NHRA: Troxel, Fans Share History At Thunder Valley

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Melanie Troxel took a fast ride into history late Sunday night at Bristol Dragway.

With her victory in the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Troxel became the first woman to win in Funny Car and Top Fuel. Troxel was more focused on the big story than one chapter during her post-race press conference, though.

“I think your first pro win is always going to be the biggest, but this ranks right up there,” Troxel said. “I remember my first win in the Alcohol class, my first in Top Fuel and now this.”

As for the questions about the fact that she’s a female, Troxel again pointed to the big picture.

“I’ve never liked to judge myself against only the female [drivers],” Troxel said. “ I think it’s silly for Ashley [Force] and I to worry about which one of us is better. I’d like to set my bar by competing against everybody, not the just the males or females.”

Few drag racing fans will forget Sunday’s marathon session at Thunder Valley, which featured seven rain delays.

“That can kind of mess with your head, but I just tried to laugh it off,” Troxel said. “I think I did three burnouts before the first round, was in my fire suit six times, and got strapped in the car four or five times. It was a long day, but a great day.”

Only 14 drivers, including Troxel’s husband Tommy Johnson,  have posted wins in Top Fuel and Funny Car.

“I haven’t given that any thought, to be honest,” Troxel said. “We were just so focused on going some rounds and getting that win, so [winning in two divisions] is kind of like icing on the cake.”

Despite overcast skies, the first round of eliminations in Top Fuel were held as scheduled at noon. After one Funny Car pass, the action was halted due to rain. Six more rain delays followed, as several drivers fired their cars three times before being forced to shut down.

The story in Pro Stock was bizarre, as the top two qualifiers (Warren Johnson and his son Kurt Johnson) were both upset in the first round along with Allen Johnson of Greeneville, Tenn. Meanwhile, NHRA officials timed Max Naylor out for not staging his car within the required time.

Both of the semifinals were won with starting line advantages, with Dave Connolly and Stanfield advancing.

The championship was finally decided at 10:20 p.m., as Connolly used a fast start (.014) to win with a time of 6.731 seconds at 204.70 mph. Connolly, who missed the first three NHRA races this season due to a lack of sponsorship, has now advanced to two straight final rounds.

“It’s definitely been up and down,” said Connolly of his 2008 season. “It makes you appreciate everything that much more.
“When you have team chemistry like we do, it really helps. It’s like riding a bicycle. You just have to jump back on and go.”

Connolly admitted that his forced layoff from the track was frustrating.

“It was rough,” Connolly said. “I stayed busy doing Sportsman racing, but this is what it’s all about.
“We looked at the racetrack before the final and there was nothing there. We kind of had to make our own groove, but it worked out for us.”

Six-time world champion Warren Johnson had set both ends of the track record in a qualifying loss to Mike Edwards, who was near perfect at the starting light in the first two rounds.

“Even though the elapsed time (6.760) looked good as compared to everyone else, it was just an ugly run, our second worst of the weekend on correction,” Johnson said.

Due to the rain and changing temperatures, crew chiefs and drivers spent nearly the entire day in a guessing game.

Focus was also vital for five-time Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher, who defeated Larry Dixon in Sunday’s final.

“I was a little concerned that I was going to fog up staging the car, so I flipped my visor up a little and things worked out,” Schumacher said. “We went to the last two finals and got beat. That was disappointing and it plays a little in your mind, but it feels great to win at an awesome place like this.”

The resume continues to grow for Schumacher, who has posted 44 career wins in 75 final rounds. According to Schumacher, there are no magic formulas.

“We do everything we can to stay ahead,” Schumacher said. “We went to the finals at the last race, then went to Chicago and tested stuff we will need later in the season.

“That’s just what our team does. People can call us any names they want, but I didn’t see anyone else out there testing. That’s what we do to win championships. It’s not the parts or the pieces, it’s the effort and we put a lot into it.”

(276) 669-2544