Championship Drag Racing

ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals
Gainesville, Fla.
(March 13-16)

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Driver Profile

Melanie Troxel In-n-Out Burger Dodge R/T

Gainesville, pre-race: Gotham City Racing driver Melanie Troxel spent the week with her teammate and former driving instructor Frank Hawley at the Eastern Spring Test Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park, testing in her ProCare Rx Dodge Charger R/T to prepare for the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals this weekend in Gainesville, Fla. Pleased with her time behind the wheel and the results of the test session, Troxel said she is anxious to "go racing."
 
"We had a really good test session this week," Troxel said. "Of course, every lap I take makes me more comfortable, but this week we really worked on the steering in the car, and Brian [Corradi, crew chief] and the team focused on where to put the additional weight in the car."
 
Because of NHRA Funny Car rule changes raising the minimum weight to 2,555 pounds, teams were required to add 100 pounds to the chassis, and in Troxel's case, the team had to add additional 30-40 pounds because of the weight difference between her and Mike Ashley who drove the car in 2007.
 
"It's kind of like a jigsaw puzzle, where to hang the extra ballast - a little here, a little there, but it's given Mark [Oswald, co-crew chief] and Brian a lot more options with their tuning. I feel really comfortable with the team and the way the car is running, and I'm excited about running with Frank in Gainesville.
 
"Things are all coming together so well, and it's like it just makes sense that he will be returning to competition in his home town. Add to that the fact that [team co-owners] Mike Ashley and Roger Burgess will be running in their Pro Mods, and, it's definitely going to be a great weekend for Gotham City Racing fans," Troxel said.
 
"Now, I'm ready to hit the track and go racing," she said.

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