Courtesy of GirlRacer.co.uk

Only a persistent drizzle and a strict curfew at Hockenheimring stood between Melanie Troxel and certain victory at the 25th annual FIA Nitrolympx on Sunday.. 

Troxel had advanced to the Pro Mod final and was scheduled to face teammate Micke Gullqvist for the championship, but a slight rain began to fall and organizers didn’t believe it would stop in time to run any more cars before the 5 p.m. curfew.

“We came a long way to race here and it’s a shame the weather got in the way when we were so close to completing the event,” Troxel said. “We’re all disappointed about that but thrilled with the weekend as a whole.” Read More

Courtesy of FreeP.com

At 70, Shirley Muldowney has lost none of the fighting qualities that helped her cross the gender line in top-level drag racing.

Muldowney, who began competing seriously in the mid- to late-60s, talked about her experiences as a female racer at the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association luncheon Tuesday at the Detroit Science Center (DSC).

Muldowney, who lives near Milan Dragway, was among a group of racing greats who will be guests at tonight’s 22nd annual Motorsports Hall of Fame of America induction ceremony at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit.

“I was a victim of being ahead of my time,” said Muldowney, who was inducted in 1990 along with motorsports legends such as Mario Andretti, Jim Clark, Mark Donohue, Gar Wood and William France Sr. “Someone had to open the doors (for women).” Read More

Courtesy of GirlRacer.co.uk

American drag racer Melanie Troxel had a busy Saturday at the 25th annual FIA Nitrolympx at the historic Hockenheimring, qualifying No. 1 in Pro Mod with a track-record pass and cruising to a first-round victory over Robert Joosten.

“It’s nice to know the car can go down the track and consistently run a good number,” Troxel said. “We’re excited about the handle we have on the race car, and I’m real comfortable in it. We’re ready to go for Sunday.”

Troxel blazed past Joosten in their elimination matchup with a run of 6.045 seconds at 241.14 mph, which tied the ET record she had set earlier in the day. Joosten had problems off the start and crossed the center line at half track, resulting in a disqualification. Read More

Courtesy of GirlRacer.co.uk

Canadian Samantha Whitfield loves to race. Her pride and joy is a 2002 Harley Davidson Ford F-150 which she has been drag racing since she was a teenager.

Samantha studied automotive services at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) which she was able to put to use on her F-150, while working as a helicopter mechanic at Langley Airport. Samantha then began to apply her drive and determination to her dream to become a model, which was realised when she lost over 80 pounds and began participating in photo shoots. This has allowed Samantha to combine her love of modelling and passion for cars, as well as enabled her to use her story to inspire others. When she’s not too busy modelling her current focus is on making her pride and joy the fastest F-150 in the world. I had the chance to talk to Samantha about her passion for racing, her F-150 and ask her about what advice she had for others chasing their dreams.  

How and when did you get involved in drag racing?
As soon as I got my drivers license I was ready to race! I always loved to go fast when I was growing up. Whether it was when I was riding my horse or pedalling like crazy on my bike! I never set out to get into racing; it was just sort of something that happened. I was 17 years old with a fairly stock truck (just an airaid intake box and superchips tuner) I ran a 13.99 and although I knew that was decent for a 5,000+lb truck I wanted to go faster. The more times I went out the more competitive I got and I realized this was something I wanted to do and was very passionate about. It became something I thought about all the time and was constantly making lists of what I wanted to do to the truck to make it go faster. Read More

Courtesy of Go2Geiger.com

BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG, Germany — American drag racing superstar Melanie Troxel will return to the Europe for the second time this season to race in the FIA Nitrolympx, which takes place Aug. 13-15 at Germany’s famous Hockenheimring.

