Bob Vandergriff last saw action on the NHRA trail last November, at the 2008 Auto Club Finals in Pomona, and the time off in the interim has been a tough pill to swallow for the popular Top Fuel owner/driver.  Accustomed to going fast, the Georgia resident is never comfortable going nowhere, but a lack of sponsor backing had left him parked throughout the first five races in 2009, and with the annual trip to Atlanta Dragway looming he put the "pedal to the metal" to find a marketing partner for this weekend's Summit Racing Southern Nationals.   Speedco, the only national network to specialize in quick-lube and tire service for heavy-duty trucks, was quick to see the value in such an association, and Vandergriff will proudly fly the Speedco colors this weekend in Commerce, Ga.

The marketing agreement will include the Summit Southern Nationals (April 17-19), as well as the Mac Tools US Nationals in the fall (September September 4-7), and Vandergriff is not only thankful for the support, but also believes it will provide a much-needed boost for a number of other potential sponsor programs he is currently discussing.

"Mark Clark and the team at Speedco have been longtime supporters of our racing efforts, and we're thrilled to be able to run the Speedco colors at our home track in Georgia, as well as at the US Nationals in Indianapolis," Vandergriff said.  "It's been really difficult to sit on the sidelines for the first part of the season, so I'm even more appreciative that Speedco stepped up in time for us to make our '09 debut at our home track.  We're looking forward to jumping right back into the mix, and maybe we can turn some heads and have some success this weekend.

Bob Vandergriff last saw action on the NHRA trail last November, at the 2008 Auto Club Finals in Pomona, and the time off in the interim has been a tough pill to swallow for the popular Top Fuel owner/driver.  Accustomed to going fast, the Georgia resident is never comfortable going nowhere, but a lack of sponsor backing had left him parked throughout the first five races in 2009, and with the annual trip to Atlanta Dragway looming he put the "pedal to the metal" to find a marketing partner for this weekend's Summit Racing Southern Nationals.   Speedco, the only national network to specialize in quick-lube and tire service for heavy-duty trucks, was quick to see the value in such an association, and Vandergriff will proudly fly the Speedco colors this weekend in Commerce, Ga.

The marketing agreement will include the Summit Southern Nationals (April 17-19), as well as the Mac Tools US Nationals in the fall (September September 4-7), and Vandergriff is not only thankful for the support, but also believes it will provide a much-needed boost for a number of other potential sponsor programs he is currently discussing.

"Mark Clark and the team at Speedco have been longtime supporters of our racing efforts, and we're thrilled to be able to run the Speedco colors at our home track in Georgia, as well as at the US Nationals in Indianapolis," Vandergriff said.  "It's been really difficult to sit on the sidelines for the first part of the season, so I'm even more appreciative that Speedco stepped up in time for us to make our '09 debut at our home track.  We're looking forward to jumping right back into the mix, and maybe we can turn some heads and have some success this weekend.

"Our long relationship with Speedco was the key to this program, and it would benefit both of us if we could put a full sponsor program together and get back out on the tour, with Speedco as part of the program in an associate role.  They're helping us get on the track this weekend, and hopefully we can help them by using this race to raise our profile again and put a full deal together with some of the people we continue to talk to.  I don't think there's any substitute for being on the race track, when it comes to giving a potential sponsor a taste for what we can do and what NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing is all about.  You have to see it, and feel it, to believe it."

Vandergriff's former crew chief, Jim Dupuy, along with a number of his former crew members, will return for  both this weekend's race and the US Nationals during the Labor Day weekend.
 

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