CONCORD, N.C. – NHRA introduced two of the most intriguing rookie drivers in the history of the sport to the national motorsports media today during a press conference conducted as part of the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. The legendary multi-purpose motorsports facility annually hosts two NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events  at its spectacular zMAX Dragway.

Rookie Funny Car drivers Alexis DeJoria and Courtney Force, both an important part of NHRA’s Nitro Generation theme for 2012, joined NHRA President Tom Compton during the season-preview press event, which was held in front of more than 100 of the nation’s top motorsports journalists.

DeJoria, daughter of famed entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria, will drive the Tequila Patron Toyota Camry and Force, youngest daughter of 15-time NHRA world champ John Force, will pilot the Traxxas Ford Mustang. The two drivers will be among the top contenders for the prestigious Auto Club Road to the Future Award, which annually recognizes NHRA’s top performing rookie driver.(...)
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Post tags: alexia dejoria, charlotte, courtney force, Funny Car, media day, NHRA, patron, traxxas

YORBA LINDA, Calif. (January 10, 2012) – Courtney Force, who for the last four seasons learned how to deal with all of the off-track aspects of professional racing, finally will get a chance to show what she can do on-the-track as driver of an 8,000 horsepower Ford Mustang sponsored by Traxxas, the world leader in ready-to-run Radio Controlled vehicles.

             Already a skilled interviewee, a reality TV star, a spokesperson for Ford Motor Company’s Driving Skills for Life program, a national marketing contest winner and a fan favorite, the 23-year-old daughter of 15-time NHRA champion John Force will make her professional driving debut Feb. 9-12 in the 52^nd annual Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

             “For Traxxas, Courtney represents more than just a female driver on the track. The family that she comes from has been racing and she’s been a part of racing all of her life. She’s not just another girl at the racetrack, she’s a girl that has John Force DNA embedded in her and it shows,” said Mike Jenkins Traxxas president. “Take a couple of minutes and talk with Courtney; you’ll see the competitiveness that comes out in that girl. She’s going to represent our company and our brand. She’s been a top pick for us for a very long time- we’re proud to have her on.”(...)
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Post tags: courtney force, Funny Car, NHRA, rookie season 2012, traxxas

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. – Drag racing superstar Melanie Troxel and the In-N-Out Burger Toyota Funny Car team will try to end the 2011 season in winning style at this weekend’s Auto Club NHRA Finals.

“We’ve come a long way since the last time we were in Pomona back in February,” Troxel said. “The car really struggled back then, but we’ve really made a lot of progress throughout the season.

“I think we’ve got a car capable of playing spoiler this weekend, and we’ll certainly do our best to knock out some contenders on our way to the winner’s circle on Sunday.”

At the start of the season the R2B2 Racing team had trouble getting their car to simply go down the track. Over the past month, Troxel has been regularly qualifying in the top half of the field, a marked improvement.(...)
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Post tags: Funny Car, Melanie Troxel, NHRA

READING, Pa. – It took some fancy pedal work and a few agonizing moments, but R2B2 Racing’s Leah Pruett qualified for her first NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car race on Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway.

“We had a lot of random mechanical problems hit us this weekend,” Pruett said. “But we got the car in, and I’m so thankful and excited for that. The crew did a great job all weekend, and I’m excited to race in my first national event in a Funny Car.”

Pruett and the ProCare Rx Toyota will start Sunday’s eliminations for the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway from the No. 16 spot after a best pass of 4.644 seconds at 212.43 mph.

“Priority No. 1 was to get to the finish line as quick as possible,” Pruett said. “Other runs, if they shake or rattle you know you have another round in your pocket. In the fourth round you know you have to make it to the end.”(...)
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Post tags: Funny Car, leah pruett, NHRA, r2b2, roger burgess

DALLAS (Sept. 21) – Great things are just over the horizon for the In-N-Out Burger Toyota Funny Car, and superstar driver Melanie Troxel can feel it.

After putting up impressive numbers in qualifying the last two races, Troxel believes that the In-N-Out car is about to make its presence felt in the final races of the NHRA Full Throttle Series season, beginning with this weekend’s national event at the Texas Motorplex.

“We’ve still got five races left this season to learn a lot,” Troxel said. “We’ve got a good chance to win a race before it’s all done. We’re going to keep picking away at the performance of the car.

