:::::: News ::::::

FINAL ROUND RESULTS FROM MARTIN

Monday's final results from the Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals
at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park at US 131.  The race is the sixth of 11
in the $19.5 million 2007 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series:

ROUND-BY-ROUND PRO RESULTS FROM MARTIN


Final
round-by-round results from the Torco Racing Fuels
Northern Nationals at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park at US 131, the sixth
of 11 events in the $19.5 million 2007 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing
Series:

 
TOP FUEL:
 
ROUND ONE -- Bobby Lagana Jr., 13.712, 62.80 def. Clay Millican, foul;
Melanie Troxel, 4.662, 326.71 def. Scotty Cannon, 4.795, 271.24; J.R.
Todd, 4.595, 314.97 def. T.J. Zizzo, 12.160, 74.85; Bruce Litton,
4.695, 299.26 def. Doug Foley, 10.873, 87.46;

SEMIFINALS -- Litton, 4.671, 322.34 def. Troxel, 4.664, 321.58; Todd, 4.632, 311.13 def. Lagana Jr., 11.611, 83.10;

FINAL -- Litton, 4.707, 287.72 def. Todd, 11.254, 80.71.

IHRA POINTS AFTER MARTIN

Point standings (top 10) for IHRA professional categories following
the Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park
at US 131, the sixth of 11 events in the $19.5 million 2007 Knoll-Gas
Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series -

 

TROXEL TO TEST FUNNY CAR

Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com has learned that Melanie Troxel will make
test runs in a Funny Car owned by Mike Ashley during the upcoming PRO
test session prior to the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. He's got the
blessings from sponsor Evan Knoll and Torco Race Fuels to make it
happen.

“We’ve had Melanie fitted for a Funny Car,” Ashley said. “I’m all for
doing this as long as it doesn’t interfere with our Countdown to the
Championship. We have to make sure our car is ready for that. We will
do it at the Indianapolis test session coming up.”

Ashley is aware that such a move will create a plethora of speculation.
While expansion of his Torco Race Fuels-sponsored team is clearly
something he has publicly admitted, he’ll admit that adding Troxel to
his team would clearly be an asset.

“Evan is really happy with our program and we are seriously looking at
the prospects of running a multi-car team,” Ashley said. “Melanie
Troxel has expressed an interest in driving a Funny Car. I think she
would be a great spokesperson for the class but most of all I think she
would be a top-notch driver.

“From a media standpoint, I think she would be great and really it
would be neat to see a husband and wife racing against each other in
the class. I would be very interested in putting together a team one
day with Melanie and I have spoken together with Evan. If it’s going to
happen, it’s going to happen. It will be under my umbrella if it
happens.”

MARTIN FINAL RESULTS

Litton Defeats Todd to Take Top Fuel Points Lead
Ashley, Hamstra, Noakes and Gugliotta Also Visit Winner’s Circle


Bruce Litton defeated J.R. Todd in the Top Fuel final of the Torco
Racing Fuels Northern Nationals. Litton, of Indianapolis, covered the
quarter-mile in 4.707 seconds, 287.72 mph, to take the win and the
Knoll Gas Nitro Jam points lead.

NOT EXACTLY A SAFE PRACTICE

Take a close look at this picture snapped during the second round of
Torco's CompetitionPlus.com Pro Modified during the IHRA Torco Northern Nationals in Martin, Michigan. Quain Stott gets out of shape
and strikes the wall but that's not the focus of this picture. If you
look inside the red circle, you will see a race official standing
alongside the wall as Stott makes contact. In the next pair of cars,
the obviously unrattled race official was in the same spot for the next
pair and beyond. (Frank Ranney pic).

DUPUY OUT, BUTTERFIELD IN AT PEDREGON

Cruz Pedregon, announced today the appointment of assistant crew chief, Kevin
Butterfield as interim crew chief of the Advance Auto Parts Funny Car team
replacing Wayne Dupuy. Butterfield will be led by Dickie Venables, crew chief
for Tony Pedregon’s Q Horsepower Funny Car team.
 
“Tony and I have
always had a goal to set our cars with each running the same way and as close to
identical as possible,” said Pedregon. “It’s our team philosophy that identical
tune-ups and the sharing of performance data will put both teams in a better
position to win rounds and win races.

KABOOMER IN MARTIN

Harold Martin is content running a nitrous Pro Modified but for a brief
moment dutrng Sunday's first round of eliminations in Martin, Michigan,
did an impersonation of a fuel Funny Car driver. Martin was uninjured.
(Photo by Brian Wood)

RAIN POSTPONES MARTIN ELIMINATIONS

Officials have postponed Sunday’s eliminations during the Torco Racing
Fuels Northern Nationals in Martin, Mich. The day began with rain which
pushed racing back until the afternoon. After about four hours of
on-track time, light showers began to fall on Knoll Gas Motorsports
Park at US 131, calling an end to the day’s racing.

KENNY LANG WINS PRO MODIFIED SHOOTOUT

Kenny Lang had 20,000 reasons to smile Saturday evening. 20,000 reasons
in U.S. dollars was more than enough to keep the Canadian drag racer
grinning after winning the $56K Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro
Modified Shootout.

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