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MELANIE TROXEL Becomes First Woman to Win in Funny Car and Top Fuel; Schumacher and Connolly Also Win at Bristol, By Bram • May 19th, 2008 • Category: NHRA, Notes, Results

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Melanie Troxel became the first woman in NHRA history to win in both Top Fuel and Funny Car when she raced to the Funny Car victory Sunday at the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

Troxel, who earned five Top Fuel victories prior to switching to Funny Car this season, joined her husband Tommy Johnson as one of 14 drivers in NHRA history to earn victories in both nitro categories when she powered her ProCare Rx Dodge Charger to a 5.066 at 310.27 to defeat rookie Mike Neff in the final round. She is the second female to win in Funny Car in NHRA history, following Ashley Force’s gender-breaking victory last month in Atlanta.

“You know I haven’t even given that any thought,” said Troxel, referring to being one of fourteen drivers to get a win in both of NHRA’s nitro classes. “We were so focused on going out there and getting some round wins and getting a win. That’s kind of like icing on the cake.”

Tim Wilkerson remained in the POWERade Series points lead in Funny Car, 23 points ahead of Ashley Force, who lost to Troxel in the semis in the first all-female Funny Car elimination round in NHRA history.

FUNNY CAR:
1. Melanie Troxel, Dodge Charger; 2. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang; 3. Robert Hight, Mustang; 4. Jim Head, Toyota Solara; 5. Ashley Force, Mustang; 6. Ron Capps, Charger; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala; 8. Cruz Pedregon, Impala; 9. Del Worsham, Impala; 10. Tony Pedregon, Impala; 11. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 12. Bob Tasca III, Mustang; 13. Gary Densham, Impala; 14. Jerry Toliver, Charger; 15. John Force, Mustang; 16. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo.

 

MELANIE TROXEL–A NEW CHALLENGE, by Bobby Bennett, Feb. 15, 2008

Troxel’s experience in Funny Car opens a new chapter of experience

Melanie Troxel entered the volatile world of nitro Funny Cars with few preconceived notions. The Avon, Indiana-based Top Fuel veteran knew converting from her 300-inch wheelbase dragster to the shorter confines of a nitro-burning Funny Car would provide the challenge of a lifetime.

Those who know the six-time (two in Top Alcohol Dragster) national event winning Troxel admit she’s up to any challenge. Funny Car will prove no different.

Add into the mix an off-season of uncertainty with Funny Car chassis design specs and sponsorship issues, Troxel’s first days behind the wheel were anything but a walk in the park.

“We did a lot of testing in the pre-season, I had only two full passes to get my license,” Troxel admitted.

Add into the mix a broken chassis on the team’s primary test car, a vehicle updated to the 2008 S.F.I. specs, and Troxel was forced into the team’s back-up car not only for the balance of the Phoenix test but also at the season-opening NHRA CARQUEST Winternationals in Pomona, Ca.

Troxel never flinched at the challenge. She headed into Pomona and responded in her unique competitive way by leading qualifying for one session on Saturday before settling into the third seeding for Sunday’s final eliminations. Her early successes was, in a manner, Troxel’s way of thumbing her nose at the bad fortunes which had beset the team before they even turned a tire under power in 2008.

“The two passes that we made in Pomona were literally my third and fourth passes to the finish line in a Funny Car,” Troxel said. “I'm still quite a rookie. It's given me a lot of confidence just to have the car down there and to reassure myself that I'm keeping up with the car. I'm still making adjustments to the way I drive the car.”

 

A SECOND TOUR OF DUTY, by CompetitionPlus, December 17, 2007

A SECOND TOUR OF DUTY FOR THE VIETNAM VETS

Evan Knoll and Melanie Troxel team up for a second year of tribute to the National League of POW-MIA families and Vietnam Veterans

The Vietnam War proved to be an incredibly difficult time in U.S. history – particularly if you were stationed within the borders of South Vietnam between the months of January 1965 and March of 1975. Of those 2.6 million servicemen and personnel, only seven percent returned for a second tour of duty.

Consider Evan Knoll among that seven-percentile.

The veteran NHRA POWERade team owner will return for a second tour of duty in honor of the National League of POW-MIA Families and Vietnam Veterans, as well as veterans of all wars.

