GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 16) -- Past success in drag racing doesn't earn you anything at the next event on the schedule. There simply are no provisionals to be had on the quarter mile.
Even so, FireIce Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Jay Payne knows he can lean heavily on his past experiences -- which include two world titles, 11 divisional crowns, and a stunning 103 race victories -- when the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series returns to Gainesville Raceway this weekend for the second Division 2 race of the year.
"We won a round in Pomona with a totally new transmission and clutch combination, which was an okay start, but I'm a little mad at myself because I played it safe and we didn't go further," said Payne, referring to last Sunday's effort at the historic season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. "The good news is we know exactly what we need to do; we need to go to Gainesville and get after it."
Last year, Payne won his 60th divisional title at this same event to kick off another memorable year that included four victories overall. The 2009 season also was Payne's first with FireIce as his title sponsor. The Jupiter, Fla.-based company manufacturers a non-toxic, environmentally friendly fire suppression gel firefighters add to water in pumper trucks, helicopters, fire planes, and handheld extinguishers to help extinguish fires much quicker than with water alone.
Aside from sponsoring Payne's racecars and saluting our nation's 1.1 million firefighters through its association with his race team, FireIce, a subsidiary of GelTech Solutions Inc., a publically traded corporation (OTCBB: GLTC), is a corporate partner to the Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which helps firefighters in need.
"This is the race where we sealed our deal with Jay last year," said Michael Cordani, CEO of GelTech. "He delivered a victory for us to start our relationship with a bang and he's been delivering great things for us ever since.
"Jay's a champion, in every sense of the word, and the way he represents FireIce and GelTech, both at the track and in the business world, is exceptional. I plan on being in Gainesville again this weekend and hopefully we'll get the same results!"
Payne certainly should be in the mix for the race title. Seven of his sportsman-level championships have come in Division 2, including four in a row from 2004-2007.
"We know the D2 players," Payne said. "We've been racing over there for a long time. We also know and love Gainesville Raceway. It can be a very quick racetrack and with this cool weather in Florida, we should all be flying. All I need to do is remember to stomp on the gas pedal."
Aside from FireIce, Payne receives support from World Wide Emergency Services Inc., an internationally recognized training and consulting company that has teamed up with GelTech Solutions to provide expertise to the end users of FireIce.
Even so, FireIce Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Jay Payne knows he can lean heavily on his past experiences -- which include two world titles, 11 divisional crowns, and a stunning 103 race victories -- when the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series returns to Gainesville Raceway this weekend for the second Division 2 race of the year.
"We won a round in Pomona with a totally new transmission and clutch combination, which was an okay start, but I'm a little mad at myself because I played it safe and we didn't go further," said Payne, referring to last Sunday's effort at the historic season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. "The good news is we know exactly what we need to do; we need to go to Gainesville and get after it."
Last year, Payne won his 60th divisional title at this same event to kick off another memorable year that included four victories overall. The 2009 season also was Payne's first with FireIce as his title sponsor. The Jupiter, Fla.-based company manufacturers a non-toxic, environmentally friendly fire suppression gel firefighters add to water in pumper trucks, helicopters, fire planes, and handheld extinguishers to help extinguish fires much quicker than with water alone.
Aside from sponsoring Payne's racecars and saluting our nation's 1.1 million firefighters through its association with his race team, FireIce, a subsidiary of GelTech Solutions Inc., a publically traded corporation (OTCBB: GLTC), is a corporate partner to the Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which helps firefighters in need.
"This is the race where we sealed our deal with Jay last year," said Michael Cordani, CEO of GelTech. "He delivered a victory for us to start our relationship with a bang and he's been delivering great things for us ever since.
"Jay's a champion, in every sense of the word, and the way he represents FireIce and GelTech, both at the track and in the business world, is exceptional. I plan on being in Gainesville again this weekend and hopefully we'll get the same results!"
Payne certainly should be in the mix for the race title. Seven of his sportsman-level championships have come in Division 2, including four in a row from 2004-2007.
"We know the D2 players," Payne said. "We've been racing over there for a long time. We also know and love Gainesville Raceway. It can be a very quick racetrack and with this cool weather in Florida, we should all be flying. All I need to do is remember to stomp on the gas pedal."
Aside from FireIce, Payne receives support from World Wide Emergency Services Inc., an internationally recognized training and consulting company that has teamed up with GelTech Solutions to provide expertise to the end users of FireIce.
