ROUSH-McCLENAGHAN BECOMES FIRST FEMALE TO WIN SUPER BOWL OF STREET LEGAL DRAG RACING

For Immediate Release
 
ROUSH-McCLENAGHAN BECOMES FIRST FEMALE TO WIN SUPER BOWL OF STREET
LEGAL DRAG RACING
 
ROUSH®/Valvoline Post-Race Report – NMRA/NMCA Drag Racing Series @
Route 66 Raceway
 
JOLIET, Ill. (July 22, 2009) – Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois was
the scene of an excellent performance by the ROUSH® Drag Racing Team
this past weekend, and especially that of Susan Roush-McClenaghan who
became the first female to not only compete in, but win the NMRA/NMCA
Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing. 
 
In the NMCA, Susan Roush-McClenaghan races in the McLeod Open Comp
class, typically in the same car that she utilizes in NMRA competition.
But since the organization has a rule that the same car cannot be used
to compete in both series’ at this event because of the competitive
advantage it would give, Susan was piloting the 2003 Mustang that
SheDevil Motorsports campaigns on occasion. In a tough field of 25
competitors, Susan landed in the ninth position on the qualifying ladder
with a .047 reaction time after the two sessions were complete. Her
first opponent was Missouri’s Patrick Nothdurft, who ended the race
before it even started, carding a -.026 reaction time and moving Susan
on to the second round of competition. 
 
Dave Davis and his ’31 Hemi-powered Ford were next up, and Susan earned
nearly a one tenth-advantage at the starting line, allowing her to ease
into the stripe and take the win at the top end, running an 11.78 on her
11.70 dial. In the third round, Susan met up with Mike Roup; while he
uncorked a .014 reaction time, Susan was hot on his heels with a .018
light of her own. At the top end, Susan pushed just hard enough to force
Roup to break out, running an 11.09 on his 11.13 dial, while Susan
turned in an 11.73 on her 11.70 number. In the fourth round of action,
Susan found herself paired up with Indiana’s Clarence Harding and his
nine-second ’69 Chevelle. After seeing Susan’s prior-round performance,
Harding knew he’d have to be on his game, and he pushed too hard on the
starting line with a -.005 reaction time, moving Susan to the semifinal
round, where she’d find class stalwart Chuck Hockenberry waiting for
her. Hockenberry also turned himself inside-out on the starting line, a
-.002 reaction time ending the race before it started and sending Susan
on to the final round. 
 
In the finals, she’d meet up with Jacksonville, Florida’s Joe Parisi,
who found himself a victim of the same circumstance with a -.004
reaction time ending the race before it even got started and handing
Susan her first win of the season in this class. After her Open Comp win
was complete, Susan had the opportunity to compete in the NMRA/NMCA
Shootout portion of the event, where she would face off against the
NMRA’s Open Comp winner, fellow Michigan resident Paul Leaman. Yet
again, Susan turned up the wick on Paul and took home the win, making
her the very first female Super Bowl winner after seven rounds of
competition during an incredibly exciting weekend.
 
Team patriarch Don Bowles races in the NMRA Edelbrock Hot Street class
which features cutting-edge small-block Ford engines that race on a
small 28x10.5 tire. Don debuted a gorgeous yellow Maverick chassis
earlier this season, and the team installed a brand-new engine just
prior to this race. Don qualified fifth with an 8.81, and the team
prepared for eliminations, which began on Saturday night. In the first
round, Bowles had to face off against fellow ROUSHCompetition Engines
customer Robbie Blankenship. Don got out of the gates first with a .093
reaction time on the .400 Pro Tree, and at the top end he would earn the
win as Blankenship couldn’t get it done. The second round found him at
the line opposite Max Gross; though Gross got out of the gates early,
Don’s newfound engine made enough power to pull him through on the top
end with an 8.65 to Gross’ 8.77. 
 
This sent Don on to the final round against three-time class Champion
Charlie Booze Jr. When the lights came down, Booze took a slight
holeshot lead as the pair powered out of the gates. Bowles fought a
wheelstand, getting slightly out of the groove at the 60-foot mark, and
handing Booze just enough of a window to take the win at the stripe,
8.64 to Bowles’ 8.68, giving Don the runner-up finish and moving him
ahead of Max Gross to second in the season point standings.
 
ROUSHPerformance sponsors the Modular Muscle class in the NMRA, and
both Susan and Donnie Bowles line up against some of the best
competition in the country in this Open-Comp style eliminator class.
Susan qualified fifth with a .024 reaction time, while Donnie had a .053
reaction time to sit in tenth out of 27 competitors, once the qualifying
sessions were complete. 
 
In the first round of competition, Susan faced off against Jeff
Stafford, a wickedly-consistent Modular Muscle racer who finished sixth
in points last season. The pair left the starting line with almost
identical reaction times, Stafford’s .050 bettering Susan by .001, but
at the top end of the track, Stafford broke out, handing Susan the win
and moving her to the next round of competition. There she’d face off
against Ontario’s Randy Mounce, who also fell victim to the SheDevil
Motorsports machine of Susan, breaking out just a hair through the traps
and moving Susan to round three, where she’d face Scot Mistro. When the
tree dropped, Mistro got out first with a .036 reaction time, forcing
Susan to press him at the top end and causing her to break out, running
.02 under her dial and ending her weekend in this class. 
 
Donnie’s first round found him racing against Tony Lindahl, and Donnie
earned an easy win when Lindahl slept on the tree with a .794 reaction
time, making the move to round two an easy one. There, Donnie would come
up against Tennessee’s Shane Williams, a consistent racer who has won
multiple championships in this racing format. Williams got out of the
gates first with a .019 reaction time, but Donnie was hot on his heels
with a .021 leave. At the top end, Donnie stayed into it just a hair too
long, breaking out with a 9.55 on his 9.56 dial and ending his weekend.
 
The ROUSH® Drag Team carries sponsorship from 3M, Valvoline, Mickey
Thompson and ROUSH. The next event on the NMRA schedule will take place
August 6-9 at ZMax Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 
Based in Livonia, Mich., “The Art of Performance Engineering�?? takes
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Inc., or its related entities. 
# # #
 
Note to Editors: A digital image of the ROUSH® Drag Racing Team in the
winner’s circle is attached and named SusanSuperBowl.jpg. 
 
For More Information:
John Clark
Communications Manager
ROUSH Performance Products
(734) 466-6217 – Direct
(734) 812-4235 – Cell
john.clark@roush.com