Robertson and Eaton TA/FC Team Score First NHRA North Central Region Championship

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion

 

HARRISON TWP, Mich. (November 25, 2015) – Todd Robertson and his Eaton Corporation team had little experience with flip-top Funny Cars when they entered NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car competition in 2012. The former Outlaw Pro Mod standout admits he still has a lot to learn, but Robertson has progressed significantly in four years of competition. He kicked off the 2015 season with his first TA/FC win and went on to win the season championship in the NHRA North Central Region.

Robertson started the year with high expectations after reaching the final round at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in 2014. The Michigan native picked up his first-ever NHRA Wally when he drove his Eaton Monte Carlo to the winner's circle at the season-opening Lucas Oil Series North Central regional event in Indy.

“We left everything pretty much untouched from the year before since we did well at the U.S. Nationals in the fall. That strategy worked out for us. It was a crazy weekend because the parachutes kept going underneath the car, then I had no brakes or parachutes in the final so I ended up in the gravel. The winner's circle photos were taken after we towed the car back and dusted off the body,” Robertson remembers of the exciting weekend.

The Eaton/Aeroquip team continued their success at the next race at Norwalk. Racing in front of a sold-out Summit Motorsports Park crowd, Robertson again raced to the final round, this time falling to west coast sensation Doug Gordon because of an engine failure. Robertson struggled with early round losses at the next three races, but maintained his lead.

“We had the regional points lead all season long,” Robertson said. “After Columbus we shared the points lead with Paul Noakes until we passed him at the next race at St. Louis, where we passed him by only whatever points we received for going through tech inspection. We had issues with the car and didn't qualify.”

Robertson's season picked back up at the Bowling Green event, though. Despite the fact that the Beech Bend Raceway track was new to Todd and his team, led by crew chief Dennis Kolomyjec, the Eaton Top Alcohol Funny Car went on to another final round. Robertson clinched the championship at the Earlville race, where he qualified number two, a career-best qualifying position.

The 2015 NHRA Lucas Oil Series North Central Region championship is a coveted title for Robertson, not just because of the ultra-competitive nature of the class, but also because his team is so new to the class.

“This was our fourth year doing this. We came here with no prior background in alcohol Funny Car. Nobody knew us. We did it with no hired leadership. It's been a great learning experience. To go on and win the regional championship...I don't even dream that big.

“There are a lot of big racers that we race against, a lot of second-generation drivers. I had never even touched an alcohol Funny Car before I bought one four years ago. It's been a whole lot of learning. That's the challenge that I love, learning how to make everything work together. We pretty much do everything from one end of the car to the other; that's the only way to understand and successfully race these things. A lot of time and a lot of energy from a great bunch of people go into this.”

Todd Robertson and the Eaton Corporation/Aeroquip Top Alcohol Funny Car team will celebrate their first championship title at the NHRA North Central awards banquet, December 12, in Indianapolis.

ProPower Motorsports is a NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car team owned by driver Todd Robertson. Based in Harrison Township, Michigan, the team competes in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series national events and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional events throughout the Midwest. The Eaton Corporation-backed driver also receives support from Aeroquip, DMPE, Lucas Oil Products, PAC Springs, Total Seal, CV Products, Safety Kleen, Clevite Bearings, Mike Nabor Fabrication, Line to Line Coatings, and Jax Wax.

Hunter Reflects on Successful First Season with Synoil Racing

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photo courtesy of David Smith/PSA

SHERIDAN, Wyo. (November 26, 2014) – The 2014 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season was a promising start for Greg Hunter and the Synoil Energy Services/Exact Air Top Alcohol Funny Car team. While both the driver and team had plenty of prior racing experience, the combo hadn't raced together before the start of the season. After developing a friendship over the past two seasons, team owner Geoff Goodwin, a Canadian drag racing icon, and Greg Hunter, driver of multiple blown alcohol machines for more than a decade, paired up in 2014 to make an attempt at winning national and regional events.

“I thought it was overall a successful season. Obviously we wanted to win every race we entered but we had more positives than negatives through the season,” Hunter claimed. “We got a win at the Mission regional race, which was awesome. We had some success on the national level, reaching the semifinals at the spring Las Vegas race. We struggled some during the middle of the season but we got the car back on track at Pomona, running a 5.61. Though that only put us 14th in that show, we were really confident that we were going to be in the fifties by the end of the race if we could've kept going.”

The Synoil Racing team was defeated first round at the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals at Pomona earlier this month when a series of typical mechanical issues plagued Hunter's run.

