 mph.

SCHEDULE: 
Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June
16. Qualifying continues at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 17 and
final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 18.

ON TV: 
ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying of the K&N Filters
NHRA SuperNationals at 5 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 17. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD
will televise three hours of final eliminations coverage beginning at 4 p.m.
(ET) on Sunday, June 18.