Points leader Karen Stoffer collects runner-up result, just .0002 seconds away from a win

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 5) – Another day, another trip to the money round for Karen Stoffer and the GEICO Suzuki.

Stoffer finished as runner-up at Sunday’s 42nd annual NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, her third runner-up result of the season, and extended her lead in the Full Throttle Pro Stock Motorcycle points.

“I’m not looking at points right now,” Stoffer said. “I’m just looking at how consistent the bike can be. You look at our ETs and you look at the bike going straight. Whatever outcome we get because of that, we’re going to get.”

The only thing Stoffer didn’t get in E-town was a better light than opponent Matt Smith in the final, losing on a miniscule holeshot. Smith got a slight advantage at the line (a .023-second reaction time to a .035 by Stoffer) but his elapsed time was slower than Stoffer’s as he ran a 6.900 second lap at 191.73 mph to Stoffer’s 6.889-second lap. The race was a dead heat to three decimal places but Smith ultimately took the victory by .0002 seconds, or about one inch.

“I really didn’t have a bad light,” Stoffer said. “It was where we wanted to be and where we put the bike. Consistency got us to that final and got us to where we are in points, so we weren’t going to go away from that.

“I’m sure Matt saw me, because I saw him the whole way down. I was getting tucked in as far as I can to scrub off the time. If we stick to this consistent game plan, maybe one of those pewter Wallys will come our way.”

On the way to the final, Stoffer defeated GT Tonglet, Michael Phillips, and Gerald Savoie with ETs that were either first or second quickest in each round.

She now leads the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings by 43 points over Andrew Hines.

Stoffer’s GEICO teammate Morgan Lucas reached the second round in Top Fuel for the second time in the last seven races.

“We made four out of six runs down the track, which is a good improvement,” Lucas said. “We’re going the right direction with the car. We’ve got to get a little more ET and speed out of the car, but that will come in time.”

In Round 1, Lucas and the GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster ran a 3.870 second pass at 316.52 mph to beat teammate Shawn Langdon, who ran a 3.981 at 306.88 mph in the Lucas Oil/Speedco dragster.

“We won that round legitimately,” he said. “We didn’t do it in a pedaling contest or anything.”

In the second round, Lucas fell to eventual race winner Spencer Massey, who crossed the line in 3.807 seconds at 320.51 mph against Lucas’ 4.507 at 175.82 mph run.

“Spencer has a good car and we knew we had to go for it,” Lucas said. “We just didn’t hang on tough enough. However we made it farther down that lane than anybody else that session.”

Up next on the NHRA Full Throttle Series schedule is the June 17-19 Ford Thunder Valley Nationals from Bristol Dragway.

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Contact: Geiger Media at 832-971-9345 or rob@go2geiger.com.

Please visit www.geicogarage.com for more information.

Michelle Theriault Looking for Redemption at Gresham

MOORESVILLE, NC (June 8, 2011) – After three weeks off of the track and out of her No.45 ProGold Lubricants, VPParts Warehouse Toyota, Michelle Theriault is ready for a comeback at Gresham Motorsports Park (GA). Although Theriault was plagued by unfortunate circumstances at Iowa Speedway, the 25-year-old female racer is looking for redemption during her visit to Gresham.

“I couldn’t be more ready to get back on track,” said Theriault. “The last couple of races haven’t resulted in my favor, and I would love to finish my weekend at Gresham on a high note.”

The Slack Auto Parts 150 marks the halfway point of the NASCAR KN Pro Series East (NKNPSE) 2011 season and is a crucial stop on the series’ schedule. Having raced at Gresham on three separate occasions during her time in the USAR Pro Cup Series, Theriault feels prepared to tackle the half-mile oval.

“Although the track has changed quite a bit since I’ve raced there in Pro Cup, it’s always easier to return to familiar territory,” said Theriault. “I really want Gresham to be the track where we turn our luck around.” 

In addition to her experience racing at the track in Pro Cup, Theriault also had the opportunity to test at Gresham last Tuesday. The seat time not only strengthened Theriault’s confidence to maneuver her No.45 machine to a solid finish at Gresham, but built up her excitement for the 150-lap event, too.