Knoll will once again team with popular driver Melanie Troxel, who will make the switch over to the Funny Car division piloting a Dodge Charger under Mike Ashley’s Gotham City Racing umbrella, in presenting this honorable tribute.

“How can you work with such an incredible group of people like we did last year and end after just one season,” Knoll said. “We went into the POW-MIA/Vietnam Veterans program last season knowing that we have a large mission before us. While we covered a lot of ground last year in bringing out the veterans and providing a strong sense of pride among them, we knew there was so much more we had left to do.

“Bobby Bennett has been my large driving force behind the dragster that Melanie drove during the first tour of duty and just to think, it all came together during a brainstorm at 3 am before the season began. The program just took on a life of its own. We had a complete team that made it all work incredibly.

“Our program touched a lot of alienated veterans, but for everyone we reached, I understand there are three others we’ve yet to reach. There were so many things we wanted to do last season and essentially we did just that in giving these guys a welcome home.”

This time, Knoll says there’s another agenda.

“I wanted to honor those that are on wall in D.C.,” Knoll added. “I wanted to honor those that gave their lives and didn’t make it back. I want to let their families know, this car stands for them. This is our way of saying, ‘Job Well Done Brother.”

“How do you think about that and not have your eyes well up with tears. There’s a whole lot of political crap associated with that war, but one thing that can never be confused is that a lot of brave young men gave their lives in honor of this country. Our country called and they answered.”

Troxel drove a Top Fuel dragster last season that welcomed home those estranged veterans of the Vietnam conflict and honored those 2,700-plus members of the military still missing in action and those who were imprisoned. The initial tour, she said, opened her eyes to a lot of hardships experienced by the veterans as well as those families still missing loved ones.

“It’s not about being an A+ history student when you serve within this program,” Troxel said. “It’s about appreciation, compassion and recognizing the extreme sacrifice these veterans and their families made for our country. I met a lot of great people in serving with this program. I was sad at the end of the season when the program started to wind down because I had made a lot of friends along the way and met some great people as well.

“When Evan told me that we were doing this second tour, I got really excited because there are all kinds of things we can do this season to make this program even better. Evan Knoll is an incredible person and this car is just one of many examples why.”

Ashley plans to also compete in the Funny Car division during the 2008 NHRA POWERade Funny Car. He’s honored to be a part of this tribute.

“To watch the great things Evan Knoll, Latrell Preston and Torco Race Fuels do for our brave servicemen and their families says a lot about the great people they are,” Ashley said. “I’m honored to work alongside of them in 2008. It’s the least we can do for these brave members of our military and the unselfish sacrifices they have made for our freedoms.”

Knoll will once again donate the proceeds of all souvenir sales to the National League of POW-MIA Families as well as select veterans groups. He also contracted SinFuel Choppers to build a custom POW-MIA tribute chopper which will be raffled off and donated to the those same aforementioned charities later in 2008.

The POW-MIA/Vietnam Veterans tribute Funny Car will be unveiled during a special ceremony at the NHRA CARQUEST Winternationals in Pomona, Ca. during February.

“God bless the mighty U.S.A.,” Knoll added. “And most importantly, God bless those who fought for this country. They are my heroes.”

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TROXEL DRIVES VIETNAM VETERANS/POW-MIA DRAGSTER TO WINNER'S CIRCLE

Written by CompetitionPlus.com, May 6, 2007

Melanie Troxel and sponsor Evan Knoll unveiled their Vietnam Veterans/POW-MIA tribute car in Pomona and an abundance of tears were shed by those on hand. Her victory today elicited that same emotion.

Troxel won her first race of the 2007 season and the third of her career Sunday at the 11th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis. Troxel outlasted veteran Cory McClenathan, 4.741 to 5.355, in the money round to become just the second female winner in track history.

This was the first victory for Troxel's new Vietnam Veterans/POW-MIA team, which came together in the off-season under the guidance of Knoll. It was also the first for the popular pro in more than a year, as she last visited the trophy stand in Las Vegas in April of last year.

"This experience has been amazing," Troxel said. "All those veterans, especially the Vietnam veterans, who have come by and thanked us for doing this car have inspired us. You see the look on their faces - how honored they are - how excited they are for the car. Maybe this victory will let more of these Vietnam veterans see that we want to give something back to them to repay them for the sacrifices they made for us.