“Initially the car wouldn't start. Once we made it to the starting line, Ryan (Protz, crew chief) had to disconnect the crank trigger and plug it directly into the magneto, so basically we had no timing control. Then we would've been in the race to the end but the blower belt finally gave up on the third or fourth pedal job. That's definitely a part of racing. We can live with that. We know that we're heading in the right direction and we're looking forward to having a good year in 2015,” Hunter added.

Pre-season testing earlier this year was Hunter's first time driving a Top Alcohol Funny Car since 2010. The Wyoming resident spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons sitting in front of a blown alcohol motor, competing in the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster class. Before that, though, Greg campaigned his own alcohol funny car, so this year was a return to his roots.

“Being back in the Funny Car, making test runs and getting more seat time was important. I think every race we went to I grew more comfortable in the car. That's what we're going to build off of next year. Building off of positives is what we're doing right now.”

Looking back at the season as a whole, Hunter was quick to point out a few of his highlights.

“Definitely the high point was winning the race in Mission. Qualifying number 2 at the Vegas spring race was also a highlight for us. Even going to Dallas was a high point in the season. Even though we didn't qualify, we were able to go to a race that was new to us. Being able to experience that as a team was great. We'll probably go to Dallas again next year and maybe add another new race to the schedule. That will be a high point as well. The time spent with our sponsors and the chance to get to know them at the races was also a constant highlight.”

Greg Hunter was extremely impressed with the team that he joined in January. The group bonded quickly and held together through a couple trying moments during an otherwise successful season.

“It was great to spend time with the Synoil crew. Nobody ever got mad at each other. We were disappointed when things didn't go our way but no one got mad or blamed anyone, we just kept working at it, figured it out and got it turned around. That's a great characteristic of a team, to go through a struggle and work it out together. I think that's the biggest success that we had as a team.

“I want to thank team owner Geoff Goodwin for bringing me on to drive his car this year. Big thanks to my crew guys for their hard work this season: crew chief Ryan Protz, car chief Tom Goodwin, Wally Protz – top end, Johnny Leach – clutch, Harold “Fudd” Fjallman – oil and fuel, Gary Savage – utility man, Phillip Cook – transmission and parachutes, and Jane Willis, who helps host our hospitality area. Of course I also want to thank my wife and back-up girl, Staci, as she is a big part of my being able to race,” Greg concluded.

Greg Hunter and Geoff Goodwin's Synoil Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team are gearing up for the 2015 season. With primary support from Synoil Energy Services and Exact Air Compliance Systems, Hunter will run a full schedule of NHRA Mello Yello Series national events and LODRS regional events. Synoil Racing receives additional support from Twister Piling, Proform Concrete Services, Prowler Contracting, Ron Hodgson Chevrolet, Hamptons Oilfield Services, MD Truck Repair, Mobil1, Landale Signs, Pumps and Pressure, and CleanBoost Oil.

Like Synoil Racing on Facebook – www.facebook.com/synoilracing.

TAN Driver Blog - Jeff Ashwell - TAD

 

 

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog, so I will try and fill you all in since I left off in June when I had just completed my cross grade requirements from Top Alcohol Funny Car to Top Alcohol Dragster. We knew this year would be a learning curve as we had been a funny car team for many, many years. We just weren’t prepared for just how steep that curve would be.

Early in our season we fought the tune up and clutch settings and had difficulties in keeping the blower belt on the car. We sent our fuel system stuff to Randy Anderson to be checked out and also bought a duel idler pulley set up which seemed to help. I must also say a big thank you to our fellow TAD drivers, owners, and tuners, who came over to offer their help and input on what was causing our performance issues. We were kind of at our rope's end and having new sets of eyes with more TAD experience than us offering advice was a huge help, and we are very grateful.

The camaraderie in the alcohol pits is second to none and we are very grateful for all who answered our questions and steered us in the right direction. We may be competitors on the track, but we are still a tight knit community. Once we got a baseline tune up, we wanted to see what we could do with it.

We decided last minute to head to Las Vegas for the national and divisional event, as well as Pomona. We’ve done this trio of races before in 2010, but didn’t have a lot of success. We were hoping to improve on that. This might not be huge to some teams but we were super pleased to have qualified for both the Vegas and Pomona national events. There were around 23 cars entered. Just making the show was a big accomplishment to us.

We didn’t qualify at the Vegas divisional, but we knew it would be tough to qualify with so many good cars in attendance and only 8 spots. We were also happy that we didn’t hurt any parts and with small tuning changes, we were able to consistently improve on our elapsed times on every run. I ran my personal best of 5.50 at over 258 mph in Pomona.

