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

BRADENTON, Fla. (Jan. 16) – Erica Enders and the ZaZa Energy Pro Stock team will get back to work this week.

Enders and her talented crew from Cagnazzi Racing will test at Bradenton Motorsports Park, Monday through Friday, in preparation for the upcoming NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock season.

Dave Connolly returns for his first full season as Enders’ crew chief, and the duo will have a completely redone Chevrolet Cobalt at their disposal. Enders will carry No. 6 as part of a new paint scheme on her Chevy Pro Stock.

The NHRA season kicks off Feb. 10-12 with the O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.

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Post tags: Bradenton Motorsports Park, cagnazzi racing, erica enders, NHRA, Pro mod

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

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (Nov. 15) – Erica Enders always knew her ZaZa Energy Pro Stock team was the hardest-working crew in the NHRA pit area. Now, she has tangible proof.

Enders’ crew was voted as winner of the Full Throttle Hard-Working Crew Award in the Pro Stock category, getting the nod in a fan vote on NHRA.com over the teams of Jason Line, Kurt Johnson and Vincent Nobile.

Enders’ Cagnazzi Racing team joined her on stage at the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series awards ceremony Monday night at the Grand Ballroom at the Hollywood and Highland Center to accept the award. The team also earned $15,000.

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Post tags: erica enders, NHRA, zaza energy

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13) – The 2011 Pro Stock Motorcycle season didn’t end the way she wanted in the NHRA Finals on Sunday, but GEICO Suzuki rider Karen Stoffer can still hold her head high.

That’s because 2011 was one of the best seasons of Stoffer’s career, and the GEICO team hung together despite trying circumstances late in the year.

Stoffer finished seventh in the final points standings, matching the second-highest finish of her career (she was sixth in 2006). Stoffer won one race and set personal bests with four other final-round appearances and a 22-14 win-loss record.

Stoffer led the points standings in late July before numerous engine problems cropped up in the closing months of the season. The GEICO team was forced to swap engines in six consecutive races as the season came to an end.

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Post tags: geico powersports, karen stoffer, NHRA

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 9) – Karen Stoffer and her GEICO Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle team plan to celebrate this weekend, no matter the result of the NHRA World Finals.

That’s because Stoffer has had a career season on the GEICO bike, winning once and ranking in the top five in points. Though mechanical problems have plagued the team lately, Stoffer prefers to look at the body of work rather than recent races.

“It’s definitely been the most emotional, roller-coaster season we’ve ever had,” Stoffer said. “We started out so well, and we ended up so low. Ultimately, the wonderful thing about it is the team is strong, the team has held together. We have our original team we’ve always had, and it seems like we’ve gotten stronger and closer and more synergistic during all the problems we’ve been having. The guys have been working their butts off.

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Post tags: karen stoffer, NHRA, pomona, Pro Stock motorcycle

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 9) – ZaZa Energy driver Erica Enders studied business at Texas A&M, but she’s also a student of history – NHRA history.

The 28-year-old Enders knows all about the rich history of the site of the final Pro Stock race of the season, Auto Club Raceway, which hosts the Auto Club NHRA Finals this weekend.

“There’s a ton of history there, and I love going to this track,” Enders said.

Pomona held its first race in 1953 after a local car club convinced the city to allow a proper place for hot-rodders to race their cars. The track has become synonymous with drag racing in the years since.

Enders got goosebumps the first time she raced at Pomona. She was 20 years old and in her rookie season driving for Cagnazzi Racing. The feelings are as fresh as if they happened yesterday.

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Post tags: erica enders, NHRA, pomona, zaza energy

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

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 29) – GEICO Suzuki rider Karen Stoffer was reminded about perspective Saturday at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Stoffer failed to qualify for the race, ending the fifth-longest streak of making races across all professional NHRA categories. She had made 118 races in a row for which she’s attempted to qualify, dating back to 2004.

But two things happened Saturday to remind her that missing a race is not the end of the world.

First, Stoffer got to spend time with the wife and daughters of an Air Force Sergeant who is stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Second, Stoffer visited a fellow Pro Stock Motorcycle competitor who tumbled down the track after falling from his bike while making a qualifying run alongside her. Joe Desantis was OK, but it reminded Stoffer of the danger riders face in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.

“With what happened next to me, this seems pretty trivial,” Stoffer said of not qualifying. “I feel really bad that I was even concerned about it with Joe on the other side.”

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Post tags: geico powersports, karen stoffer, las vegas, NHRA

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 30) – The hope for Melanie Troxel was to leave The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a matching pair of pewter Wally trophies from the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals.

But as is the case with many who spend a weekend in Las Vegas, Troxel and the In-N-Out Burger teams are leaving Nevada frustrated and empty-handed.

“Losing stinks no matter when it happens to you during the weekend,” Troxel said.

In the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series, Troxel and the In-N-Out Burger turbo Corvette lost to teammate Leah Pruett in the semifinals on a holeshot. Earlier in the day, the In-N-Out Burger Toyota Funny Car fell in the first round to Johnny Gray.

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Post tags: las vegas, Melanie Troxel, NHRA