"Especially our Vietnam veterans and POW-MIA families, we want them to know they are not forgotten. They made a lot of sacrifices and while we may not have been there when they came home we are here now."

Troxel powered from ninth to fifth in the rankings in the championship standings.

TROXEL’S NEXT MISSION

 

This season Troxel is racing in honor of the National League of POW-MIA Families & Vietnam veterans.

Troxel says her confidence is high, but knows that it’s really early in the season. It's nice to move up in the points, and as long as we keep making improvements then the Vietnam Veterans/POW-MIA dragster will be in a great position for the Countdown to the Championship.

VIETNAM VETERANS/POW-MIA TOP FUEL DRAGSTER UNVEILED IN POMONA

Written by CompetitionPlus.com 2007

On Thursday, February 8th, 2007, nearly 30 POW/MIA family members and Vietnam veterans made it out to the Winternationals in Pomona, CA to witness the unveiling of a car dedicated to them. Melanie Troxel drives their high-horsepower wagon. 

Troxel's primary objective is to create a source of positive memories from a 10-year conflict many prefer to forget and others just can't escape. Troxel plans to get recognition for the 1,700-plus service personnel still listed as Missing In Action in Southeast Asia.

Troxel, who was the defending event champion, spoke during the unveiling.

"Our veterans do so much for us, especially our Vietnam veterans," Troxel said. "They went over and fought a war -- young Americans who gave so much of themselves, so many of them gave their lives...This is one small thing we can give back to them. I'm so proud to be involved in this.  It's such a huge honor for me to give something back to them.

“It’s so incredible to get to meet the Vietnam Veterans as well as all war veterans and those families with POW-MIA loved ones. They come by and thank us for our tribute and I tell them thanks because it is their sacrifice that has made what we do out here possible. I know this is just a little token but this is about Evan Knoll and the commitment he made to honor these wonderful people. It’s important that we convey that we haven’t forgotten our POWs and MIAs.”

The individual responsible for making it a reality was team owner, Evan Knoll, who has a personal connection to the Vietnam War through friends and family.

Evan Knoll will donate the proceeds of t-shirt sales for the Vietnam Veterans/MIA-POW Top Fuel Dragster presented by Torco Race Fuels and Lucas Oil. The funds will be dispersed amongst a group of approved organizations.

Knoll believes this will further solidify the true message this 8,000-horsepower dragster will convey. This entry is intended to bring awareness to the plight of the over 1,700 soldiers still missing in action from the from that conflict and serve as a source of pride for over 1.6 million Vietnam veterans.

“It’s just the natural thing to do,” Knoll said. “When we made our commitment to these brave soldiers and the families of those young men and women still missing in action, we didn’t make it on a percentage level. It’s all or nothing. Make no mistakes about it, we are committed to completing this mission and helping to our furthest extent.”

 

This beautiful shirt will be on sale at all twenty-three NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events as well on Torco Racing Fuels.

In addition to the significant donation, a POW-MIA and Vietnam Veterans of America flag will fly high above the team’s transporter at every event as well.

Melanie Troxel  ( Top Fuel ) Career Highlights & Driver Notes:

Melanie Troxel has two Top Fuel victories (06 Pomona1 and Las Vegas1) after 11 final round appearances.  She finished fourth in the 2006 NHRA Top Fuel Point standings with 1,471 points.  Established a new NHRA record, opening the 2006 season after racing to five consecutive final rounds taking two wins along the way.  That led to two ESPY nominations for Best Female Athlete of the year and Driver of the year.  Honored by the Billie Jean King Sports Foundation as“2006 Sports Woman of the Year”.

She sped to his fastest top speed of 332.51 mph on Feb. 10 in her final round of qualifying at the 2007 CarQuest Winternationals in Pomona, California.

 

She won two Budweiser low qualifier awards in 2006.

Personal

Married to Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr.

Hobbies: Snowboarding and golf

Notable: Captured two NHRA national event victories in Top Alcohol dragster in 1999 (Seattle and Topeka); Owns a specialty automotive tool shop that supplies tools to race teams and machine shops

Date of birth: Aug. 31 1972

Hometown: Avon, Ind.

