The absence of the Foley & Lewis team at IHRA events has been very noticeable. Today comes word the team intends to pursue regular status on the NHRA POWERade tour. When Doug Foley was a no-show for Grand Bend, the speculation swirled.

Doug Foley said, “We have been negotiating for a while with our sponsor, Evan Knoll and Torco, in order to be able to run full-time on the NHRA POWERade circuit. Our skipping the Grand Bend race was already in the works and really had no bearing on our future plans

The Foley & Lewis team has run a limited amount of NHRA races so far this year and have proven themselves quite well with two semi-final round finishes along with qualifying at each event attended after the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. It was then when crew chief Doug Kuch returned to the team after a short hiatus. His stay since that time has resulted in consistent qualifying performances that have translated into round wins during Sunday eliminations.
The absence of the Foley & Lewis team at IHRA events has been very noticeable. Today comes word the team intends to pursue regular status on the NHRA POWERade tour. When Doug Foley was a no-show for Grand Bend, the speculation swirled.

Doug Foley said, “We have been negotiating for a while with our sponsor, Evan Knoll and Torco, in order to be able to run full-time on the NHRA POWERade circuit. Our skipping the Grand Bend race was already in the works and really had no bearing on our future plans

The Foley & Lewis team has run a limited amount of NHRA races so far this year and have proven themselves quite well with two semi-final round finishes along with qualifying at each event attended after the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. It was then when crew chief Doug Kuch returned to the team after a short hiatus. His stay since that time has resulted in consistent qualifying performances that have translated into round wins during Sunday eliminations.

Foley says, “Our plans for the remainder of the year are as follows. The next event for the Foley & Lewis Mach Series Accelerator-sponsored car will be the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota this coming weekend. From that point on, we will be running the entire NHRA POWERade tour. I can’t thank Evan [Knoll] enough for giving us this opportunity to showcase our team on the NHRA side.

“Our crew, comprised of Glenn Camp, Scott Morrell, Joe Janisch, Chris Cycak, Charlie Zellman, Dave McQuay, and Mike Eubanks,” says Foley, “work very hard and our performance is a direct result of their work. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give them the credit they deserve. These guys are the best and I would stack them up against anyone.”

Team sponsor Knoll has also been excited about the growth and advances the New Jersey-based Top Fuel team has made over the last couple of years, citing their ability to adapt quickly to changes necessary in today’s sport.

“We’ve learned quite a lot recently,” Foley says, “and one important thing is that we can run the types of numbers that allow us to be competitive on the POWERade circuit. It’s now time for us to take it to the next level and with Torco’s help, we’ll be able to accomplish that goal. Now we’re looking forward to being in contention for one of the top eight spots in the 2008 NHRA Countdown to the Championship.”