"Nitro Nick" Boninfante, owner of the U.S. Male nostalgia nitro Funny Car, announced today that he's selected journeyman Funny Car driver, Phil Burkhart, to drive the U.S. Male for the 2009 season.
 
Boninfante, who has already booked seven match races for the U.S. Male this year and is expecting to add at least four more dates to the schedule, needed a driver he could count on to get the car down the track and Burkhart was the obvious choice.
 
Burkhart, who has four NHRA Funny Car wins during his career, has driven for Del Worsham, Paul Smith and most recently was the choice to fill in for multi-time NHRA Funny Car champ John Force after his serious accident in Dallas in 2007.  Burkhart jumped in the seat and he drove Force's car to the finals of the season ending NHRA World Finals at Pomona, Calif. where he lost to team Force driver Robert Height in the final round. "Nitro Nick" Boninfante, owner of the U.S. Male nostalgia nitro Funny Car, announced today that he's selected journeyman Funny Car driver, Phil Burkhart, to drive the U.S. Male for the 2009 season.
 
Boninfante, who has already booked seven match races for the U.S. Male this year and is expecting to add at least four more dates to the schedule, needed a driver he could count on to get the car down the track and Burkhart was the obvious choice.
 
Burkhart, who has four NHRA Funny Car wins during his career, has driven for Del Worsham, Paul Smith and most recently was the choice to fill in for multi-time NHRA Funny Car champ John Force after his serious accident in Dallas in 2007.  Burkhart jumped in the seat and he drove Force's car to the finals of the season ending NHRA World Finals at Pomona, Calif. where he lost to team Force driver Robert Height in the final round.
 
"When I heard that Phil was interested in driving the car I called him right away and he jumped at the chance to drive the U.S. Male," Boninfante said.  "To have a driver with the experience Phil has drive my car was a no-brainer, with his background of getting fuel cars down tricky tracks he was the perfect choice.  If John Force picked him for his replacement I know he's got what it takes to get the job done."
 
Burkhart was ecstatic about the phone call from Boninfante.
 
"When Nick Sr. called me I flipped out," Burkhart said.  "I've been spending the past few years looking for an NHRA ride but the opportunities over there are slim to none until the economy picks up.  Since then I've been driving my top sportsman dragster in the Northeast but I've always wanted to get back behind the wheel of a Funny Car. This genre of Funny Cars was way before my time but I read about them when I was a little kid growing up in the magazines and to have Nick, Nicky Jr. and Rob Boninfante pick me to drive their car is an honor, I'm really looking forward to getting behind the butterflies and match racing like my heroes like "Jungle Jim" and Al Hoffman, and other stars in the northeast did back then."
 
Burkhart will be driving the U.S. Male at the following events with more to be added soon:
 
"Night Of Thrills"  Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ.  Saturday, May 30th.
 
"Funny Cars Under The Stars" New England Dragway, Epping, N.H.  Saturday, June 13th
 
"Night Of Fire"  Maple Grove Dragway, Reading, Pa. Saturday, June 20th.
 
"Funny Car Reunion" Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J.  Sunday, July 26th.
 
"NHRA Toyo Tires Nationals" Maple Grove Dragway, Reading, Pa. Aug. 20-23
 
"Geezers At The Grove", Maple Grove Dragway, Reading, Pa.  Saturday, Sept. 12th
 
"East Coast Nostilgia Drags" Capitol Raceway, Crofton, Md.  Oct. 10.

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