Next year we just want to go out and improve on this year and to be more competitive. You have to be able to run 30’s and 40’s to be competitive and have a chance on race day. We want to qualify for every race we attend and hopefully win some rounds. As we approach Thanksgiving, I know I’ve been blessed to be able to drive this top alcohol dragster and have a great group of guys with me. I have my Dad, Greg, and my brother, Todd. Isaac Bese and Scott McDonald have been with us a very long time also, and we are all looking forward to our sophomore season next year. I just want to thank all our friends and the great fans that have supported our team this year. Thank you to our sponsors, Walery’s Pizza and Wilson’s NAPA Auto Parts. Happy Holidays and see you all in 2014.

 

 

Jeff Ashwell is the driver of the Wilson's Napa/Walery's Pizza Top Alcohol Dragster. Find Ashwell Racing on Facebook and Twitter.

Demke's Season Ends in Second Round at Pomona

Courtesy of NVW Motorsports Promotion
Photo courtesy of John Teas/Images LTD

POMONA, Calif. (November 14) – A second round loss at the AAA Finals at Auto Club Raceway was definitely not what Chris Demke had in mind when he envisioned the final race of his 2013 season. The popular Top Alcohol Dragster driver isn't used to early round losses, as he has reached the finals at six of his ten national event starts this season. With the points situation already played out, Demke and his Peen Rite team took the chance to test new ideas for next season.

“I would've liked to go out with a bang rather than a whimper, but you can't win them all. We had second place in national points locked up and we couldn't go around Jim (Whiteley) for the championship. We took the opportunity to test some things. It's not often that you get to test on a high-quality track like Pomona. This team is always trying to win, even in test mode, but it just wasn't in the cards,” Chris claimed.
 

Chris drove the Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products dragster to the No. 5 qualifying spot (5.29) before defeating 2011 national champion Duane Shields in the opening round, 5.30 to 5.43. Demke's car slowed slightly in the next round, enough for Garrett Bateman to get the 5.30 to 5.33 round win.

Demke's 2013 season began when the Maddern Racing team acquired a decade-old chassis similar to the one Chris drove to multiple wins in 2012. Despite its age, the car had few runs on it and the Peen Rite team had no data for the car. The car showed promise immediately, reaching the finals at the season-opening Pomona and Las Vegas national events. While successful at times, the team struggled with 'new car blues' when it came to the money round.

“Our inability to convert final rounds into wins kept us from winning the championship. Part of that was learning the new chassis, but there were other mistakes made as well, driver and mechanical. We're working on that part of the program as well. We'll see the result in 2014
 

“We tried a lot of changes this year, trying to get a handle on the new chassis. I won't know until we start making runs next year, but I think we've made a change that should be beneficial for quicker E.T.s,” Demke said.
 

Chris also reflected on the highlights of the season, citing his Jegs Allstars runner-up/Route 66 Nationals win at Chicago as one of the best weekends of the year.

“Winning Chicago was really cool. We came so close to doubling up. It would've been great to get that bonus, but maybe next year. I'm currently leading Jegs Allstars points in the West Region. Hopefully we can continue that lead and make it out to Chicago again next year.

“Overall, it was a fun year. It was bittersweet in that we lost a lot of finals. However, we won a lot of rounds and I'm proud of our guys for that,” added the driver of the Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products blown alcohol dragster.

Chris and the rest of the Jerry Maddern-owned team will enjoy a few months away from the track before the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series starts up again at Pomona in February.

Maddern Racing, celebrating 20 years of competition in 2013, is a family-owned and operated NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team based in Southern California. The Chris Demke-driven Peen Rite/OSI/Boost Performance Products dragster is owned by Jerry Maddern and crewed by Adam Rhoades, Kevin Watson, Mike Demke, and Ron Mann. For more information on Maddern Racing, please visit www.MaddernRacing.com.
 

Maddern Racing receives support from the following companies: Peen Rite Inc., Operational Solutions Inc., Boost Performance Products, Boninfante Friction Inc., and Hoosier Racing Tire.

Foster wins second Division 3 Championship

Courtesy of Will Hanna/Pro Race Communications

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- While there were definitely some up's and down's along the way, Chris Foster and the Foster Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team were able to score their second NHRA Division 3 Championship in 2011. A strong scorecard of three wins and two runner-ups were able to place the team 9th in national points standings, their second top-ten finish in NHRA competition.

In contrast to their 2009 Championship where they won by winning their last race of the year in late October to clinch the championship, Foster and his Will Hanna led team wrapped up the title in August this season.

The team debuted a new 2011 Mustang body on their Brad Hadman chassis and started the year with a win at the Division 4 event in Houston. After their strong debut, the team struggled to find traction at the Division 3 opener in Indianapolis, smoking the tires on each run in qualifying and failing to make the show. The team bounced back by reaching the final of their next three Division 3 events. They posted a runner-up finish at the Joliet event, won the Norwalk event, and another runner-up at the Columbus event. The team clinched the championship with a semifinal finish in Bowling Green, but traveled to the final Division 4 event in Houston due to sponsor commitment, and book-ended the year with another win.

