R2B2 Racing Melanie Troxel drove to her first final round behind the wheel of a Pro Mod in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge event at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals, losing to Rick Stivers.
 
Troxel is one of a select few drivers to have won in both nitro Funny
Car and Top Fuel and was hoping to add a Pro Mod victory to her list of
accomplishments, but the Avon, Ind. resident will have to wait for
another weekend to advance her stats.
 
Troxel banked on the skill of her crew chief Al Billes and consistency
of her ProCare Rx/R2B2 Motors '63 Corvette to advance throughout
eliminations. After qualifying No.8 with a 6.004 at 238.98 mph,
defeated Al-Anabi Racing driver Mike Castellana with a 5.986 at 240.81
to his 6.004 at 233.84 mph in the opening stanza.

Rick Stivers, driver of the Trane '06 Pro Mod Stratus, used blistering
times and bracket-car consistency to win the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway.
 
Stivers
qualified No. 3 with a 5.940 at 240.85 mph and then ran like a bracket
car at 5.927, 5.913, 5.919 and 5.908-seconds to earn his second-ever
trip to the Pro Mod Challenge winners circle. In round one, Stivers
dispatched Dennis Radford, and then moved on to take out No. 2 in the
points Roger Burgess followed by points-leader Burton Auxier.
 
In
the final, Stivers rode his Trane past Melanie Troxel in a thrilling
side-by-side drag race by running a 5.908 at 241.89 to Troxel's 5.946
at 242.36.

Doug Foley entered the NHRA Carolinas Nationals knowing his second race of the season would be his last for 2009 unless he could perform well enough to attract a last minute sponsor.

“For a team who is going to park it on Monday, this is huge,” Foley said.

Foley presented an excellent case for why his team would be a wise marketing investment for a sponsor.

Matt Hagan drove the Valvoline Engine Guarantee/shelor.com Dodge into his second final round of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, losing to John Force Racing's Robert Hight.

He raced on Sunday while keeping an eye on the homefront for his wife
expecting to deliver a baby at any moment. He raced like a man intent on bring home a trophy to
place beside the crib.

The contender for the 2009 Automobile Club of Southern California Road
to the Future Award as an NHRA rookie-of-the-year frontrunner had
missed a spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs, which began this weekend
at zMAX Dragway, but he demonstrated his and the team's ability to
still win rounds.

Rookie Shawn Langdon did his part to
improve his status in the running for NHRA’s Rookie of the Year award
on Sunday afternoon in the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
Langdon powered his way to a runner-up finish. Losing to veteran Top
Fuel driver Cory McClenathan.

Langdon, the driver of the Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster, moved to within
49 points behind the man who defeated him. Langdon, ninth in the
standings entering the first race of the Countdown, leaves Charlotte
fifth.

Following the same pattern he has all season, Langdon dominated the
line reacting to the tree better than all four men he raced. Langdon
also posted low elapsed time of the weekend running a 3.826 at 315.78
mph in his victory over defending NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony
Schumacher in the semi-finals.

Cory McClenathan and Robert Hight won their first races of the 2009
season Sunday at the Second annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax
Dragway to make huge moves in the Countdown to 1.

Joining McClenathan (Top Fuel) and Hight (Funny Car) in the winner’s
circle at at the 19th of 24 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series were Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock
Motorcycle).

The NHRA Carolinas Nationals is the first race in the Countdown to 1, NHRA’s six-race playoff.

McClenathan, who pushed his FRAM Tough Guard dragster to a 3.857 at
312.64 mph in his final round win over rookie Shawn Langdon (3.980 at
280.49) and the Dixie Choppers/Lucas Oil team, entered the playoffs in
fifth place, but he took advantage of early exits by the drivers ahead
of him to move all the way into first place.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the
Second annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway @ Concord, the
19th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -

Final round-by-round results from the 2nd annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 19th of 24 events in the NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

Sunday's final results from the Second annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals
at zMax Dragway @ Concord. The race is the 19th of 24 in the NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series:

Members of the TASCA Racing crew worked until 10:30 Saturday making sure their race car was capable of being raced on Sunday, following a potentially devastating wreck during the final round of qualifying.