Chris King Retooled And Ready To Tackle Denver

View this email in your browser

CHRIS KING RETOOLED AND READY TO TACKLE DENVER

CHICAGO (July 12, 2023) --- Chicago firefighter, NHRA Funny Car team owner and driver, Chris King, has one race under his belt in 2023 and he is ready to get his Howards Cams/Competition Products Dodge Charger Funny Car back on track at the Dodge Mile-High Nationals, July 14-16. King shook off the cobwebs at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at the end of May, narrowly missing one of the quickest fields in NHRA history. It was his first national event since 2021 and King is looking to improve on that effort at Bandimere Speedway, the track where he made his professional debut. “Bandimere is where it all started for me,” said King, who qualified No. 14 at the 2021 national event. “I want to make some more memories here. Our team got back in the shop after Chicago and my crew chief Terry Totten put a lot of time into this Funny Car. We got some help from Ron Capps’ crew chief Dean Antonelli and I can’t thank him enough. I love this sport because it really is like a big family. We want to be out here competing and there are guys like Guido who are willing to help make that happen.”

Funny Car driver and team owner Chris King ready for NHRA Mile High Nationals

King raced three races in 2021 and took 2022 off to build his program and look for a road map to success on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. This season the fireman and professional driver has targeted five NHRA national events including Chicago and Denver with the addition of Topeka (KS), Indianapolis (IN) and St. Louis (MO) to his slate of races. The goal is to qualify and build up data for an enhanced schedule in 2024. “You need to be out here as much as possible to get data and also to show a sponsor what you can do for them,” said King. “We have some great partners and we talk with other companies every week. Our goal is to find partners that want to help an aggressive young team get to the next level. Our focus is on delivering on the track and off the track.” A perfect example of outside of the box marketing and promotion activities King has brought to the sport include an event he organized in advance of the Chicago race in May. King took several NHRA drivers through the paces at the Robert Quinn Fire Academy today. He was joined by Pro Stock standout Camrie Caruso as well as Pro Mod drivers Lyle Barnett, JR Gray, Jerico Balduf and Mike Thielen for an afternoon of firefighting skill tests and challenges. The group was outfitted in full fire protection gear including air tanks which added just over 35 pounds to each driver plus a variety of firefighting tools before they took on the challenging “up and over” drill which included five flights of stairs up a run across the top of the training facility and then five flights of stairs down to the main floor. The group paused for a photo with the famed Chicago skyline in the background before continuing with more drills. “The Chicago firehouse tour and skills day was something I always dreamed of doing,” said King. “We are going to continue to look for opportunities like that but right now we need to focus on this Howards Cams/Competition Products Dodge Charger Funny Car. I really think we can get this care competitive and win some rounds. Funny Car has never been tougher but there is also the opportunity for a single car team to succeed. That hasn’t always been the case.” King’s race car also has a unique look thanks to the son of Funny Car world champion Jack Beckman. The car debuted in Chicago and King was thrilled with the reception the design by young artist and designer Jason Beckman received. “I it was so cool to see people going nuts over Jason’s Funny Car,” said King. “I saw some of his work and thought it would be cool to get some designs from him. My sponsors and I loved the design that is on the race car so we couldn’t wait to show it off. I am looking forward to making a lot of passes with this design.” The Howards Cams/Competition Products Dodge Charger Funny Car and King will get their first chance to make passes in Denver on Friday afternoon when qualifying for the Dodge Mile-High Nationals get underway. There will be two more qualifying sessions on Saturday with final eliminations for the 16 quickest Funny Cars commencing at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The race will be televised nationally on FOX Sunday evening.

Copyright © 2023 Werner Communications, All rights reserved.

Media Contact:

Elon Werner

214-244-1184

elon@elonwerner.com

Want to change how you receive these emails?

You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Renegade Fuels Extend Relationship

View this email in your browser

Renegade Fuels Extends Relationship with Buddy Hull In Advance of Mile-High Nationals

DALLAS, TX (July 11, 2023) --- Top Fuel driver and team owner Buddy Hull introduced the Renegade Fuel Top Fuel dragster to the NHRA world during the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Nationals in Chicago and now the fuel and additive company is returning for two additional events as primary sponsor beginning with this weekend’s NHRA Dodge Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. Renegade Fuels will also be primary sponsor for the Topeka Nationals in August. Hull will add a host of additional associate sponsors and in-kind marketing partners to his program for the final NHRA national event at the historic NHRA venue that is celebrating 65 years of NHRA drag racing. The driver and team based out of Dallas, Texas, will be making his fourth start of the season and his Mike Guger tuned Top Fuel dragster is ready to tackle the mountain conditions that can be tricky for some teams.

