Melanie Troxel, driver of the R2B2 Racing Voodoo '63 Corvette Pro Mod, scored a personal-best lap
en route to a semifinal finish in the IHRA Northern Nationals presented by Dart Machinery at U.S.
131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich. Just Troxel's third start behind the wheel of a Pro Mod, the
Avon, Ind. resident had struggled along with crew chief Al Billes to find the setup on her car, but
once the team found the sweet spot, her numbers took off.
After qualifying No. 4 with a 6.029 at 238.55 mph, Troxel faced off against Steve Bareman in the
first round of eliminations. She powered the Corvette straight down the quarter-mile netting a
6.057 at 238.09 mph while Bareman struggled slightly, turning in a 6.261 at 228.77 mph and handing
Troxel her first round-win in Pro Mod.
The quarterfinals saw Troxel paired with Tim Mathison and his '53 Studebaker. The air temperature
was a balmy 76 degrees and the track held more than 110 degrees of heat, offering perfect
conditions for monster runs - which is exactly what Billes had in mind. She left the line first and
never looked back, blasting all the way in the groove and recording her quickest and fastest lap
ever at 5.987-seconds and 240.98 mph.
"We definitely found the right setup, and now this car is really happy," she said. "Al and the guys
really put together some monster power, and the conditions were great to make some good runs, which
is exactly what we did.
"Once we got that one-two shift shake eliminated, I was able to move onto focusing more on driving.
Every full lap I make, I get more and more comfortable, and I have to say that 5.98 felt really
good!" she said.
In the semis, Troxel was matched up with IHRA World Champion Kenny Lang, and she knew she had her
hands full. Lang qualified number one and had been throwing down five-second passes all day like
they were a walk through the park. At the line, Troxel took off first hoping to get an advantage on
Lang, but the Canadian passed her and never looked back, ending her day just a little earlier than
she would have liked. The numbers saw Troxel with a 6.021 at 240.68 to Lang's 5.981 at 238.89 mph.
"In all, we have really accomplished what we wet out to do - we got the car dialed in, and made a
lot of great runs. I'm pleased with our performance, and like I said, I'm feeling more and more
confident and comfortable every time I go down the track.
"I can't thank Roger Burgess (team owner and sponsor) enough for the opportunity to race here and
be a part of such an incredible team. We've accomplished a lot so far, and I know that there will
be a lot more exciting days coming soon.
"Our plans now are to stay here and test some more to be sure we're well prepared for Indy and the
Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge event," Troxel said.
