Troxel nabs her second No. 2 in Pomona qualifying

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 23 of 23
AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NHRA FINALS
Pomona (Calif.) Raceway
Nov. 3-6, 2005



POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 5, 2005) - Melanie Troxel claimed her second No. 2 Top
fuel qualifying spot of the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season,
marking the first time she and her Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tony
Schumacher have qualified one-two.

Troxel posted three stout runs in three days in the Skull Gear/Torco Race
Fuels dragster, including an opening 4.534-second run at 326.63 mph, a
4.508/307.58 in the third session, and finally a stunning 4.473-second ET at
329.83 mph in the last attempt.

Despite the outstanding run, Troxel showed a bit of disappointment at not
qualifying No. 1.

"This is the last race of the year and our last shot to go out and do
something great to end the season," she said. "It would've been really nice
to have that No. 1 spot, especially for everybody at Skull Gear and Torco
Race Fuels.

"But we're certainly happy with the No. 2 and that means Tony and I don't
have to face each other in eliminations, theoretically, until the final
round. And that's always a consideration with your teammate, especially when
your teammate is as tough as Tony Schumacher.

"We were trying to run just a little bit quicker than that. It was a great
run. Not quite what we expected , I think, from the clutch department. That
was off a little bit, and that probably made the difference.

"We can't be unhappy with a pass like that. It made the difference between
qualifying 1 and 2, but the fact that we're getting down the track in
conditions that will be similar to what it's going to be like tomorrow is
the most important thing.

"We feel like we have a good race car and a good shot at winning the race."

Troxel faces Doug Foley in first round of eliminations on Sunday.