Sponsor/Car: Vietnam Veterans/POW-MIA Top Fuel dragster

Career Wins:  4

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Ashley rebounds from sponsor speed bump with new deal, direction
1/15/2008

Mike Ashley
As one of Evan Knoll and Torco Race Fuels' most high-profile racers, Funny Car driver and team owner Mike Ashley has a unique insight into the recent announcement by his longtime sponsor to suddenly pull back its race team support for at least a year. Like many others, Ashley was caught by surprise and the fact he had already added former Top Fuel driver Melanie Troxel to his team only complicated matters.

In this exclusive interview with NHRA.com, Ashley discusses his heartfelt feelings on Knoll stepping back from the sport, the moves Ashley took to keep his team on track, his decision to put Troxel first in line, the signing of a new sponsor just 48 hours after Torco left, keeping his entire team intact, hiring Frank Hawley to drive his second car, and the partnership he's arranged with his Roger Burgess of ProCare Rx.

Q: So what happened with Torco?
Ashley: It really caught the entire industry by surprise, especially me. If you look back, I was one of the first guys to carry Torco's banner and I consider us as one of their flagship programs. We had these big plans with a two-car program and it really caught us by surprise. What I can tell you is this: that I know Evan very, very well, and for him to make this decision it had to be very painful. He is someone who has exhibited to me that he's a man of his word; also, it's just the way he is: He wants to try to help whoever he can and do as much as he can for anyone who comes to him asking for help. So for him to have to do this I believe it really has to be a serious health crisis for him.

I'm sure the decision was very difficult, but also very necessary. When I see all the negative things being said, it's sad. People have to exercise tolerance and patience, because if you look at what Evan Knoll has done for the sport in the past three years, it's remarkable how many people he's helped, present company included. You've got to look at what he did with the POW program, and a lot of other programs and sportsman drivers, even exhibition drivers and whole series. He's given a lot and deserves grace.

Q: So, after you got the call, what was your next thought?

Troxel and Ashley welcome Roger Burgess, center, to the team.
Ashley: Immediately, my first thought was, "Can I afford to do this on my own?" These cars, if you want to be competitive, burn through a lot of money, and I quickly met with my CFO from Lend America and with my wife Mindy to discuss things. It was just really tough personally.

I was actually one hour away from getting on a plane and flying to Indianapolis to maybe sell half the team when I got a telephone call from Roger Burgess. He said, "Mike, we're involved on the Pro Mod program, maybe this is something we need to take a look at." He agreed to meet me in Indy and talk about possibilities. That worked out to be a phone call I don't think I'll ever forget in my life. When he called me, he gave me a breath of fresh air.

When I arrived in Indy and got to our new shop, it took my breath away. When you walk in, it's this hugely beautiful professional shop with 15-16 employees all hard at work, all new parts, 20 motors, boxes of new parts all great equipment, chassis being worked on, and brand new trailer, and all of this, and you get the feeling this is a championship team. My thought was, "Oh, my. What am I going to do with all of this?" You work so hard to build something like this. Then Roger came in, saw the same thing, and said, "We've got to do something." After sitting down and taking for an hour or so, we decided to partner up on everything in Gotham City.

Q: So, what does this partnership involve?
Ashley: Roger brings so much more than just a sponsorship. Roger brings something that's just tremendous: success in everything he's involved in. He's got a background that is completely inspirational, and if anybody would take the time to sit down and learn what this man has been trough, they'd be amazed. He is a Vietnam War veteran. He was paralyzed and he came back from that. He built his business from scratch with his partner, and his wife Barbara. He's a committed married man -- he's been married for 40 plus years – you just look at all of that – and yes, the sponsorship is important – especially right now, but, him as an individual, I believe the two of us together, with what we've built, it'll be a fantastic relationship.

We've got a great driver in Melanie Troxel, four great crew chiefs -- Brian Corradi, Mark Oswald, Aaron Brooks, and Rob Centorbi -- all these guys are just first-class guys to run two teams, with my leadership and Roger's experience.

When we sat down, we talked about commitments, and both Roger and I have businesses to run, he's got incredibly successful companies to run, and I've got Lend America, so between the two of us, we'll work together to make things happen. Bottom line, I'll be more the operating partner, and he will be a director with me.

