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TEMECULA, Calif. (May 28, 2008) – With one third of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season completed, Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Jerry Toliver is more than ready to start winning rounds and accumulating points so he can take part in the Countdown to the Championship. The 2008 playoffs begin after the top 10 in the standings are established at the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend.
The newest member of the four-car Funny Car team at Don Schumacher Racing is 17th in the Funny Car rankings, just 105 points out of the top 10, and is aiming to get back in the hunt this weekend at the NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.
"I'm extremely frustrated with our results so far," said Toliver, who has yet to advance to the quarterfinal round. "Like I've said before, it's not from lack of effort. Everybody on the Rockstar Energy Drink team is working his ass off trying to get this Funny Car turned around. We're testing every chance we get and we're going to get it. It's just taking longer than we expected."
Toliver is not alone in his struggles. In only eight events, there have been seven different winners and nine top contenders have failed to qualify at least once. Melanie Troxel, winner of the last event in Bristol, Tenn., failed to qualify four times and had not won a round until Bristol.
"This has been a strange year for the Funny Car class," said Toliver. "You look across the board and we've only had one repeat winner and we've had cars that haven't won a round that have gone to the final round or won the race. It's a matter of the luck of the draw and qualifying better.
"Qualifying in the top half of the field is extremely important and that's one thing we've got to cure. When that happens I think everything will fall into place. Hopefully, in Topeka is where it will happen.
"We started off the season with a bang," said Toliver, who missed the pole at the season-opener in Pomona (Calif.) because of speed. "We qualified No. 2 and set low elapsed time and I thought, Wow, this is going to be something. And then we got bit first round.
"Our performances this year in the first round could have waltzed us into the final round on a couple of occasions," said Toliver, “but we've got to get by the first round. It's a very tough class, without a doubt. And therefore it's the most exciting for the fans.
"Heartland Park is a great facility,” he added. “It has a very flat surface and it was one of the faster race tracks prior to some of the newer super tracks. As always, we have great fans who show up in droves. I look forward to going in and qualifying in the top half of the field and starting to go some rounds."
JERRY TOLIVER QUICK FACTS:
* No. 17 in Funny Car point standings after eight events in 2008
* Qualified 12th at last year's NHRA Summer Nationals, lost first round to Tim Wilkerson
* Debuted new sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink at 2007 Las Vegas event
* Qualified second at 2008 season-opening Winternationals, tying for No. 1 with the quickest Funny Car run of the weekend, (4.790 seconds)
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing for the 2008 season
* 19th in 2007 Funny Car point standings after running limited schedule (19 races)
* Returned to Funny Car competition in 2007 after two-year hiatus with new sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink
* Qualified in the top half of the field twice last season; had top speed of the event in Denver
* Made Funny Car debut in 1998 running 12 races with sponsorship from MAD Magazine
* Earned first Funny Car national event win over John Force at 1999 NHRA Finals at Pomona
* Won five races in 10 career final rounds as driver
* Won seven races in 14 final rounds as a team owner
* First Top-10 season finish in 1999 (eighth)
* Finished career-high No. 3 in Funny Car points in 2000 with career-best three wins in seven final rounds
* Named Car Craft Magazine "Person of the Year" in 2000 for his contributions to drag racing
* Debuted WWF Get R.E.A.L (Respect, Education, Achievement, Leadership) National Youth Education Program in 2001
* Nephew of drag racing pioneers and Hall of Fame members, Art and Jack Chrisman
TOLIVER SEEKS TO GET BACK IN THE HUNT IN TOPEKA
TEMECULA, Calif. (May 28, 2008) – With one third of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season completed, Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Jerry Toliver is more than ready to start winning rounds and accumulating points so he can take part in the Countdown to the Championship. The 2008 playoffs begin after the top 10 in the standings are established at the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend.
The newest member of the four-car Funny Car team at Don Schumacher Racing is 17th in the Funny Car rankings, just 105 points out of the top 10, and is aiming to get back in the hunt this weekend at the NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.
"I'm extremely frustrated with our results so far," said Toliver, who has yet to advance to the quarterfinal round. "Like I've said before, it's not from lack of effort. Everybody on the Rockstar Energy Drink team is working his ass off trying to get this Funny Car turned around. We're testing every chance we get and we're going to get it. It's just taking longer than we expected."
Toliver is not alone in his struggles. In only eight events, there have been seven different winners and nine top contenders have failed to qualify at least once. Melanie Troxel, winner of the last event in Bristol, Tenn., failed to qualify four times and had not won a round until Bristol.
"This has been a strange year for the Funny Car class," said Toliver. "You look across the board and we've only had one repeat winner and we've had cars that haven't won a round that have gone to the final round or won the race. It's a matter of the luck of the draw and qualifying better.
"Qualifying in the top half of the field is extremely important and that's one thing we've got to cure. When that happens I think everything will fall into place. Hopefully, in Topeka is where it will happen.
"We started off the season with a bang," said Toliver, who missed the pole at the season-opener in Pomona (Calif.) because of speed. "We qualified No. 2 and set low elapsed time and I thought, Wow, this is going to be something. And then we got bit first round.
"Our performances this year in the first round could have waltzed us into the final round on a couple of occasions," said Toliver, “but we've got to get by the first round. It's a very tough class, without a doubt. And therefore it's the most exciting for the fans.
"Heartland Park is a great facility,” he added. “It has a very flat surface and it was one of the faster race tracks prior to some of the newer super tracks. As always, we have great fans who show up in droves. I look forward to going in and qualifying in the top half of the field and starting to go some rounds."
JERRY TOLIVER QUICK FACTS:
* No. 17 in Funny Car point standings after eight events in 2008
* Qualified 12th at last year's NHRA Summer Nationals, lost first round to Tim Wilkerson
* Debuted new sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink at 2007 Las Vegas event
* Qualified second at 2008 season-opening Winternationals, tying for No. 1 with the quickest Funny Car run of the weekend, (4.790 seconds)
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing for the 2008 season
* 19th in 2007 Funny Car point standings after running limited schedule (19 races)
* Returned to Funny Car competition in 2007 after two-year hiatus with new sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink
* Qualified in the top half of the field twice last season; had top speed of the event in Denver
* Made Funny Car debut in 1998 running 12 races with sponsorship from MAD Magazine
* Earned first Funny Car national event win over John Force at 1999 NHRA Finals at Pomona
* Won five races in 10 career final rounds as driver
* Won seven races in 14 final rounds as a team owner
* First Top-10 season finish in 1999 (eighth)
* Finished career-high No. 3 in Funny Car points in 2000 with career-best three wins in seven final rounds
* Named Car Craft Magazine "Person of the Year" in 2000 for his contributions to drag racing
* Debuted WWF Get R.E.A.L (Respect, Education, Achievement, Leadership) National Youth Education Program in 2001
* Nephew of drag racing pioneers and Hall of Fame members, Art and Jack Chrisman
