Toliver excited to race in front of hometown fans
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2008 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 1 of 24 CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals Auto Club Raceway Pomona, Calif. Feb. 7-10, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net Bill Walters, 561-964-2195; cell 561-632-5713; plus320@aol.com TOLIVER EXCITED TO RACE IN FRONT OF HOMETOWN FANS POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2008) Jerry Toliver was born and raised in Southern California, the birthplace of drag racing and the home of this weekend's NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series annual season-opener, the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. As the nephew of NHRA pioneers Art and Jack Chrisman, the driver of the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing this new season was born with drag racing in his blood. "I'm extremely excited about the 2008 season," said Toliver, as he prepared for his fifth full season on the NHRA tour. "It's a brand-new team and a brand-new start. This is Rockstar Energy Drink's second year in the NHRA and teaming up with Don Schumacher Racing gives us a huge advantage over where we were last year as a single-car team. "(Crew chief) Phil Shuler and all the DSR guys have really been great. They've embraced me and made me feel comfortable. When you have guys who work together with a common goal and have a good working relationship, it is a big part of the battle. I was very fortunate to have been able to join this team." Toliver tested the Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T at the National Time Trials in Phoenix and was pleased with the results as he adapted to his new ride. "We worked very hard during testing and it went well," he said. "This team is very serious and they're extremely good at what they do. I've got a lot of confidence in them. It was a new car and a brand-new seat for me. It wasn't the same car I was used to driving. Things were in different places, and it took a few laps to shake it down and get comfortable with that. "The Dodge Charger R/T is a different car to see out of compared to all the other cars I've ever driven," Toliver explained. "You sit very far back and the sight lines are different. We made quite a few laps with a lot of scheduled shut-offs. I think we're looking very good going into Pomona." "I love Pomona," said Toliver, who has three national-event wins here. "It's a great race track and I've been extremely fortunate here. I've won the Winternationals twice, once in 2000 and again in 2004, and I won again at the Finals in 1999. We'll have a lot of friends and family here cheering us on." As part of DSR, Toliver will benefit from working with multiple cars and crew chiefs as he seeks to return to the winner's circle, and his expectations are high for the new season. "We've got a top-notch group at DSR with these four Funny Cars," Toliver said. "We have every opportunity and resource available to us. We're going to run to make the Countdown and then race for the championship," he added. "That's our goal. We'll try to win a couple of races along the way and stay in the top half of the field and keep that momentum going all season." JERRY TOLIVER QUICK FACTS: *Joined Don Schumacher racing for the 2008 season *19th in 2007 Funny Car point standings after running limited schedule (19 races) *Returned to Funny Car competition in 2007 after two-year hiatus with new sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink *Qualified in the top half of the field twice last season; had top speed of the event in Denver *Made Funny Car debut in 1998 running 12 races with sponsorship from MAD Magazine *Expanded to two-car team in 1999 with Jim Epler *Earned first Funny Car national event win over John Force at 1999 NHRA Finals at Pomona *First Top-10 season finish in 1999 (8th) *Finished career-high No. 3 in Funny Car points in 2000 with career-bests of three wins in seven final rounds *Named Car Craft Magazine "Person of the Year" in 2000 for his contributions to drag racing *Debuted WWF Get R.E.A.L (Respect, Education, Achievement, Leadership) National Youth Education Program in 2001 *Won five races in 10 career final rounds as driver *Has won seven races in 14 final rounds as a team owner. *Nephew of drag racing pioneers and Hall of Fame members, Art and Jack Chrisman WEEKEND SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 7-8. Qualifying continues at noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9 and final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10. ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise qualifying highlights at 8 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Feb. 9. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Raceday, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 10. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise the race beginning at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 10. ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. ***