Melanie Troxel Wins NHRA Funny Car Race at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn., Melanie Troxel completed an incredible turnaround Sunday at Bristol Dragway, winning her first Funny Car round and adding three more in succession to win the Thunder Valley Nationals in a stunning performance during a wet, wild and long day. She drove the Gotham City Racing ProCare Rx Dodge Charger R/T to wins over defending Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon, Ashley Force, Jim Head and fellow category rookie driver Mike Neff in the title round. The milestone was the fifth victory of her career, including four in Top Fuel. Troxel is the 14th NHRA driver to record wins in both Top Fuel and Funny Car and the first woman to do so. Her husband, Tommy Johnson Jr., also has wins in both categories. And, she became the second woman to win in Funny Car, two races after Ashley Force. Troxel, who qualified for four of her first eight races this year, looked comfortable driving the car on each run. She was in control when the car was moving around in the first two rounds and then she showed she could finesse it by pedaling the throttle in the semifinal and final rounds. The team had struggled early in the season but began getting more in sync two weeks ago at St. Louis and that carried over to this race. With crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald calling the tuning shots, Troxel took care of the rest. She wasn’t bothered when Neff’s car experienced starting-line difficulties and when her car shook the tires, she pedaled it and overhauled Neff as his car’s engine expired. The winning time was 5.066 seconds at 310.27 mph to 6.471 at 146.21 mph. “You just try to keep your cool when he was having problems,�?? she said. “ The only thing that crossed my mind at the time was that I don’t want to win this way. I didn’t want them to shut him off. I was glad we were both able to get up there and run.�?? She didn’t get frustrated, either, when intermittent rain earlier in the day played havoc with eliminations. “It was crazy out there,�?? Troxel said after she and Pedregon twice did burn outs only to be shut off by rain. “I think I was in the car five times and did three burnouts�?? before she was able to make the first run. “I’ve never seen anything like that happen before.�?? By the numbers, Troxel defeated Pedregon, 4.816 to 4.827; Ashley Force, 4.820 to 4.863; Jim Head, 5.639 to 29.548 in the semifinals. The team returns to competition in Topeka, May 30-June 1. For more information about Gotham City Racing, visit the team website: www.GothamCityRacing.com Gotham City Racing is sponsored by: * ProCare Rx – www.procarerx.com * Lend America - www.lendamerica.com * MOPAR – www.mopar.com * The Hyperbaric Therapy Center - www.hypertc.com * MAC Tools – www.mactools.com * A & R Transport – www.artransport.com * Goodridge – www.goodridge.net * Goodyear – www.racegoodyear.com * Oakley - www.oakley.com About ProCare Rx: Roger and Barbara Burgess founded ProCare Rx in 1988 to provide prescription drug claims processing, clinical services and support for any organization that provides a Prescription Drug Benefit to its employees or members. Clients include self-insured businesses, unions, hospices, worker compensation plans, local and county governments, health maintenance organizations, associations and other insurance plans. Today, after almost 20 years in business, ProCare Rx is one of the largest privately held Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) and administrators in the United States, experiencing 19 straight years of continual growth. The company works with pharmacies and prescription drug manufacturers to ensure that clients save money while managing the health of their members thru the application of innovative technologies and population health services directed to all members, with focus on those with chronic conditions. For more information, visit the company web site at www.procarerx.com. About Lend America: Lend America, a National Mortgage Banking Organization and one of New York's largest privately owned direct lenders, has proudly served the residential mortgage marketplace for more than 20 years. The company is one of the most successful direct-to-consumer lenders in the United States and is the region's largest and most well known FHA direct lender. Lend America is also the originator of the successful nationwide broadcast-television educational seminar program titled "The Mortgage Loan Network." Lend America offers a wide range of home purchase and refinance programs to meet their clients' individual requirements. Lend America employs approximately 650 employees and is headquartered in Melville, New York. For more information, visit the company web site at www.lendamerica.com. Gotham City Racing supports Autism Awareness through their support of the Hyperbaric Therapy Center. A 2007 Centers for Disease Control report found that 1 in 150 children in America today have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and an estimated 1.5 million Americans and their families are now affected. Autism is a national health crisis, and Gotham City Racing is working to help educate the public about ways they can get involved. Visit the Heal Autism Now website for more information about how you can get involved: www.healautismnow.org **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)