BUSY WEEK AHEAD FOR MELANIE TROXEL AS TEAM PREPARES FOR TOPEKA AND BEYOND

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 17) – There is about 900 miles of road between Atlanta Dragway and Heartland Park Topeka, site of this weekend’s NHRA Summer Nationals, but Melanie Troxel, driver of the ProCare Rx Toyota Funny Car will be taking the long way around.

“We’re going to pack a lot of stuff into this week before we get to Topeka,” Troxel said. “But all signs point to good things to come.”

Following a couple of Pro Mod test days in Atlanta, Troxel’s first stop will be Circle City — Indianapolis.

“We’re going to the John Force Racing shop so I can be fitted for a new chassis,” Troxel said. “We’re hoping to have it delivered in a couple of weeks. I still think there’s a lot of progress we can make with the chassis we have, but we should have a new three-rail chassis by Englishtown.

“We may do some R&D work with it before we bring it out to the track. I’m not real sure at this point. Either way, the hope is it will be better for us and lead to improved results.”

Next stop will be a Thursday trek to California.

“I’m going out there to play in the In-N-Out Burger Foundation Children’s Benefit Golf Tournament,” Troxel said. “Then we’ll turn right around and head to Topeka so we’ll be ready to race on Friday afternoon. It’s going to be a busy few days, but there’s lots to get done.”

Troxel put her ProCare Rx Toyota in the Funny Car field for the first time all season last weekend at the Southern Nationals. She said the accomplishment shows the determination R2B2 Racing has from team owner Roger Burgess all the way down to the newest crew member.

“Roger is a very successful businessman and he applies the principals that helped him succeed in the business world to the race team,” Troxel said. “It’s not always easy, but he’s done what it takes to make this team successful. And no one is going to stop until we become successful.

“The most satisfying thing to me has been the attitude of the crew guys. Despite our recent performances, they’ve never wavered in their commitment to our goals. There’s been no inner turmoil. Everyone is just working as hard as they can to get this car running well.”

Qualifying for the 23rd annual NHRA Summer Nationals gets underway at 5 p.m. CST on Friday at Heartland Park Topeka. Qualifying continues Saturday at 11 a.m. with eliminations starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday. ESPN2 will air its qualifying show at 5:30 p.m. EDT Saturday and eliminations will air starting at 7 p.m. Sunday.

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Contact: Geiger Media at 832-971-9345 or rob@go2geiger.com.