“I’m glad that the team and I were able to visit Gresham so that we could be better prepared for the race this weekend,” commented Theriault. “Being able to shake down the car and to familiarize myself with the track again is really going to be beneficial when we show up on Saturday.”

Theriault and her No.45 ProGold Lubricants, VPParts Warehouse Toyota will take to the track for the 150-lap, 75-mile Slack Auto Parts 150 on Saturday, June 11 at 8:30 p.m. EST. Practice is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by two-lap qualifying at 4:30 p.m. Live audio coverage and lap-by-lap updates of the Slack Auto Parts 150  will be available on nascarhometracks.com.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities or partnering with Michelle Theriault during the 2011 race season, please contact MTR Enterprises, LLC at 404-787-6696 or mtrenterprises@gmail.com.
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PIPPA MANN QUALIFIES FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS 500

Indianapolis, IN (Sunday, 22 May, 2011) - Pippa Mann has become the first British female driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. The 27 year-old from Ipswich in the UK will line-up on the 11th and final row of the grid for the 100th anniversary of the 500-mile race, after qualifying the #36 Conquest Racing entry in 32nd position.
 
Mann failed to make the 33-car field on the first day on qualifications, which left her vying with 14 other drivers for the nine remaining places. Bump Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was certain to be busy, especially with rain forecast to fall right in the middle of the qualifications.

The British driver was able to complete a four-lap qualifying run before the weather called a halt to proceedings, with a fastest average speed of 233.936 mph which was quick enough to
provisionally get her into the field.
 
With just over an hour left, the track went green, allowing several cars to make their final attempts to qualify. Mann and the Conquest Racing team headed back out to pitlane and were ready to go back out should their position need defending - but it never came to that.

As the minutes went by it became clear that Mann had earned her place in this year’s Indy 500
field, and when the session finally came to an end, the rookie driver’s 32nd position was confirmed.
 
Speaking about the qualifications, Mann said: “We were struggling yesterday for speed and were extremely disappointed with our run yesterday - we knew it wasn’t going to be enough to qualify. We had the car completely apart last night – the team re-built the gearbox and put a new engine init and we barely made warm-up this morning. We made a few little changes, put it in line for qualifying and it worked.”

Conquest Racing team owner Eric Bachelart said: “It’s very mixed feelings having one car in the show and the other not make it, but it’s not for the lack of trying. We are looking forward to a goodrace for Pippa, and hoping she wins Chase Rookie of the Year. This is her first race in an IndyCar, and we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us so we’re going to be very busy this week.”
 
Looking ahead to the race, Mann added: “Overall I’m just so excited to be racing in the Indy 500, but I think relief is the overwhelming feeling after the last two days that we’ve had. Thursday and Friday were so strong for us and the speed just seemed to slip away when it mattered. This is the first time I’ve allowed myself to genuinely think about race day, and we have some work to do now!
 
I’m the only rookie to qualify who is currently just running here in Indianapolis and not the entire season - I haven’t even done a pitstop yet! But I’m just so thrilled to be part of this race and making the field is an achievement that I’m incredibly proud of. It was not an easy feat, so a huge thank you to the team and everyone who has supported me and helped us get to this point – it’s a fantastic feeling.”
 
The 2011 Indianapolis 500 will start at 12:00 p.m./ET on Sunday 29th May.

For further information or images please contact Hannah Griffiths at Palindrome SportsTel: +44 (0)7815 176587 / Email: Hannah@palindromesports.co.uk

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO INVOLVED IN CRASH AT IMS

Indianapolis, IN - May 19, 2011  Shortly after taking to the track for Indy 500 praxtice on Thursday afternoon, Simona de Silvestro was involved in a tremendous crash, which injured her hands and destroyed her primary %78 Nuclean Clean Air Energy car.

After being taken to the track's medical center, the official update came from Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR Medical Director:

"Simona de Silvestro is awake and alert, and being transported by ground to Methodist Hospital for further evaluation of second-degree burns to her right hand and superficial burns to her left hand."

