Memphis: Melanie Troxel final report

Troxel has traction trouble in Memphis
Troxel runs into tire smoke again in first round

MEMPHIS, Sept. 28, 2008 -- Melanie Troxel's competitive Sunday at Memphis Motorsports Park, was ruined by tire smoke in her first-round pairing against Tim Wilkerson in the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals.

After turning in four solid qualifying laps and starting sixth, her R2B2 Racing Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car spun the tires on the 1000-foot run and erased any chance of catching Wilkerson. She left the starting line first but he gradually pulled away to the win in 4.186 seconds at 295.21 mph to Troxel's 4.672 at 238.30.

Wilkerson, the series point leader, went on to win the event.

"The car moved left and reacted differently than (crew chiefs) Brian (Corradi) and Mark (Oswald) expected," said Troxel.

"To run four good laps like that in qualifying and then have that happen is frustrating," said Oswald.

The team gets a break after races in three straight weeks. The next outing is at Richmond, Va., Oct. 10-12.

-credit: r2b2