Birthday presents come in all shapes and sizes but none compare to the one Team
Torco delivered to their sponsor Evan Knoll during the NHRA O'Reilly Midwest
Nationals in St. Louis, MO. Knoll celebrated his birthday over the course of the
race weekend.
The tally for those weekend gifts included three national
event victories, two runner-ups, two semi-final finishes, two #1 qualifiers, an
elapsed time world record and a handful of track records.
“I am so proud of our teams,” Knoll said. “I wish I would have
been there, but this was a real treat. This is a birthday I will always
remember. My teams deliver a lot … week in and week out … but this race was
really special.”
Melanie Troxel culminated the incredible weekend by capturing
the Top Fuel crown behind the wheel of a car that Knoll unselfishly donated to
honor the Vietnam Veterans and POW-MIA families and servicemen. Her weekend
began from the bottom half of the ladder but when it was all said and done, she
was the Queen of the Hill topping Cory McClenathan, who also carries the Torco
Race Fuels logo emblazoned alongside primary sponsor Fram-Bendix.
“Evan is a special guy and we wanted to reach down deep and
pull off something special for him,” Troxel said. “He’s given so much to us, it
just feels great to be able to give back.”
This marked Troxel’s first 2007 victory in two finals. The
weekend thrust her into the fifth spot for the championship
standings.
Mike Ashley drove his Fuel Doctor-nicknamed, Knoll tribute
Dodge Charger to a third consecutive #1 qualifying effort as well as a new
Gateway International Raceway speed track record. His weekend delivered a strong
semi-final finish.
