ASHLEY SECURES MAJOR SPONSOR FOR 2008
Less than 48 hours after learning of his longtime sponsor's sudden and
unexpected hiatus from drag racing, Mike Ashley has acquired primary funding for
his NHRA Funny Car team for 2008 and beyond.
Ashley today announced a
racing partnership with ProCare Rx Chairman and Founder Roger Burgess with the
goal of fielding the ultimate championship drag racing team. Ashley and Burgess
will initially field one nitro Funny Car with racing standout Melanie Troxel
behind the wheel, and will aggressively seek additional long-term sponsorship to
field a second Funny Car in the NHRA.
"I wasn't sure what we were going
to do," Ashley recounted. "I got the announcement and it was obviously
stunning. I was on the way to Indianapolis to talk with the team when Roger
called me and asked what I was going to do about the 2008 season.
"My
initial response was that it was such short notice that I wasn't sure what we
would be doing and I didn't know if we were going to be able to continue long
term. Roger immediately hopped on a plane and met me at the shop in Brownsburg
[Ind.].
Ashley forms partnership with Roger Burgess and ProCare Rx to carry Gotham banner into 2008 and beyond
Less than 48 hours after learning of his longtime sponsor's sudden and
unexpected hiatus from drag racing, Mike Ashley has acquired primary funding for
his NHRA Funny Car team for 2008 and beyond.
Ashley today announced a
racing partnership with ProCare Rx Chairman and Founder Roger Burgess with the
goal of fielding the ultimate championship drag racing team. Ashley and Burgess
will initially field one nitro Funny Car with racing standout Melanie Troxel
behind the wheel, and will aggressively seek additional long-term sponsorship to
field a second Funny Car in the NHRA.
"I wasn't sure what we were going
to do," Ashley recounted. "I got the announcement and it was obviously
stunning. I was on the way to Indianapolis to talk with the team when Roger
called me and asked what I was going to do about the 2008 season.
"My
initial response was that it was such short notice that I wasn't sure what we
would be doing and I didn't know if we were going to be able to continue long
term. Roger immediately hopped on a plane and met me at the shop in Brownsburg
[Ind.].
"After a tour of our facilities and a couple of hours of
meetings, Roger was impressed with the dynamic organization and the reputation
we had achieved of fielding championship teams, we decided to join our racing
operations together - his R2B2 Racing any my Gotham City Racing - to build a
world-class, drag racing organization."
Burgess said he is excited about
standing side-by-side with Ashley in their exploits on the drag strip. Burgess
is himself a drag racer, having recently earned his license to drive a Pro Mod
and actually competed in his first national event at Las Vegas in October of
2007.
"Mike and I had been talking about working together in the Pro Mod
ranks, but after the turn of events and after reviewing his incredible
operations, I knew that the time was right to get involved with the nitro team,"
Burgess said.
"We're alike in a lot of ways - mainly our own personal
drive for excellence, and Mike's organization is the very best I've seen. He's
surrounded himself with the very best people, and has worked to develop each
individual to be the very best they can be. It doesn't take long to feel the
positive energy in this organization, and I'm incredibly excited to be a part of
something so powerful," he said.
Ashley and Burgess said they plan to
retain Top Fuel pilot-turned Funny Car Captain Melanie Troxel to lead their
charge into 2008 behind the wheel of the ProCare Rx Dodge Charger R/T. ProCare
Rx is one of the nation's largest prescription drug management companies.
ProCare Rx was the 2007 title sponsor of the NHRA Supernationals in Englishtown,
N.J. as well as the sponsor of the $50,000 ProCare Rx Pro Modified
Clash.
Troxel said, "It's amazing that in such a short amount of time we
went from a team that didn't know what was going to happen to being right back
on track and ready to start the season. I think this is going to be a great
opportunity for the entire team and I know that everybody is excited to have
Roger on board."
Ashley said his own Funny Car driving will be limited in
the start of the season as the duo searches for additional primary funding for
both cars as well as other racing operations.
"We have everything we need
to run a second Funny Car including trailers, parts and a stellar crew, but
we're only going to run that car at select races until we gain complete funding
for the entire operation," Ashley said.
"Although my Funny Car driving
time will be limited, I am planning on driving my Pro Mod this season, and I'm
looking forward to taking an active role in looking for corporate sponsorship
for our exciting new partnership. We are involved in several other negotiations
and are looking for more sponsors, but with this dynamic partnership and our
incredible team already in place, I'm more excited than ever about this season,"
he said.