Richmond: Melanie Troxel Saturday summary

TROXEL CLAIMS NO. 7 IN RICHMOND QUALIFYING

DINWIDDIE, Va. (Oct. 14, 2006) - Melanie Troxel went down the quarter-mile at Virginia Motorsports Park in only three of the four Top Fuel qualifying sessions available to her for the rescheduled Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals and came up with a top-half qualifying spot: No. 7, with a 4.567-second elapsed time at 290.19 mph she recorded in the first round.

Those three runs demonstrated the consistency of the Skull Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels Top Fuel dragster she drives for Don Schumacher Racing, as her two other passes included a 4.578/304.13 and a 4.581/308.64.

"We had a very consistent car," said Troxel, fourth in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points and aiming to move up in the last three races of the season. "We ran within a few hundreds (of a second) on each of the three passes we made. Unfortunately, we didn't get to run that Friday night pass. Richard (Hogan, crew chief) just felt that the track was too cold (after a long clean-up delay took the session late into the evening). We had safety concerns and didn't want to go out on the track.

"I think in the majority of the sessions we were right there with everybody else. This track is still a little bit fresh for everybody (NHRA last raced here in 2000) and that makes racing on Sunday a little bit tougher, but I think we've got a good shot."

Troxel faces Troy Buff in first round of eliminations on Sunday.

-credit: dsr