NHRA - Final Top Fuel Race for Troxel

FINAL TOP FUEL RACE FOR TROXEL POMONA, Calif. (Oct. 31) – The 43rd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona will be the site of Melanie Troxel’s last Top Fuel race in a career that has spanned since 2000 and encompassed 82 starts with four victories out of 15 final rounds, but leaving Pomona, she would like that record to read 5 wins in 16 final rounds before departing onward to the NHRA Funny Car division next season. “That would be the ultimate way to go out on top in my last race in Top Fuel,” said Troxel. “As a team, that is something we would really enjoy to be able to finish our season and our time together. As many of you know, I’m moving over to Evan Knoll’s Funny Car team and our present team will be going on with a different driver. I’m excited for them because I know how incredible this car is running. This is a serious championship contending team. I’m honored to be a part of the team and really enjoyed working with this group of guys.

When she was recently asked if there was a particular highlight during her tenure behind the wheel of a rail, she stated ‘all of it’ while she reminisced over her seven-year career.

“I was 15 or 16 years old when I really decided in trying to make a living at this, but that dream seemed so far away,” said the driver of the Forrest Lucas-owned dragster. “You work so hard to have those opportunities and then at some point you have to step back and go ‘wow’. I try to remind myself of that every once in a while to stop and take a look back at the dream that I set for myself so many years ago. It’s been an unbelievable honor to race in Top Fuel as a profession and to work with some of the people and the teams that I have. Hopefully, I’ll be moving on to have a great career in Funny Car, but there will always be a soft spot in my heart for Top Fuel.” Last year she played a pivotal role in the POWERade championship taking her then teammate, Tony Schumacher’s main rival, Doug Kalitta out of contention by defeating him on a hole-shot in the semi-finals setting up a scenario unlike has ever been seen or unlikely to be witnessed again.

“That was an incredible race all together – so many things had to fall just perfectly in the right place for Schumacher to win that race,” she said. We were a part of that equation and that’s what teammates are supposed to do and we helped him get that championship.

We’re in position again this year to be a ‘spoiler’. As much as I don’t like being the spoiler and don’t want to have an influence on how the championship turns out; we sure would like to go out there and show them how to get it done for the last race of the year.”

The start of the 43rd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals begins at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona on Thursday, Nov. 1 with a lone nitro qualifying session starting at 2:30 p.m. (PDT). That will follow the same schedule on Friday, Nov. 2 with another pro session also at 2:30 p.m. Saturday's time trials start at 12:00 p.m. for the nitro classes followed by a second session at 3:30 p.m. The race starts promptly at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4 (PST). www.torcoracefuels.com

TORCO RACING DRIVER NOTES: Melanie Troxel has four Top Fuel victories (07, Memphis, 07 St. Louis, 06 Pomona1 and 06 Las Vegas1) after 14 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.

AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS TELEVISION ADVISORY (ALL TIMES EASTERN – ALL PROGRAMS ON ESPN2 HD)

QUALIFYING HIGHLIGHTS Saturday, November 3 10:00 P.M. – 12:00 P.M.

NHRA RACE DAY Sunday, November 4 11:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.

FINAL ROUND COVERAGE Sunday, November 4 7:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M.

Encore Performance Friday, November 9 4:00 A.M. – 6:00 A.M

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