With one race down for DSR, Troxel set for Seattle
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 14 of 23 CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals Pacific Raceways Kent, Wash. Race Dates: July 22-24, 2005 KENT, Wash. (July 20, 2005) - Melanie Troxel finally has the opportunity to settle down and settle in to her new position at Don Schumacher Racing driving the Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels Top Fuel dragster, following her hectic schedule at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway last weekend. Troxel's new team was hustled into place in a matter of days, with crew chief Richard Hogan and team owner Don Schumacher taking the lead to get the effort in place for Troxel's re-debut with DSR at her hometown race. After a short networking stint with new crew, tuner and car, Troxel qualified 10th and was off to a good start in first round of eliminations before losing traction and the round. The 32-year-old Denver native is now ready to go more than one step further at this weekend's CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways, where she won her first national event, in an Alcohol dragster in 1999. "We certainly wanted to go out and be competitive in Denver, but not knowing really what we were going in there with, it was hard to know for sure what we were facing," she said. "But now that I've had several passes in the car, and we've had a chance to sort out all the new equipment and parts on the car, we have a pretty high confidence level that we can be competitive. "We did find something on the car Sunday that we think was causing us some problems in Denver, so I'm very hopeful that once we get that sorted out we'll see a big improvement in the performance of the car. "Seattle is one of my favorite tracks. I won my first national event here in Alcohol dragster and I've won here on a divisional level also. The track has been really good to me. I've raced here quite bit, and that's another reason why I'm excited about racing here. I haven't raced here in Top Fuel before, so that will be a new experience." Troxel is just beginning to adjust to the nine-car DSR team, the largest in NHRA history. "Everything has been great. We were so busy in Denver with the new Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels car and all the extra media attention I was getting at my hometown track and debuting a new car, that we really didn't have a chance to spend much time with the rest of the team. We're hoping to settle into a more normal speed in Seattle and hopefully get to know everybody better on the team." SCHEDULE: On Friday, July 22, pro qualifying sessions are at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, July 23, pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. (Pro Stock), noon (TF, FC); and 3 p.m. (all classes). On Sunday, July 24, pre-race ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: On Saturday, July 23, ESPN HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 8 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, July 24, ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 9 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, July 24, ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute magazine show at 11:30 a.m. (ET). MELANIE TROXEL QUICK FACTS: * 32 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) * Runner-up finish best Top Fuel result, in 2000 * Drove limited schedule for Don Schumacher Racing in 2000, her first year in Top Fuel * Runner-up in Alcohol Dragster points in 1999 * Ran limited Top Fuel schedule in 2002 and 2003