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With only three qualifying sessions completed because of intermittent rain drops at the rescheduled Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Melanie Troxel and the Skull Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels Top Fuel team did their best to take advantage of the cool and overcast conditions here at Maple Grove Raceway.
Troxel's best run was the 4.566-second pass at 319.37 mph she set in Friday's second round, in which the car hazed the tires at the finish line. That run was good for No. 10 at the time, which followed a 4.587/327.74 in the first session (No. 6 at the time). A wiggle in her final attempt resulted in a 4.607/320.51 pass, dropping her one spot, to 11th.
"We're a little disappointed that we lost that last session," explained Troxel, fourth in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points, "because we definitely could have used it. We're still not running as well as we would like.
"The Skull Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels team is kind of at a point that we are making some drastic changes. Through the summer we thought the hot weather might have been part of the problem," said Troxel, who led the standings through the first 12 events of the year. "Now that the weather has cooled off, we're still not running as well as we were in the beginning of the year."
Troxel, who is a finalist for the Women's Sports Foundation's Sportswoman of the Year Award, which will be presented Oct. 16 in New York City, faces Larry Dixon in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday. "Maybe this gives us an opportunity to kind of sneak up on the Miller Lite team, and surprise them tomorrow. We'll go up and take our best shot at it, and see what happens."
Troxel Nabs No. 11 in Rescheduled Reading Qualifying
With only three qualifying sessions completed because of intermittent rain drops at the rescheduled Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Melanie Troxel and the Skull Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels Top Fuel team did their best to take advantage of the cool and overcast conditions here at Maple Grove Raceway.
Troxel's best run was the 4.566-second pass at 319.37 mph she set in Friday's second round, in which the car hazed the tires at the finish line. That run was good for No. 10 at the time, which followed a 4.587/327.74 in the first session (No. 6 at the time). A wiggle in her final attempt resulted in a 4.607/320.51 pass, dropping her one spot, to 11th.
"We're a little disappointed that we lost that last session," explained Troxel, fourth in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points, "because we definitely could have used it. We're still not running as well as we would like.
"The Skull Shine/Knoll Gas-Torco Race Fuels team is kind of at a point that we are making some drastic changes. Through the summer we thought the hot weather might have been part of the problem," said Troxel, who led the standings through the first 12 events of the year. "Now that the weather has cooled off, we're still not running as well as we were in the beginning of the year."
Troxel, who is a finalist for the Women's Sports Foundation's Sportswoman of the Year Award, which will be presented Oct. 16 in New York City, faces Larry Dixon in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday. "Maybe this gives us an opportunity to kind of sneak up on the Miller Lite team, and surprise them tomorrow. We'll go up and take our best shot at it, and see what happens."