De Silvestro was released from Methodist Hospital at approximately 5 p.m. on Thursday afternoon and another evaluation will take place on Friday morning. In the meantime, the team is busy preparing the back-up car in preparation for her return.

A press conference will take place on Friday morning at 11:15 a.m. in the Media Center at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to include press availability and additional updates on de Silvestro's condition. 

About HVM Racing
HVM Racing was founded by Keith Wiggins and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. HVM enters 2011 as its tenth year of competition since forming in 2001 and has earned six victories, two pole positions, and an additional 16 podiums. They earned "Indianapolis Rookie of the Year" honors with driver Simona De Silvestro at the 2010 event and since joining the IZOD INDYCAR Series in 2008, the team has earned nine top-10 finishes. HVM finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car World Series in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Follow HVM Racing at www.hvmracing.com, on twitter at www.twitter.com/HVMracing, and on facebook at www.facebook.com/HVMRacing.
 
About Entergy
Entergy is the second largest owner and operator of U.S. nuclear energy plants. They operate or provide management services to 12 reactors at 10 sites. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity and delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and more than 15,000 employees.www.entergy-nuclear.com
 
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MCCALMONT, CKS CAMARO GS.R TO 7TH IN VIRGINIA GRAND-AM RACE

May 19, 2011

It was obvious the six-week layoff between races was time well-used by the CKS Autosport race car preparation team based in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada, as the pit crew and driver Ashley McCalmont gave the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro GS.R a seventh place finish, its best of the season.

The two-hour, 30-minute race, on May 14 at VIRginia International Raceway near Danville, Va., was the second top-10 finish of the season for McCalmont, also of Ancaster, in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series. In a series where co-drivers are required, Ashley shares the driving with Eric Curran of Holyoke, Mass.

“I’m impressed by the mechanical progress our team manager, Kirk Spencer, and his crew have made with the TTL/Goldengate Margarine Camaro,” Ashley said. “Every race, every session on the track, it gets better and better and better. And our results through the first four races show that.

“I was unable to get enough track time at-speed during testing because of all the black flags due to other drivers having mishaps or going off course. I only had five laps on the track before qualifying, and then I was held up by a slower car. I had to start 22^nd I in the Grand Sports class and be patient to work my way toward the front.

“In the race itself, I was working my way up but lost a position when a car in front of me put down a lot of oil on the track. That cost a few spots but by being patient and picking low-risk places to pass, I was up to 12^th place by the time I pitted on lap 17 and turned the car over to my co-driver, Eric Curran,” Ashley said. “Picking up 10 positions and protecting the car pleased me”

“GRAND-AM is doing a good job manipulating small specifications here and there, closing gaps between very diverse cars. This puts the onus to win in the hands of the independent teams who build them and the drivers who race them,” Spencer added.

“Eric was up to eighth place by lap 35, and we were in a position to move up even further,” Ashley said, but a crash on lap 35 caused eight laps to be run behind the pace car, two green flag laps, then four more laps under yellow because of another crash. It didn’t help our momentum, but it did teach us about the Camaro’s potential – we had the best Camaro finish out of five of us in the field.”

"Ashley did a great job in the Camaro! The racing was close and fierce, but she moved up seven spots from her starting position. She's really starting to get the hang of these big V8 Camaros! I'm real happy that we finished inside the top 10 and were the top Camaro behind the Mustangs and BMWs,” added Curran.

The limited-production 2011 Chevrolet Camaro GS.R is a purpose-built road racing car which starts life as a production Camaro. It is powered by a 376 cubic inch Chevrolet V8 engine producing over 400 horsepower.

The Virginia race was televised by SPEED TV and will air May 22 at 1pm ET.

The season’s 5^th of 10 races is May 27-28 at Lime Rock Park, near Lakeville, Conn., followed by Round 6 on June 2-3 at Watkins Glen International, near Watkins Glen, N.Y.

“No mistakes at Lime Rock,” said Spencer. “Not with five days between races.”

