NHRA - Red-Hot Troxel Eyeing Technicoat's $100,000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jay Wells
(704) 662-3525 – Office
(704) 281-5678 – Cell
Torco.com
 
RED-HOT TROXEL EYEING TECHNICOAT’S $100,000
 
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 23) – All eyes will be on Melanie Troxel and her Vietnam Veterans team going into seventh annual ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals on the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  With only races remaining on the drag racing calendar, she’s been NHRA’s hottest driver with more round wins than any of the contenders in the Top Fuel Countdown to the Championship.  She has participated in 12 rounds of competition since Indy and title leading, Larry Dixon only 11.  If she had made the title hunt, she would be exactly 10 points away from Dixon in the revamped points standings system.
            That’s hindsight and you can’t relive the past, but that hasn’t stopped Troxel from fulfilling her thoughts of leaving the Top Fuel category with a major splash.  But before that she has her sites set on $100,000 in the Technicoat Shootout, the special Top Fuel race for the eight top qualifiers for the year.  Troxel will race Brandon Bernstein in the opening round of Saturday’s special event eliminations.
“There’s not an easy car out there,” said Troxel, who has two National event victories this season.  “You hear people say that all the time but I think it’s true now more than ever.  The Top Fuel class is tough and there are really some good cars throughout the field.  Fortunately, I feel we are one of those cars.  We can be aggressive with our tune-up on Saturday without worry of the ramifications of the points.”
Before she can race, she must qualify and two of the three potential rounds of competition will count towards qualifying in the Technicoat Shootout.  With the weather predicted to warmer than usual, Troxel has a plan.
“Our strategy is to get a good lap in on Friday, so we won’t be concerned so much about making the race,” she said.  “The track surface is very good and we know all of the Bruton Smith tracks are that way.  For my family, the track has been very nice to my husband, (Funny Car racer, Tommy Johnson, Jr.) over the years and we won the spring race last year.  It’s a great facility and everyone likes coming out there.  We historically haven’t done very well in the fall race, but I think we have a great opportunity this weekend to change that.” 
The start of the seventh annual ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals begins on the Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, Oct. 26, with two qualifying sessions starting at 2:00 p.m. (PDT) with a second session at 4:30 p.m.  Saturday's time trials will be unique with her run for the Techicoat Shootout title starting at 1:00 p.m. for the nitro classes followed by the second elimination round at 3:20 p.m.  The $100,000 money round for this special Top Fuel race runs at 4:45 p.m.  The ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals starts promptly at 11 a.m. on Sunday, October 28.  
 
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TORCO RACING DRIVER NOTES:
 
                Melanie Troxel has four Top Fuel victories (07, Memphis, 07 St. Louis, 06 Pomona1 and 06 Las Vegas1) after 15 final round appearances.  She finished fourth in the 2006 NHRA Top Fuel Point standings with 1,471 points.  She established a new NHRA record with her impressive drive into the 2006 season after racing to five consecutive final rounds, taking two wins along the way.  That led to two ESPY nominations for Best Female Athlete of the year and Driver of the year.  Honored by the Billie Jean King Sports Foundation as“2006 Sports Woman of the Year”.
Troxel’s quickest elapsed time is 4.458 seconds, set on Sept. 23, 2005 at the Texas Motorplex.  She sped to his fastest top speed of 332.51 mph on Feb. 10 in her final round of qualifying at the 2007 CarQuest Winternationals in Pomona, California.  
She has won three Technicoat low qualifier awards in her career.  Her first on May 4, 2006 at the Bristol Dragway recording a time 4.539 seconds, May 26, 2006 at Heartland Park Topeka setting the pace with her run of 4.567 seconds and at the Bandimere Speedway, her home track, on July 14, 2007 when she ran a time of 4.610 seconds.  Melanie Troxel’s first Top Fuel event came behind the wheel of the Jerry Darien-owned dragster at the 2000 AutoZone Winternationals at the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.  DOB: August 31, 1972.
 
ACDELCO LAS VEGAS NATIONALS
TELEVISION ADVISORY
(ALL TIMES EASTERN – ALL PROGRAMS ON ESPN2 HD)
 
QUALIFYING HIGHLIGHTS
Saturday, October 27
10:00 P.M. – 12:00 P.M.
 
NHRA RACE DAY
Sunday, October 28
11:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
 
FINAL ROUND COVERAGE
Sunday, October 28
7:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M.
 
Encore Performance
Wednesday, October 12
2:30 A.M. – 4:30 A.M
 
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Jay Wells
(704) 662-3525 - Office
(704) 281-5678 - Cell
Lucas Oil Racing
jaywell1@ix.netcom.com
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