"This year really was a team effort," said Foster, the Davenport, Iowa, native. "There were a couple of races where Will had to be in Europe and was tuning the car over the phone. I normally focus on servicing the car between rounds and Will concentrates on the tune-up. We had to shuffle some responsibilities around so I could be his eyes and ears, going over computer data, reading plugs, bearings and things. We all stepped up and got the job done again.

"Needless to say this was a great year for the team," Foster continued. "We finished second in Division 4 last year. While that's not a terrible year, once you win the Championship; you're not satisfied with anything else. We bounced back big time this year. We figured out our problems last year towards the end of the year and started going in the right direction. We started the year out with a win in Houston. Just like in a football game, we scored first and put the pressure on the rest of the field."

As good as the year was Hanna feels changes made at the final race of the season will give Foster a more consisten race car in 2012.

"We had the car going in the right direction towards the end of last season," stated Hanna. "As we developed the combination, it was just more and more of an animal early in the run. If we hit it right and got it hooked up or got on a good starting line, it would fly down low. As the tracks got warmer, we struggled at times to find the right set up to get it off the line without smoking the tires.

"Once we had the championship clinched, we tried a few new things at the last race of the year," explained Hanna. "Without going into great detail, we are very excited about hitting the track again next year."

Foster and team will be displaying the car in the Goodridge Hoses & Fittings booth at the upcoming International Motorsports Industry Show in Indianapolis, Dec. 8-10. The NHRA Division 3 Awards Banquet will cap off the weekend that Saturday night.

"We're honored that Goodridge invited us to display our car at such a big event," said Foster. "It's a nice way to end a great season. I'm really proud of what we achieved as a team this year; I had a great crew behind me all year. My dad John, my step-dad Dwight Baxter, Will, David McDermott, JB Hudson, Kevin Newburgh, Chad Baker, Rick Hanna and Bruce Meyer all performed flawlessly, no matter what the situation was. I also had a great group of sponsors behind us this season in Goodridge Hose and Fittings, DragRaceHose.com, Motorsports Unlimited, Noonan Race Engineering X-1 Cylinder Heads, RBS Superchargers, Morel Lifters, Manton Rockerarms, Red Line Oil, Victory Valves, Ace Clutch Discs, Flatout Gaskets, InsideTopAlcohol.com, GRP Connecting Rods, Hoosier Racing Tires and Track Tamer Engines. Racing at this level wouldn't be possible without their support."

While it's been over a month since their last race and there is still a couple of months left before their first outing, Foster is quick to point out the word 'offseason' is a misnomer.

"We have been very busy since the last race," cited Foster. "Between getting parts on the car recertified and getting the car shined up for the show, it's been a busy few weeks. Once we're done with the show and we can tear the car down to a bare chassis, there will be plenty more work to do. There's never much of a break over the winter. Usually you work until late on the night before you're heading out for the first race.

Find out more about Foster Racing's group of marketing partners at these website below:

Goodridge.net - Push the Limits with Goodridge Hoses & Fittings
DragRaceHose.com - Sportsman drag racer Will Hanna's DragRaceHose.com is your one stop shop for all your hose and fittings needs "Crimpin' ain't Easy"

NoonanRaceEngineering.com.au - Find out more about the cylinder head champions like Chris Foster and Frankie Taylor use - the X-1.

RBSSuperchargers.com - Check out RBS' complete line of new and used supercharger, fuel injection and blower drive accessories.

MantonRockerarms.com - Stiffer valve train and improved geometry equals more horsepower.

RedLineOil.com - Champions like Chris Foster rely on Red Line Oil. Find out more about their complete line of synthetic lubricants for your racing and street applications.

TitaniumValve.com - Performance and reliability in the valvetrain are a must to win championships, that's why Chris Foster relies on Victory Valves.

GRPConRods.com Find out more about GRP's complete line of high-quality aluminum rods.

Ace-Mfg.com - For performance and consistency, turn to Ace Clutch Discs.

HoosierRacingTire.com - Champions like Chris Foster trust Hoosier Racing Tires to get their horsepower to the ground!

Flatoutgroup.com - Foster Racing trust Flatout Gaskets for all of their engine sealing needs!

TrackTamerEngines.com - Foster Racing trusts "The Professor" Larry Goldbeck of Track Tamer Engines for all of their automotive machining needs.

Courtesy of Robert Grice, Extreme Photography