- end –

Ashley McCalmont’s promotional partners are: Golden Gate margarine, Mainway, LeClair, Oblender Installations, Legends Landscape, Inc., Prokleen, CRDI, and TTL

About Ashley McCalmont:

Ashley started race at age eight in go karts and progressed to CASCAR Regional races in Canada. This is her third year in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire series. She raced a Chevrolet Cobalt SS for two seasons then took off a year to become a wife and mother.   She is working toward her first pro racing win. Visit Ashley on her website:   www.mccalmontracing.com

Media Contact:

Dave Arnold

arnold communications

607.562.2165

dave.arnold@verizon.net

IMPRESSIVE RUN FOR MARYEVE DUFAULT DERAILED AT TOLEDO SPEEDWAY

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 17, 2011) – - Despite her lack of experience on a short track in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, Maryeve Dufault flexed her muscle in the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger during Sunday’s Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway.

The 2011 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year candidate had full intentions of utilizing the experience she gained during a private test at the half-mile oval several days prior. With crew chief Darren Wolfe calling the shots and resultant confidence from spotter Gary Johnson, father of six time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson – Dufault was in good hands.

Mother Nature played havoc with the track conditions early Saturday forcing adjustments in the day’s schedule which now included two practices and the cancellation of qualifying. By the conclusion of the first practice, Dufault had locked her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger in the 15th position right behind teammate Jared Marks.

A few adjustments later and Dufault was ready for final practice. Continuing to learn the tricks and trades of the fast short track, the former open-wheel driver maneuvered the 16th fastest time, very respectable for her first tango with the Northern Ohio race track.

Because of the removal of time trials from the day’s activities, Dufault would start the 200-lap event 29th on the field according to the 2011 ARCA Racing Series rule book.

For the second consecutive weekend, rain would drench the race track on race day forcing ARCA Racing Series officials to spend a majority of the morning drying the Northern Ohio race track. The command to start engines was given shortly before 2:00 p.m. with the drivers circling the track under yellow and green flag conditions together to officially begin the fourth race of the season.

The all-clear would be given by lap 20 putting the field under true racing conditions. Knowing that the race had the opportunity to be called at the half-way point, the Sorel, Quebec native quickly began negotiating her way through the pack.

By the time the second yellow flag waived, Dufault had successfully raced her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger into the top-half dozen competition with a very neutral race car.

Johnson remained a cheerleader on the restart to help to Dufault mull over her competition. “You’re doing a real good job Mary,” said Johnson.  “Don’t worry once the tires wear down you’ll go right around ‘em – just be patient.”

When the leaders stacked up on the backstretch on lap 37, Dufault showed incredible car control as she was able to glide her Dodge Charger through the carnage finding herself beating on the door of the top-10.

Racing resumed with Dufault making her attack but as the group of cars she was racing with entered turn three on lap 58, a slower machine on the bottom of the track forced the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger to check-up; setting off a chain-reaction result from behind but not before another competitor plowed into the back of the No. 12 TMR entry which ultimately sent her machine hard into the wall.

C

oming to rest at the bottom of turn three, Dufault was able to climb from her machine under her own power, agitated but okay. The encouraging performance though would be overshadowed by the 23rd place finish as Dufault; herself experienced what it was like to become a victim of tight short track racing.
“I was really happy with our No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger,” said an obviously disappointed Dufault.  “The car was running great and I seemed to really be getting around the track well. I was moving up thru the field to a comfortable position to just ride. The No. 28 closed the door on me while I was outside passing him he was slower. But, he went to the wall like it was clear and that almost squished into the wall where the gate entrance was. I backed off a little but the No. 17 had to go left and hit my rear corner really hard that sent me into the wall. Obviously this is not how we wanted to finish, especially as strong of a car that the Tony Marks Racing team gave me.”

She added, “going around slower traffic is really hard for me I don’t want to cause them to wreck but they caused me a wreck and it’s the second time that has happened. We needed a good day for the points and for everyone who supports me and Tony Marks Racing but they say this is racing. It’s just frustrating. No one likes taking home a wrecked race car and we didn’t need to do it two weeks in-a-row. The positive coming out of Toledo is that we were fast and showed that we can be contenders. We’ll get No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger repaired and tackle the again on the next short track.”

