Gainesville: Marc White preview

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Just a few weeks ago, Federal Mogul Funny Car driver Marc White rolled into Gainesville Raceway for the Division 2 Federal Mogul Drag Racing Series opener to get some test laps on his brand new 2001 Firebird. This weekend, White and the Etterman Racing team will be looking to take the data they gathered in that outing and turn it into a win at this weekend's Mac Tool Gatornationals, just outside of Gainesville, Fla.

White, from Glendale Heights, Ill., made it to the semifinals of that race in February, where he was defeated by six time World Champion Frank Manzo. The gameplan going into that weekend was to use the race strictly as a testing event. With that race in the books, the team now has it's sight on bringing home the Gatornationals trophy back to Illinois.

"We were real happy with what we did in Gainesville last time," said White. "With the data we gathered, we see that there is a whole lot left in the car. We plan on going down there and being in the hunt. If all things go well, we should have a shot at winning this race."

White was able to dip into the 5.80's at that race, and feels more may be in store this weekend.

"I really believe we should be able to run mid 5.70's," stated White. "If the weather is comparable to the way it was last time we were there, and if we do the right things, there is definitely mid 5.70's in this car right now."

"We think the car can be a contender this year," continued White. "I hate to say definitely, because this sport can humble you real quick, but we definitely feel we have a car that can play hardball with these guys."

Qualifying begins 10 a.m. Friday for the Federal Mogul Funny Cars with round two of qualifying at 4 p.m. Stay tuned to the Etterman Racing team's new website, www.EttermanRacing.com. for day by day updates of the team's progress in Gainesville.

-Etterman Racing