Buddy Hull and Renegade Fuels Top Fuel dragster, photo by Ron Lewis Photography

“I am fired up to have Renegade Fuels back for two more races and to get back to Bandimere Speedway,” said Hull, whose primary business is Vertex Roofing and General Contractors. “We are methodically building our program and over the first three races we weren’t seeing the results we expected. Mike and I spent every available minute after Chicago going through every inch of the Renegade Fuels Top Fuel dragster. We found some areas that were holding us back, got them fixed and now we are ready to come out swinging.” Hull has been a consistent competitor in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. The up-and-coming driver not only focuses his attention to performance on the track, but he has built a robust group of marketing partners with the assistance of Marketing Director Madi Smith. The team has year-round support from Methanol Moonshine and has developed relationships with a variety of local Denver businesses for this weekend’s race. Phil Long Ford of Denver will provide Hull’s team with a tow vehicle throughout the weekend and What’s Happening Catering will feed the Hull Racing team. The Renegade Fuels Top Fuel dragster will also be adorned by branding from Arvada Rent-Alls, Cash Injury Law, Lucky’s Diesel Shop, Hydra Trucking and Warehouse, Spell Paving and Gates Auto/ “We reach out to as many local partners as possible for every race because we know there are some companies that can’t afford to be on a professional race team year-round but want to make an impact in their local market,” said Smith. “We have had local partners on our race car every race this year from Phoenix to Las Vegas to Chicago. We treat them just like Renegade, Methanol Moonshine or Vertex, our main primary sponsors. These race cars run on nitro and money so anything we can do to help a company build their business and keep us at the track we will find a way to make it work.” This year Hull has qualified for the Arizona Nationals and the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. The hyper competitive driver is looking for his first round win of 2023 but he knows the strength of his team lies in the veteran leadership and crew chief skills of Mike Guger and his personal passion. “I don’t think there is anyone out here that is going to outwork me and Mike,” said Hull. “Everyone on tour works hard but I really feel like we are going this program 110% and we will see the dividends sooner rather than later. I can’t thank people like Renegade Fuels and Methanol Moonshine for supporting us plus having all the local Denver companies on board will make this an amazing weekend.” Hull will be one of the featured drivers in the Bandimere Speedway Top Eliminator Club for a Q&A and autograph session Friday, July 14 at 1:30 p.m. in advance of his first qualifying run at 4:30 p.m. The second Friday night qualifying run will take place at 8:00 p.m. Hull and the rest of the Top Fuel competitors will get two more qualifying runs on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. before the quickest 16 race cars will go head-to-head on Sunday at 11 a.m. The race will be televised nationally on FOX.

JUSTIN ASHLEY RUNNER-UP IN NORWALK

View this email in your browser

JUSTIN ASHLEY RUNNER-UP IN NORWALK

NORWALK, OH (June 25, 2023) --- Justin Ashley raced the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Okuma to his fifth final round of 2023 and for the first time the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year did not emerge victorious exiting Norwalk with a runner-up finish. Throughout the season Ashley had established a pattern of racing to the final round and securing victory capturing four national event wins and four Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victories including one yesterday at Summit Motorsports Park. Ashley dropped the final round to No. 1 qualifier Leah Pruett after he defeated Clay Millican, Steve Torrence and Brittany Force throughout the day.

Justin Ashley and Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Okuma, photo by Auto Imagery