TMR owner Tony Marks commented on Dufault’s performance.
“Maryeve did a great job, it wasn’t her fault,” he said. “While we’re disappointed that we didn’t get the finish that we all wanted, it was great to see both TMR right in the thick of the battle. We are a driver development team, we are here to teach and learn, and this is all part of it. Maryeve is a very smart, talented driver and I am very happy to have her behind the wheel of my race cars. We just have to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward with our head held high; because that’s the way we’ll persevere when we have races like this. Toledo is over and it’s onto New Jersey.”

Teammate Jared Marks, the 16-year old sophomore at Napoleon High School finished a respectable 13th in his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards debut behind the wheel of the No. 8 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the lone stop at a road course. The ModSpace 150 is set for next Sunday, May 22 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey. Dufault has high expectations for round five of the season as her previous racing background includes road course racing.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.
For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com
To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com
See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com.

ERICA ENDERS RETURNS TO SITE OF HER GREATEST PRO STOCK TRIUMPH

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 17) — Erica Enders made history at Heartland Park Topeka six years ago. At this weekend’s NHRA Summer Nationals, the ZaZa Energy-sponsored Pro Stock driver hopes to make some more.

During her second season in Pro Stock in 2006, Enders earned the first No. 1 qualifying spot of her career, simultaneously becoming the first female to earn a No. 1 qualifier in the ultra-competitive category.

She clearly has fond memories of that weekend in America’s heartland.

“Because we qualified well (in earlier sessions), we were running at the back of the pack in the final qualifying round, so we actually knew we had stayed No. 1 before we made our last pass,” Enders said. “Even though it was just qualifying, it was a really big milestone for us and for the sport. It was very exciting. I remember the end-of-the-track celebration. Everyone was going crazy. That’s something I’ll remember forever.”

Running for Cagnazzi Racing – her current team, too – Enders had been fast in prior races in 2006, so it wasn’t totally unexpected. But it was still special, even though Enders doesn’t normally like the “first woman to…” label.

“We had been running very well,” Enders said. “We were No. 2 at Pomona and we went to the semis in Houston that year. Our car was very strong. We had a couple of No. 2 qualifiers where we were just a couple thousandths away from being No. 1. Still, going to Topeka and clinching it and putting it in the books forever meant a lot to me.

“I know it’s just another ‘girl record,’ but it’s something cool. No one can ever take it away from me.”

Enders, 27, has matured as a person and a driver since that race, but is humble enough to know she still learns something every pass down the track. In the six years since making history, she has certainly become a much better driver.

“The difference is night and day,” Enders said. “I have a lot more experience and seat time. I’ve learned so much. This is my seventh year of driving. Just a few days ago in Atlanta, I had something happen to me that I’ve never had happen to me before. That’s the way it is; every run in the car is a learning experience.

“To have seven years of experience – which is still considered a rookie compared to a lot of guys in this class – I’ve got a lot of learning left to do. But I’ve progressed so much, and I feel I’m a night-and-day different driver than 2006.”

Enders is seventh in the NHRA Full Throttle points standings coming off her quarterfinal appearance at Atlanta Dragway last weekend. Enders was fast in the final qualifying session and fast in both rounds of eliminations. Couple that with her fondness of Heartland Park, and Enders carries a lot of confidence into the weekend.

“I’m feeling good, very confident,” Enders said. “I’ve got a tremendous team behind me. The people on this team are what make a program work, and I’ve definitely got the people and the brains and the race car and the horsepower. As long as I keep driving well, the stars are going to line up, and I’m going to get a win very soon.

“Hopefully Topeka is holding one for me and will still be good for me this week.”

Qualifying begins with two rounds at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Friday.

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Contact: Lee Montgomery at 704-258-0903 or lee.montgomery@zazaenergy.com.

Please visit www.ZaZaEnergy.com for more information.