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DALLAS (September 18, 2007) -- As the 2007 NHRA POWERade campaign nears the finish line, with only four races left on the docket, Jeff Arend often takes the time to look back over his first full season as a member of Worsham Racing, and when he does so he can't avoid seeing a variety of racing colors. As the driver of the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Impala, it has also been Arend's job to race a series of "special edition" cars for the team, including the bright yellow "Madman Murray" car, the orange and black K&N Filters Chevy, and the stunning Techron Impala. Now, as Arend heads to Dallas for this weekend's O'Reilly Fall Nationals, he will debut the team's final, and perhaps most visually appealing, special car for 2007. Arend will pilot the Havoline Deposit Shield Funny Car for two races, beginning with the Dallas event.
The Worsham team has run a series of Havoline cars over the years, dating back to the organization's first "car with the star" in 2001. The 2007 edition, however, is specifically designed to promote Deposit Shield, one of the most important innovations in Havoline's 102-year history. Deposit Shield is an advanced detergent technology formulation that works immediately on contact, coating moving motor parts to protect engines and keep them cleaner, while it also helps prevent premature aging. Arend was initially happy just to "drive such a cool looking car" but has since increased his anticipation, after learning about the benefits of this latest Havoline innovation.
"Everyone knows the Havoline brand, because it's been around forever and is one of the most trusted names in the automotive industry," Arend said. "So, when the people at Havoline call something one of their most important innovations ever, you have to sit up and take notice because they've developed a lot of great products over the last century. I've done my homework on Deposit Shield, and I can tell you without a doubt that it's going in my personal car.
"My job this weekend is to get the Havoline/CSK Impala in the show, and then win some rounds with it on Sunday. There's an old saying in auto racing, 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday' and I think we can do that for the great people at Havoline. The car is beautiful, so it will get a lot of attention at the race track, but we can take this message right to millions of consumers watching on ESPN2 by winning some rounds with it. I want to see bottles of Havoline with Deposit Shield flying off the shelves in record numbers next week, because people saw it in the Winner's Circle on Sunday."
Arend's hopes for on-track performance aren't based purely on fantasy.
He has qualified at 18 of the 19 races run to date, and he has advanced as far as the semi-finals on two different occasions. He was also the No. 1 qualifier at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, and has been able to defeat Countdown drivers Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, and Tony Pedregon at various points throughout the campaign. As far as he is concerned, it's just a matter of time before his team's hard work and perseverance pay off in a big way.
"This season has been great at times, and frustrating at others, but in the end I've just been honored to drive this car for these guys," he said. "From Del and Chuck Worsham at the very top, to my crew chiefs Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner, to every guy on this team, it's been a thrill to be associated with all of them and it's been really fun to drive this car. Even though we've had some great races this season, for some reason we haven't been able to get past the semi-finals, but the year isn't over yet. As far as I'm concerned, any team that can qualify number one at Indy, or can even advance as far as the semi's in today's Funny Car class, has proven they have the right stuff to be winners.
"This week, we're heading to one of the best and fastest tracks in the world, the Texas Motorplex, so we're going down to Big D with our Havoline car primed and ready for big performance. With the people at Havoline and Checker, Schuck's, Kragen, behind us, it sure would be a great time to take this car to the next level and win a race."
Such an outcome would certainly be a thrill for the car's designer, as well. The Havoline Impala's striking graphics, which feature a "ripped metal" design, were conceived by 16-year old Danny Rubin, who was also responsible for the Techron cars the team has fielded the last two years. The son of a CSK staff member, Rubin has quickly developed into a "cutting edge" car designer while still in high school, and Arend is the driver who has the pleasure of putting his creations on the race track.
"Danny has a great future in car design, and if he sticks with it I think he could be very successful," Arend said. "So, while we're working at promoting Havoline with Deposit Shield, we'll also be promoting Danny's work. I say let's make everybody famous. Our goal is to qualify, land high in the field, and win those rounds. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday!"
If the "Win on Sunday" piece of the equation is completed, young Mr. Rubin might easily share some of the rewards with the fine folks at Havoline. Both of their products, in the end, could be in great demand.
