R2B2 Racing driver Melanie Troxel made her Pro Mod debut Friday in the Get Screened America Pro Mod
Challenge at the United Association NHRA SuperNationals while her teammates Raymond Commisso and
Roger Burgess both made solid passes at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New
Jersey.
After early morning rain and fog burned off to leave the racing surface steaming, Troxel took to
the quarter-mile with veteran style and delivered a smooth and clean 6.164/237.17 lap to take the
twelfth spot in the R2B2 Racing Voodoo '63 Corvette.
"We wanted to go out and just get a good, safe lap in, and that's exactly what we did. I wasn't
trying to set records with that run, just get down the track," Troxel said.
"Any time you move classes and change the kind of car you are competing in, you have to take things
slowly at first - which is what Al [Billes, crew chief] wanted to do. The car ran exactly what he
thought it would, and it felt really good being back racing again.
"Tomorrow, we'll get things really moving and see what we can do," she said.
Raymond Commisso took the provisional fifth spot with a blistering 6.002/241.50 pass. Commisso
said, "That was a nice run, for sure. The track was really tight and held the tires really well,
and I'm sure we had a lot more in it if Al had wanted to push it.
"After struggling to get our combination back to where we were, I'm really glad we got a good pass
out of the box and got up into the field for eliminations," he said.
Burgess landed lucky seventh after day one, posting a stout 6.018/242.23 on the 106-degree track.
He said, "We've had some trouble getting the car going straight, but we were really stable that
run, and we're looking really good for the weekend.
"All three of our cars made nice passes today, and that gives us a lot of confidence going into
tomorrow.
"It was a thrill to watch Melanie make her first full pass in competition and take it all the way
down and pop the 'chutes. Not only is she really well-prepared to drive the car, she is there to
compete - and that's exciting. We're looking forward to having three really competitive cars this
weekend," Burgess added.
The final round of qualifying is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon, with eliminations slated
to begin at 5 p.m. Saturday evening and conclude Sunday afternoon.
