Driver Melanie Troxel and the R2B2 Dodge Charger Funny Car are in a frustrating spot coming out of the inaugural NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway.

During Sunday’s eliminations, Troxel had her best reaction time of the season (.084 seconds) and the car ran a 4.129-second pass at 305.49 mph — the team’s second best elapsed time of the season. But despite car and driver doing everything right, it still wasn’t enough to advance to the second round.

“We can’t be overly disappointed but we wanted to win that round,” Troxel said. “We need to improve a little if we’re going to be competitive out there.”

Out of Troxel’s foursome, Ron Capps, who ran a 4.032 at 313.80 mph, and Gainesville winner Tim Wilkerson, who went 4.079 at 299.40 mph, were the two drivers to advance.

Even after bowing out earlier than they had hoped, Troxel said her Roger Burgess-owned team remains hopeful and spirits are high in the pit. They are at the point where they are dissecting their laps tying to find a fraction of a second here or there to be able to make passes in the range of a 4.09 seconds or quicker.

“We’re making progress, so we’re not going to beat ourselves up too much right now,” Troxel said. “We’re still a nickel away from really being in the hunt. As a team we’re going to have to knuckle down and find that little bit of performance that’s holding us back.”

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