Fri, 11 Sep 2009, 05:20 PM A New Part and a Fresh Start Should give FireIce Car a Spark

Courtesy of Rob Geiger

COMMERCE, Ga. -- Less than two weeks ago, champion drag racer Jay Payne nosed into the retaining wall at Heartland Park Topeka and damaged the front end of his FireIce Top Alcohol Funny Car enough that he couldn't race it at last weekend's U.S. Nationals.

But some exceptionally hard work from Payne's championship-caliber race team as well as the crew at Murf McKinney's chassis shop has Payne ready for more action at this weekend's Division 2 race in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Atlanta Dragway.

"They had to front-half the car," Payne said. "The good news is that Murf and his guys do a really good job of building new pieces that match the original chassis. We almost had the thing ready to go for Indy but didn't quite pull that off. So we'll fire it up Friday and start fresh here in Georgia."

The extra time the crew needed and Payne's hectic travel itinerary didn't allow the team to test the new car but Payne, one of the most decorated drag racers in history with 12 championships to his credit, says he should be able to sort out the fresh pipe on the fly.

"I'm going to take it to the starting line, rev it up to 6,500 rpm, and let it go," said Payne, a 36-time national event winner. "I think we'll be fine. We just didn't have time to test so we'll have to figure it out in qualifying. It's not the best-case scenario but we'll be okay.

"We also want to spread the word about FireIce and salute all the firefighters in Atlanta and across Georgia for that matter," Payne said. "This FireIce tribute car has been such a hit from the word go and it's humbling to meet so many great men and women around the country who put themselves in harm's way for the rest of us. The least I can do is go out there and give it 100 percent in the FireIce racecar and try to get them another win."

Earlier this year, Payne picked up a passionate fan base of 1.1 million firefighters when he inked a sponsorship deal with FireIce, a non-toxic, environmentally-friendly fire suppression gel that firefighters add to water in pumper trucks, helicopters, fire planes, and handheld extinguishers to help put out fires much quicker than water alone.

Aside from sponsoring Payne's racecar and saluting 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 assists firefighters in need.

"The impact Jay's racecar has on firefighters has far exceeded our hopes and expectations," said GelTech CEO Michael Cordani. "Our association with NHRA drag racing has allowed us to make an impact in many more areas than we originally planned, which has been a real bonus.

"We couldn't be happier with Jay Payne and his engine builder Brad Anderson. Those guys are a dangerous combination and the horsepower Brad makes keeps the FireIce car at the forefront, which draws even more attention for the firefighters. This is a classic win-win situation for everyone involved and we're thrilled."

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