TROXEL PULLS OFF SUCCESSFUL DOUBLE DUTY WEEKEND
Mon, 2010-03-15 14:00
Melanie Troxel was among six Pro Modified drivers who met with the Gainesville media, and during the press conference she was asked if a blown doorslammer was essentially a Funny Car with doors.
Troxel was the most qualified driver at the NHRA Gatornationals to answer the question.
“I’ve never driven two different cars on the same weekend, so it has been a challenge,” Troxel explained. “Originally my concerns were with the different driving styles going down the track but after the Phoenix event I got to drive the Pro Modified for the following days in Florida.”
The largest concern for Troxel headed into the weekend was the different starting line demands.
Melanie Troxel was among six Pro Modified drivers who met with the Gainesville media, and during the press conference she was asked if a blown
doorslammer was essentially a Funny Car with doors.
Troxel was the most qualified driver at the NHRA Gatornationals to answer the question.
“I’ve never driven two different cars on the same weekend, so it has been a challenge,” Troxel explained. “Originally my concerns were with the different driving styles going down the track but after the Phoenix event I got to drive the Pro Modified for the following days in Florida.”
The largest concern for Troxel headed into the weekend was the different starting line demands.
“I jumped in each car and went through the starting line procedures ten time straight before we started the car,” Troxel said. “We’re talking pretty catastrophic differences here. I knew it could get really ugly if I made a mistake and forgot which car I was in.”
Troxel says there’s a lot of manhandling for the nitro Funny Car but believes the Pro Modified car is the most demanding race car she’s ever driven in her life.
“When you add in the suspension to that car already making lots of horsepower, and those cars get unhappy, theirs is nothing out there tougher to drive,” Troxel explained. “After I put one on the lid on my third pass, I started calling them ‘angry little race cars.”
“You don’t know what is going to happen and that’s why fans love them. At any time you can be facing the wall or crossing the center-line. There is nothing tougher to drive.”
“I’ve probably had more fun in the last two years in coming back and racing Pro Modified,” said Troxel. “That’s not to say I haven’t had fun. But this fun ranks up there with the days I had in Top Alcohol Dragster running the In-N-Out car. All of this is coming back full circle to me where I am having a lot of fun in the car.”
Troxel qualified No. 3 with her personal quickest pass of 5.888 seconds at 236.71 miles per hour. She defeated Chip King in the first round before experiencing an angry race car in the quarter-finals opposite Kenny Lang.
Troxel was the most qualified driver at the NHRA Gatornationals to answer the question.
“I’ve never driven two different cars on the same weekend, so it has been a challenge,” Troxel explained. “Originally my concerns were with the different driving styles going down the track but after the Phoenix event I got to drive the Pro Modified for the following days in Florida.”
The largest concern for Troxel headed into the weekend was the different starting line demands.
Melanie Troxel was among six Pro Modified drivers who met with the Gainesville media, and during the press conference she was asked if a blown
doorslammer was essentially a Funny Car with doors.Troxel was the most qualified driver at the NHRA Gatornationals to answer the question.
“I’ve never driven two different cars on the same weekend, so it has been a challenge,” Troxel explained. “Originally my concerns were with the different driving styles going down the track but after the Phoenix event I got to drive the Pro Modified for the following days in Florida.”
The largest concern for Troxel headed into the weekend was the different starting line demands.
“I jumped in each car and went through the starting line procedures ten time straight before we started the car,” Troxel said. “We’re talking pretty catastrophic differences here. I knew it could get really ugly if I made a mistake and forgot which car I was in.”
Troxel says there’s a lot of manhandling for the nitro Funny Car but believes the Pro Modified car is the most demanding race car she’s ever driven in her life.
“When you add in the suspension to that car already making lots of horsepower, and those cars get unhappy, theirs is nothing out there tougher to drive,” Troxel explained. “After I put one on the lid on my third pass, I started calling them ‘angry little race cars.”
“You don’t know what is going to happen and that’s why fans love them. At any time you can be facing the wall or crossing the center-line. There is nothing tougher to drive.”
“I’ve probably had more fun in the last two years in coming back and racing Pro Modified,” said Troxel. “That’s not to say I haven’t had fun. But this fun ranks up there with the days I had in Top Alcohol Dragster running the In-N-Out car. All of this is coming back full circle to me where I am having a lot of fun in the car.”
Troxel qualified No. 3 with her personal quickest pass of 5.888 seconds at 236.71 miles per hour. She defeated Chip King in the first round before experiencing an angry race car in the quarter-finals opposite Kenny Lang.
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