RoadRage.com Driver Pruett-LeDuc > Bristol Dragway NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 15) – It’s been an anxious week since the end of the NHRA SuperNationals, but now both Leah Pruett-Leduc and the RoadRage.com Camaro are ready to participate in this weekend’s Get Screened America Pro Mod Series race at the Ford Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Even though Pruett-Leduc’s home and the R2B2 Racing shop are on opposite sides of the country, she kept close tabs on the progress on permanent repairs to the RoadRage.com Camaro following a crash into the gravel trap during the first round of eliminations in Englishtown, N.J.

“Honestly it stinks being in California while all the guys are back in Duluth (Ga.) putting the car back together,” Pruett-Leduc said. “They would send me updated pictures during the week but it’s not the same thing.

“I really have to thank Kevin Mutters and the R2B2 Motors guys for giving us a new coat of paint and of course the race team for working long hours rebuilding the car in-house.”

Pruett-Leduc hopes to repay the team in the best way possible on Sunday afternoon.

“I owe them a trip to the Winner’s Circle and plan on doing that this weekend in Bristol,” she said. “After my crazy first weekend of racing a Pro Mod, I feel confident we’ll put a good number on the board in qualifying and go some rounds on race day.”

Pruett-Leduc qualified seventh in her first effort in a Pro Mod and won a round.

“I can’t thank Roger Burgess enough for this opportunity,” she said. “I’m excited to go to Bristol and make all the hard work my crew did this past week really pay off.”

Get Screened America Pro Mod Series racing gets under way at 4:30 p.m. EDT from Bristol Dragway. Qualifying will conclude on Saturday at 1 p.m., which will be followed by the first round of eliminations, which are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. the same day. Eliminations will continue on Sunday afternoon.

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

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.

–30–

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

GEICO’s KAREN STOFFER STAYS THIRD WITH STRONG SEMIIFINAL RUN IN HOUSTON; LUCAS GOING ROUNDS

HOUSTON (May 1) – Karen Stoffer is having such a good time racing the GEICO Suzuki, it’s almost like 2010 never happened.

“It’s so much fun to ride right now,” Stoffer said. “I want to race it as much as I can every weekend. It feels like more than a whole new year, it feels like a whole new life.

“It’s a 180 degree turnaround from what was going on last year. The bike and I are in sync better than ever and I’m enjoying it immensely.”

Stoffer reached the semifinals of the 24th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals on Sunday, marking the second straight race she’s won at least two elimination rounds. It’s a far cry from her 2010 season, which saw more gnashed teeth than smiles.

“We’ve started the year with back-to-back consistent races,” Stoffer said. “We just had one issue where we had to abort one qualifying run; that’s it. We’re trying for consistency this year and we’ve accomplished it so far.”

Morgan Lucas, Stoffer’s GEICO teammate, reached the second round of Top Fuel eliminations for the first time since his victory in the season opener.

Stoffer had one of the fastest bikes on the property all weekend. She qualified No. 2 and easily beat Angie Smith in the first round before following it up with a victory over Shawn Gann.

However, Stoffer and her crew could see that the performance was slipping just a touch with each passing round.

“It’s not the direction you want to go on elimination day,” she said. “You want to get faster and faster. It bit us in the end.”

In the first round, Stoffer ran a 6.880 second pass at 196.62 mph to win by almost .2 seconds over Smith and claim low ET of the round. In the second, she ran a 6.904 at 195.73 which beat Gann’s 6.975 at 190.54 mph.

In the semifinals against eventual race winner Andrew Hines, the lag caught up to the GEICO Suzuki. Stoffer got off the line first but could only muster a 6.974 at 195.59 mph lap, which wasn’t enough to stay ahead of Hines, who ran a 6.888 at 195.70 mph.

“We still had a good, consistent bike, it was just a little off on the tuneup,” Stoffer said. “We spun the rear tire pretty hard against Andrew.

“We are still feeling good and we’re looking forward to another strong outing in Atlanta.”