AREND CARRYING A SHIELD INTO DALLAS EVENT
DALLAS (September 18, 2007) -- As the 2007 NHRA POWERade campaign nears the finish line, with only four races left on the docket, Jeff Arend often takes the time to look back over his first full season as a member of Worsham Racing, and when he does so he can't avoid seeing a variety of racing colors. As the driver of the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Impala, it has also been Arend's job to race a series of "special edition" cars for the team, including the bright yellow "Madman Murray" car, the orange and black K&N Filters Chevy, and the stunning Techron Impala. Now, as Arend heads to Dallas for this weekend's O'Reilly Fall Nationals, he will debut the team's final, and perhaps most visually appealing, special car for 2007. Arend will pilot the Havoline Deposit Shield Funny Car for two races, beginning with the Dallas event.
The Worsham team has run a series of Havoline cars over the years, dating back to the organization's first "car with the star" in 2001. The 2007 edition, however, is specifically designed to promote Deposit Shield, one of the most important innovations in Havoline's 102-year history. Deposit Shield is an advanced detergent technology formulation that works immediately on contact, coating moving motor parts to protect engines and keep them cleaner, while it also helps prevent premature aging. Arend was initially happy just to "drive such a cool looking car" but has since increased his anticipation, after learning about the benefits of this latest Havoline innovation.
"Everyone knows the Havoline brand, because it's been around forever and is one of the most trusted names in the automotive industry," Arend said. "So, when the people at Havoline call something one of their most important innovations ever, you have to sit up and take notice because they've developed a lot of great products over the last century. I've done my homework on Deposit Shield, and I can tell you without a doubt that it's going in my personal car.
"My job this weekend is to get the Havoline/CSK Impala in the show, and then win some rounds with it on Sunday. There's an old saying in auto racing, 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday' and I think we can do that for the great people at Havoline. The car is beautiful, so it will get a lot of attention at the race track, but we can take this message right to millions of consumers watching on ESPN2 by winning some rounds with it. I want to see bottles of Havoline with Deposit Shield flying off the shelves in record numbers next week, because people saw it in the Winner's Circle on Sunday."
Arend's hopes for on-track performance aren't based purely on fantasy.
He has qualified at 18 of the 19 races run to date, and he has advanced as far as the semi-finals on two different occasions. He was also the No. 1 qualifier at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, and has been able to defeat Countdown drivers Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, and Tony Pedregon at various points throughout the campaign. As far as he is concerned, it's just a matter of time before his team's hard work and perseverance pay off in a big way.
"This season has been great at times, and frustrating at others, but in the end I've just been honored to drive this car for these guys," he said. "From Del and Chuck Worsham at the very top, to my crew chiefs Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner, to every guy on this team, it's been a thrill to be associated with all of them and it's been really fun to drive this car. Even though we've had some great races this season, for some reason we haven't been able to get past the semi-finals, but the year isn't over yet. As far as I'm concerned, any team that can qualify number one at Indy, or can even advance as far as the semi's in today's Funny Car class, has proven they have the right stuff to be winners.
"This week, we're heading to one of the best and fastest tracks in the world, the Texas Motorplex, so we're going down to Big D with our Havoline car primed and ready for big performance. With the people at Havoline and Checker, Schuck's, Kragen, behind us, it sure would be a great time to take this car to the next level and win a race."
Such an outcome would certainly be a thrill for the car's designer, as well. The Havoline Impala's striking graphics, which feature a "ripped metal" design, were conceived by 16-year old Danny Rubin, who was also responsible for the Techron cars the team has fielded the last two years. The son of a CSK staff member, Rubin has quickly developed into a "cutting edge" car designer while still in high school, and Arend is the driver who has the pleasure of putting his creations on the race track.
"Danny has a great future in car design, and if he sticks with it I think he could be very successful," Arend said. "So, while we're working at promoting Havoline with Deposit Shield, we'll also be promoting Danny's work. I say let's make everybody famous. Our goal is to qualify, land high in the field, and win those rounds. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday!"
If the "Win on Sunday" piece of the equation is completed, young Mr. Rubin might easily share some of the rewards with the fine folks at Havoline. Both of their products, in the end, could be in great demand.
