Melanie Troxel, driver of the R2B2 Racing Voodoo '63 Corvette Pro Mod, shook her way to the
provisional No. 13 qualifying spot today in the IHRA Northern Nationals presented by Dart Machinery
at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich.
Her first pass down the quarter-mile saw a recurring problem with tire shake during the gear shift
from first to second, an issue she and crew chief Al Billes have spent the past several weeks
trying to remedy. She netted an 8.356-second run at 115.44 mph that was good enough to take the
lucky 13 spot heading into Saturday's final two rounds of qualifying. She aborted her second run
early after losing traction just after the starting line.
"We were trying some different tires on the first pass, and I was able to hold on for a little
while before lifting, but we're still not pleased with the performance," she said. "This car can
definitely make the numbers, so we're just working to try and find the right setup to make things
happen.
"We had great weather here in Martin today, definitely not the rain that had been forecast, and
tomorrow's forecast looks like good weather throughout the day and just a slight chance of rain in
the evening, so I think we'll get two more chances to go down the track.
"I'm not worried about getting into the show, but I really do want to get more complete runs under
my belt. Al has a game plan for tomorrow, though, and I'm sure we'll get some good runs in," she
said.
Qualifying is scheduled for 3 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, and eliminations are scheduled to begin at 11
a.m. Sunday.