Lucas had a wild ride in the GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster in his first round win over Terry McMillen before a clutch issue proved to be his undoing in against quarterfinal foe Tony Schumacher.

Lucas and McMillen were the first pair out on a track that was unpredictable at best. The pair put on a show for the fans as they smoked, pedaled and weaved their way down the track. Lucas won on the most unlikeliest of hole shots. McMillen’s 5.530 second pass at 146.93 mph was quicker than Lucas’ 5.624 at 177.56 mph, but Lucas’ .074 second reaction time was more than enough of cushion against McMillen’s .348 reaction.

“We just shook the tires loose,” Lucas said. “The track was way better than it had been all weekend. We just underestimated it a little bit.

“We learned a lot all weekend. We went down three out of four runs in qualifying, it’s testimony to the progress we made in testing.”

In the second round, Schumacher sailed down with a 3.991 second pass at 298.93 mph was too much for Lucas’ wounded dragster, which ran a 4.938 at 157.65 mph.

“Losing still stinks, but we’re happy to get that first round loss monkey off our back,” Lucas said. “We’re going to get out of here with our heads held high and look forward to our next race.”

Up next for both Lucas and Stoffer is the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals May 13-15 from Atlanta Dragway.

–30–

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

Please visit www.geicogarage.com for more information

Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria - Team Owner, Business Woman and Fierce Competitor

Track Chic meets Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria, the daughter of John Paul DeJoria, of Paul Mitchell Systems, and Patrón Tequila. Her team, Stealth Motorsports, is one of very few female team owners in NHRA.

Thanks to Darr Hawthorne and the Drag Racing Online team who had a chance to sit down with Alexis at the Las Vegas race as this businesswoman and determined racer sets out to leave her mark in drag racing.

Interview by Darr Hawthorne

When and where did you first attend a drag race, and what was it about drag racing that remains in your memory?

AD: My first drag race was at the Pomona National event. I was sixteen years old and went with a high school friend of mine, with whom I had built hot rods and raced them back in those days. We watched those nitro funny cars go down the racetrack and everybody plugging their ears, and I am questioning, “What the hell are they doing?” I watched them going down the racetrack and I remember the feeling was captivating and I wanted to do it. I had always loved racing and wanted to race, but didn’t know exactly what kind and different kinds of stuff, but it was nitro funny cars that really grabbed my attention.

What kind of hot rods were you building at that time?
AD: Chevelles, Bel Airs, mostly Chevys.


How did you get involved in that?
AD: In high school, I always gravitated to the people that had the hot rods that were racing; it was just in my blood from my dad; he used to race when he was a kid. He loved it and it just stuck with me.

Does your dad have any interest in the sport of drag racing?
AD: When he has time. He made it to about five races last year. He loves it; it’s actually his favorite auto racing sport. He’s sponsored a few different types of racing too: Indy Car Racing, NASCAR and now the American Le Mans Series, but he thinks drag racing is the most exciting; it’s his kind of sport.

What’s the first car you ever drag raced?
AD: It was a GMC Typhoon... Oh wait, are you talking about on the street? OK, it’s not cool man, but we all got our start somewhere and I was a stupid kid!

When did you first go down a dragstrip?
AD: It was in Phoenix, Arizona in a ’63 Corvette roadster that I raced in Super/Gas. That was my first competition car. My first actual run down a dragstrip was in Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School in Pomona. Jack Beckman was my teacher.

Who do you look up to in drag racing?
AD: Oh, John Force. (Laughing) I am sure everybody says that, but with everything that he’s been through, he didn’t come out and win races right away. He worked really hard at it. He’s got the kind of energy like my father and I can see the similarities between the two. I love it, I love his energy. I think he’s a great man and he’s great for the sport. He’s wild and I like that about his spirit; there should be more people out there like him.