“This was a great weekend at the racetrack for our Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Okuma,” said Ashley, who has raced to 16 final rounds in his Top Fuel career. “Our entire team did a fantastic job and I could not be prouder. This was a team effort from the start to the finish. To be able to turn on so many win lights in a row is something that is so difficult to do in a sport that has so much competition. Today and the rest of the season we will have our guardian angel Cathi Maynard riding with us.” In the first round Ashley drew veteran driver and No. 10 qualifier Millican to get his race day started. Both drivers were strong off the starting line with Ashley getting a slight edge .041 to .044 but Millican smoked the tires almost immediately. Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Okuma made a smooth run at 3.715 seconds to advance to the quarterfinals. Facing four-time world champion and fellow Toyota driver Torrence in the quarterfinals Ashley had lane choice. When the tree flashed amber Ashley once again showed his driving skill leaping off the line with a strong .038 reaction time and that advantage held up at the starting line getting the four-time national event winner in 2023 a hole shot win 3.721 to 3.703 seconds over Torrence. After the win light fired off in Ashley’s lane his crew chief Mike Green had nothing but praise for his driver. “He’s doing such a great job, he’s learning every day,” said Green. “He’s great on the tree. Racing the Torrence family, you know, Richard, Bobby, Steve, Billy and Kay, they’re just a great team. They’ve obviously been one of the best teams out here for a long time. Racing them, they flat out outran us that time, but luckily enough Justin did a great job on the tree and we got the win.” The win advanced Ashley to another semifinal and secured his spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for the fifth time this season. To race to his fifth final round Ashley would have to defeat the reigning Top Fuel champion Brittany Force who was also racing a strong Top Fuel dragster. In the semifinals Ashley continued to be locked in off the starting line with a .038 reaction time which put his Phillips Connect Toyota dragster out front and he never trailed in the race winning 3.711 to 3.713 seconds with both 12,000-horsepower Top Fuelers hitting over 330 mph. "It's so much fun to be able to drive this Phillips Connect Toyota Racing Top Fuel dragster,” said Ashley, after his semifinal win. “I love putting our Mac Tools and Lucas Oil to work each round. The team does such a great job and everyone is focused on us, but how about the competition? It's so close, racing with such small margin of error. Everyone knows I love our marketing partners, but I love my mother. Happy birthday, Mom, I love you." Throughout the season Ashley has had the support of marketing partners including KATO Fastening Systems, Lucas Oil, Mac Tools, Toyota and this weekend Okuma. In the final looking to turn on his 14th consecutive win light with his fifth win of the season Ashley pulled beside Pruett. Ashley was first off the line for the fourth consecutive time on race day with another stellar reaction time, .043-seconds. Ashley was on a strong run, but he had to pedal his race car, losing some momentum and opening the door for Pruett to drive around him. He was not able to get his dragster to hook back up and he had to watch Pruett pull away for the win. The team will leave Norwalk with the points lead which they stretched to over 100 points over Torrence in second place. They will be back on track at the NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, July 14-16. Qualifying Results Q1: 3.708 sec, 332.59 mph; Qual. 5 Q2: 3.743 sec; 329.34 mph; Qual. 6 Q3: 4.063 sec, 228.61 mph; Qual. 7 Bonus Points: 0 Race Results First Round Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Okuma, (.041), 3.715, 329.34 mph def. Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster, (.044), 6.782, 67.91 mph Second Round Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Okuma, (.039), 3.721, 328.06 mph def. Steve Torrence, CAPCO dragster, (.081), 3.703, 331.77 mph Semifinals Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Okuma, (.038), 3.711, 331. 94 mph def. Brittany Force, Monster Energy dragster, (.059), 3.713, 333.16 mph Finals Leah Pruett, Dodge Direct Connect dragster, (.081), 3.761, 326.79 mph def. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Okuma, (.043), 4.497, 198.90 mph Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten - Top Fuel 1. Justin Ashley 726 2. Steve Torrence 629 3. Leah Pruett 620 4. Brittany Force 590 5. Austin Prock 588 6. Antron Brown 531 7. Mike Salinas 504 8. Josh Hart 487 9. Doug Kalitta 442 10. Shawn Langdon 398 About Maynard Ashley Racing Maynard Ashley Racing (MAR) was founded in 2023 with the express goal of delivering world class results, on and off the racetrack, for a growing community of marketing partners and fans drawn to Justin Ashley, the 2020 NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year and seven-time Top Fuel national event winner. Behind Maynard Ashley Racing is a partnership between JCM Racing, led by Joe E. and Cathi Maynard, Joe C. Maynard, and Eric and Kim Lehman, who have taken the NHRA by storm over the last year, and Max Out Motorsports a partnership between Justin Ashley, Dustin Davis and Jim Epler.

Copyright © 2023 Werner Communications, All rights reserved.

Media Contact:

Elon Werner

214-244-1184

elon@elonwerner.com

Want to change how you receive these emails?

You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.