Q: So how did you find this sponsor so fast?
Click for bigger image

Ashley: Really, it took me 42 years, not 48 hours. There's no question that in order to get primary funding like this in such a short amount of time that it's devine intervention, but that works several ways. I think our team has done things in a way, like the Eric Blake Faulkner Foundation, like Make-a-Wish Foundation, and so many other things throughout the years -- the things that add up throughout a career -- that when things happen, it all comes back to you. I didn't work feverishly for 48 hours; I worked diligently for years so that people want to come be a part of this. Roger is the one who reached out to us, not the other way around. He's the one who deserves the credit. It was entirely his call.

Q: What's the next step for the second car?
Ashley: We are absolutely certain our team will provide excellent marketing opportunities, and we know we're going to be partnering up with someone very soon to take advantage of this great organization.

As soon as I put out the ProCare RX press release, I was inundated with calls, and we know we're going to get additional funding for a second car. I credit Roger with this forward thinking, he wanted to keep everything in place and keep all of the team members on salary and just plan on running the second car at selected events until we get complete funding.

Q: You've said Melanie will drive – why not you?
Ashley: I don't think you can ask for a better driver to have on your team Melanie. I'm very confident she will do remarkably in Funny Car, and I also think that she will do a great job in terms of marketing. She fits into our culture, and I like the idea of her driving. I also think Evan started something really special for the POWs and, although he can't continue it right now because of his health, there's no reason why we can't continue that program.

We're not certain who will drive the second car. It's most likely going to be Frank Hawley driving for now. Won't that be exciting to see Frank Hawley racing John Force again? I mean, look at this team, we've got Mark Oswald testing the car, Frank Hawley driving, Melanie Troxel driving the other car…pretty amazing, right?

Click for bigger image
Q: Again, why not you behind the wheel?
Ashley: Not racing will give me the time I need to focus on the team and spend time with my family, too. It's no secret I have young children, and I really missed them while I was on the road. I've also been spending a lot of time on Lend America. Obviously the mortgage business was difficult last year, but I think we did some good strategic planning and I've got a lot of things in my sights to help improve the lives of a lot of people, things I can't really divulge, but it will be good for the company and the public in general.

Q: Will you drive at all in 2008?
Ashley: First off, it's important to understand that Roger and I want to build a dynamic drag racing organization in all areas -- from how we handle our sponsors to how we conduct ourselves on the race track and how we work together as a team. However, both of us enjoy driving, too, so we've decided to go have fun with Pro Mods.

I've had a new car built by Tommy Mauney and it's geared up and ready to go with the combination of ProCare Rx, R2B2 Motors, and Lend America as sponsors. Roger has his car from the end of last year and we're teamed up. We've got Chuck Ford making all the power, and it's no secret that when Chuck and I teamed up last time that we won two championships.

We were looking to hire some additional people, so I put a post on a website and Howard Moon responded, saying he was not returning, and we thought this would be perfect. If you look at the past four years, Howard or Chuck has won three of championships, so it's definitely a powerhouse.

I think it's important for fans to understand that Gotham City is one team -- nitro, Pro Mod, whatever -- with several cars, not the other way around. We've got everyone's backs, and that's the way we run things.

Q: What else happened over the winter?
Ashley: It was an incredibly busy off-season. We hired Dr. Davis, from California, and did a lot of chassis research. We put our car on the only machine in the country that can simulate the stress of a Funny Car run. We did strength gauge testing and torque tests, and we have built what we think is the car of the future for Funny Car. Mark Oswald personally oversaw everything with chassis builder Chuck Haase, and they built a car that fits NHRA's specs. We also had Murf McKinney build us a car and we already had a car that only has two runs on it that's already been in the low 4.70s at more than 330 mph.

Q: What's been the reaction from fans through all this?
Ashley: It's been unbelievable. You can't believe the response from fans saying they are so happy to see us out there. We've gotten email after email supporting us; it's so humbling. I want to thank the fans for all of their support, and I want to thank all of the industry professionals who reached out to offer us their support, because it's really terrific to see how the NHRA community pulls together when something happens like that, and I am so appreciative.
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