“We’ve got one of the best cars out here, we just need a little more consistency at this point.”

(...)
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Post tags: Funny Car, Melanie Troxel, NHRA

With the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series on hiatus for the next five races, Troxel is going to be able to focus solely on the performance of the ProCare Rx Toyota Funny Car.

“I’m looking forward to that,” Troxel said. “On those double-duty weekends, I feel like I’m always running around crazy back and forth between the two cars. For the next few weekends, I get to slow down, spend more time with the fans, and focus on running the Funny Car.”

After starting the season with five DNQs, Troxel and her team have now qualified for five straight events and won elimination rounds at two of the last three races.

(...)
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Post tags: Funny Car, il, joliet, Melanie Troxel, NHRA, ProCare Rx, Route 66 Nationals

NORWALK, Ohio (June 26) – It wasn’t the kind of grand leap forward that the ProCare Rx Toyota Funny Car has been making lately, but Melanie Troxel and her R2B2 Racing crew are walking away from the fifth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals with a confident stride.

Troxel lost to veteran Ron Capps in Sunday’s first round, but she was one of the few drivers to make a full lap down the tricky left lane at Summit Motorsports Park.

“We didn’t make a qualifying run good enough to get lane choice,” Troxel said. “That turned out to be pretty important today. But we made a good run.”

Capps ran the second quickest ET of the round with a 4.118-second pass at 299.26 mph, while Troxel crossed the line in 4.188 seconds at 284.99 mph.

(...)
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Post tags: Funny Car, Melanie Troxel, NHRA, Pro mod, r2b2

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 22) – After making a huge leap at the last stop on the NHRA tour by qualifying for the Funny Car field for the first time this season, Melanie Troxel and the ProCare Rx Toyota team were intent on keeping the positive momentum going at this weekend’s NHRA Summer Nationals.

“We’re making progress,” Troxel said. “We’re making more consistent runs down the track, but we’re not at the ultimate place where we know the car needs to be.”

Troxel qualified for her second event in a row but lost in the first round of Funny Car eliminations to Cruz Pedregon. The multi-time series champion crossed the line first with a less-than-stellar pass of 4.539 seconds at 226.70 mph. But Troxel had smoked the tires early in her run and fought the car all the way down the track, crossing with a 5.446-second pass at 179.06 mph.

(...)
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Post tags: Funny Car, Melanie Troxel, r2b2

“We’re going to pack a lot of stuff into this week before we get to Topeka,” Troxel said. “But all signs point to good things to come.”

Following a couple of Pro Mod test days in Atlanta, Troxel’s first stop will be Circle City — Indianapolis.

“We’re going to the John Force Racing shop so I can be fitted for a new chassis,” Troxel said. “We’re hoping to have it delivered in a couple of weeks. I still think there’s a lot of progress we can make with the chassis we have, but we should have a new three-rail chassis by Englishtown.(...)
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Post tags: Funny Car, kansas, Melanie Troxel, NHRA, topeka

ATLANTA (May 15) – Melanie Troxel’s first race day of the season was briefer than ideal, but after a slow start to the season just being a part of the elimination rounds at the 31st annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals was a major step in the right direction.

“We made real improvement qualifying the Funny Car this weekend,” Troxel said. “We’re seeing a positive change in the chassis. We don’t have it entirely figured out yet, but a least we are not doing the same thing all the time.”

Troxel and the ProCare Rx Toyota Funny Car lost in the first round to Jack Beckman when the car’s tires spun off the start. She also fell in the second round of Get Screened America Pro Mod Series racing to Troy Coughlin on a holeshot.

Against Beckman, Troxel drove to a 7.755 second lap at 98.98 mph as she smoked and pedaled her way down the Atlanta Dragway track. Beckman ran a solid 4.083 at 311.56 mph. Nevertheless, Troxel said the entire weekend was a lift to the team and a big step forward for the whole program.

“We’ve got a lot of new technology coming to the team,” Troxel said. “(R2B2 Racing VP of research and development) John Medlen is a new set of eyes and has a different way of thinking about things. There’s just more good things to come.”(...)
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Post tags: atlanta, Funny Car, Melanie Troxel, NHRA, southern nationals