Troxel will be piloting the same ‘67 Camaro she drove to the quickest and fastest run on European soil when she zoomed down the quarter-mile in 5.937 seconds at 242.42 mph (390.13 kph) on May 30 at Santa Pod Raceway in England. The Roger Burgess-owned racecar has since improved those marks to 5.911 seconds at 245.78 mph (395.52 kph) with Hasselby, Sweden’s Micke Gullqvist behind the wheel when he drove it to the title of the FHRA Nitro Nationals earlier this month at the Alastaro Circuit in Finland. Read More

Courtesy of USAToday

After my accident in Seattle with the loss of the tire on my A-Fuel Dragster, I started getting constant headaches and my mom felt it best to at least get it checked out. I went into emergency and got a CT scan where they told me I had a concussion, which was likely to be the cause of my headaches.

They have since gotten better, and I expected to race again soon but I’m starting to get the feeling and have overheard discussions from my dad that he may park my car because of its age. But because my dad is evaluating where we are going in the future, he says he just needs “think time.”

It will be a week or two before my dragster gets to Murf McKinney’s chassis shop, and then we’ll get an idea of what took place with the chassis. He said it’s not just the amount of runs on it, but after eight years of traveling on a trailer, a car takes a lot of stress. Maybe this time off will give me an opportunity to focus on a potential transition into the Fuel Funny Car. Some of it even started this weekend in Sonoma, Calif.

Read More

Just because Becky Jaques was the only female in the Quick 16 drag racing class Friday night at Dunn Tire Raceway Park, it didn’t stop her from defeating all the boys in the night’s eliminations.

Jaques, of North Tonawanda, powered her 1994 Chevy Lumina entry past Pete Maduri Jr. in the Quick 16 final to earn a hard-fought victory. Both Becky and her father/crew chief Mike Jaques were wearing large smiles on their faces after the triumph.

“The girl won tonight,” said an elated Becky. “It’s very exciting to come out here and do this. We just have so much fun. To do it in a door [full body] car against a dragster is cool. Read More

Editor’s note: NHRA driver Courtney Force will document her summer on the drag-racing circuit in an online diary for USA TODAY:This week was an exciting week because I had the opportunity with my sisters Brittany and Ashley to be a part of an awards ceremony for a local elementary school in Orange County. This was especially great because it wasn’t just any awards ceremony … it was racecar-themed!

STANDINGS: Updated NHRA points

We were asked to be a part of the students’ special day since we’re drivers within the drag racing community. They asked us to help pass out the awards to the students who had succeeded in the reading competitions throughout the year. These reading competitions had been themed to racing with the various reading groups being their “pit crews.” The gym was decorated according to theme and packed with kids. Read More

Editor’s note: NHRA driver Courtney Force will document her summer on the drag-racing circuit in an online diary for USA TODAY:It’s been almost a year since my last USA TODAY journal entry and a lot has happened! Let me catch everyone up, just in case you missed it.

STANDINGS: Updated NHRA points

I ended my season in the NHRA A-Fuel Dragster category with my first National event win in Seattle, Wash.; I won a People’s Choice Award as a Ford Fiesta Agent; my brother-in-law Robert Hight won the Full Throttle Championship in the NHRA’s Funny Car class; my sister Ashley Force Hood was runner-up for the Championship; and my dad, John Force, is currently No. 1 in points this season in Funny Car … and he’s still driving our family crazy!

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Courtesy of AshleyForce.com

NORWALK, OH — 14-time Funny Car champion John Force almost missed qualifying for the 4th annual Summit Equipment NHRA Nationals but almost 24 hours after grabbing the last qualifying spot he was one of only two Funny Cars still standing at the Norwalk track. Force upset daughter and No. 1 qualifier Ashley Force Hood in the first round and then blasted past Paul Lee and Robert Hight before he was upended by fellow Ford driver Tim Wilkerson in the final.

“I came all the way from the cellar, the 16th spot, but Mike Neff, (Austin) Coil and Bernie (Fedderly) they have done a great job with this Mustang to put us up in the points lead. I guess what bothers me is when you take out Ashley who was low and she had a shot at winning. Then I got lucky against Robert when he had a problem with the Tree,” said Force.

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