Of course, Del Worsham. He’s been racing funny cars since he was eighteen and I always really respected him as a driver and a person, but I had a newfound respect for him after I worked with him in a nitro funny car and saw how hands-on he is. He’s a great teacher, he can tune and drive... kinda like a Mike Neff, but such an all around good guy. Those are my two favorites and I was really lucky to have both of them sign my new license.

 What are your hobbies outside of drag racing?
AD: Snowboarding, I ride dirt bikes, I like going skydiving, and I like traveling all over the country and world with my family and my daughter. I love riding beach cruisers down to the beach with my kid and hanging out at the beach, going to music concerts, and enjoying life to the fullest!

Do your peers treat you any differently because you are a woman?
AD: I don’t really notice it. Sometimes, there are little things, but not really. I worked really hard to get where I am, I have respect for these guys and it is a mutual respect.

 And they want to kick your ass... and you want to kick their asses!
AD: Yeah, yeah. We’re all buddy-buddy in the pits, but when you get up there, Nicky and I want to win (Nick Bastiao, the team’s crew chief and co-owner of Stealth Motorsports). But if either one of us don’t, we are still stoked for the other person. That’s what’s cool about sportsman racing, you are still buddy-buddy at the end of the day, somewhat. I love these guys, it’s a big family and I have a lot of respect for what they do.

Escalating costs, like travel, fuel, parts, and everything that is a part of racing in 2011, is that having on your racing at all?
AD: Yeah, fuel is huge, it is expensive. We almost didn’t go to the Gators because of how much the fuel prices have jumped, but I said that we’ve got to run Gainesville. We’ve always done really well there. We used to live there, we just moved back to California and there was no other race for us to make up, because basically the other ones would have been even further for us to attend. Costs have definitely taken a toll on everybody; when you have a tow vehicle that you drive to all the races and a big truck and trailer like this, it’s tons of fuel. But overall we’ve cut down and are just racing National events this year. What I am trying to do is win a National event this year. I have won a divisional, been to a couple of finals at a National and some semis, but I really want to focus on winning a National event. So we have pretty much cut out racing at all Divisionals, except last weekend here at Vegas, but that was really a test session for the National for us.

 Do you feel that the NHRA media gives too much attention to the Force family, to the Force women, and not enough to you, Erica Enders, Melanie Troxell, and some of the other women racers out there?
AD: I think it is just natural because of who he is and what he has accomplished; of course anything associated with Force is going to gain that kind of recognition. That is understandable. I don’t have any animosity towards them. I think it is great; they bring a lot to the sport. Me personally, I want to be known for my ability to drive the racecar and I want to do well, that’s how I want to be remembered. But coming from a father who is also very prominent, I know how that works. I need to work extra hard, just to get away from that to prove and define myself out there. I don’t want to be known as his daughter, I want to be known for Alexis DeJoria, she’s a damn good driver and her car hauls ass. (laughing) That’s what I want to be known for.

 Is there a point where you can see yourself stepping back, away from the driver’s seat and nurturing another woman into drag racing?
AD: I would love to. I want to own my own operation and have other female drivers; there are a few I would love to put in a car right now if I had the means to. There’s not enough but the ones who are out there are really good, and you really have to work a lot harder to prove yourself, because we are going to have that following us wherever we go. But it doesn’t bother me; I’m out here racing with these guys and at the end of the day, we are all trying to win!

 Do you see women like Shirley Muldowney as a role model?
AD: Of course, she paved the way for all of us. If you don’t have respect for that woman, you are crazy. I mean really. As a female, she made it happen for all of us. I have never met her, I would love to. She’s tough - she had to be - and back in those days she really had to work it to get in there and never back down. I admire that and that is the same kind of mentality that I have: don’t ever give up, and follow what you believe in. 

 Do you have that same kind of toughness?
AD: Yes I do, but it’s a little bit easier. I don’t blow up at every little thing; I’ll just tuck it away in the back of my mind and remember it for next time. I learn from my mistakes or experiences, but (laughing) I am more like the stealth fighter: flying below the radar, but keeping tabs on everything.

Thanks to Darr Hawthorne and DragRacing Online Team!