It doesn't matter to Funny Car driver Jerry Toliver that this weekend's 22nd annual O'Reilly NHRA
Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park is the third of six races in NHRA's Countdown to 1.
He's not looking to be a spoiler to points leader Robert Hight or any of the other Funny Car
competitors qualified for the Countdown. After a solid semifinal-round appearance at Dallas last
weekend, he and his Jim Dunn Racing teammates just want to continue winning rounds with the
CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy to close out the season.
"This Funny Car class is a tough, tough class," Toliver said, "and this team is no different than
any other team out here - we're just trying to win. When I line up against somebody in the other
lane, I don't look at them and think, 'Oh good, that guy is first in points or second in points and
I can spoil his weekend if we beat him.' I'm up there for me, for my team, for Big Jim, and for our
sponsors, just trying to win the race and go on to the next round. I'm not out here to spoil
anybody's day; I'm trying to make it a good day for me and my team. That's what we were trying to
do in Dallas and that's what we will be trying to do this weekend in Memphis."
Toliver is looking to continue the late-season surge the CANIDAE car has made, qualifying in the
top-half in two of the last three races including a season-best third at Dallas. After a strong
qualifying effort at the Texas Motorplex, Toliver went on to defeat Jeff Arend in the first round
and Bob Tasca III in the second before losing to Jack Beckman in the semifinals.
"We had our best weekend of the season at Dallas last weekend," Toliver said, "but that was last
weekend and now we move on to the next race. We want to win some more rounds and hopefully win a
race before the season is out. Jim has the car in a tuning window where it's really reacting to
what he's telling it on a consistent basis, so we'll see if this hot rod can keep it going at
Memphis."
A two-hour telecast of qualifying coverage for the NHRA Mid-South Nationals can be seen on ESPN2
and ESPN2 HD on Saturday, Oct. 3, beginning at 10:30 p.m. (ET). Coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD
continues on Sunday, Oct. 4, when NHRA Race Day kicks off eliminator coverage starting at 11:00 am
(ET), and concludes with three hours of final-eliminations coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
About CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods
Founded out of love for pets and animals, CANIDAE Pet Food, Inc. manufactures and distributes a
complete line of healthy meat based, holistic all natural dog food, cat food, and gourmet pet
treats sold worldwide through independent pet food retailers including over 7,000 locations
throughout the United States and Canada. For the most recent information about CANIDAE and its line
of healthy pet products, visit http://www.canidae.com/canidae-news-updates.htmle.
About Responsible Pet Ownership
In accordance with its philosophy of promoting Responsible Pet Ownership through proper nutrition
and care, CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods is the title sponsor of the Responsible Pet Ownership blog.
This blog exists as a free service to all pet owners, providing daily articles from a range of
professional pet authors on topics such as natural nutrition, training and exercise, veterinarian
care, planned breeding, spaying/neutering, and supporting reputable breeders and rescue groups. Pet
owners can subscribe to these informative daily articles at http://canidaepetfood.blogspot.com/.
