MILAN, Mich. (May 29, 2008) --
After a catastrophic engine failure in Rockingham knocked the Hoosier
Thunder team from contention, the Amalie Oil InstiGator Funny Car
driven by Paul Noakes and tuned by Les Mellows, looked for big
improvements at the Motor City Nationals. They didn't have to wait long.
The team rolled the Dodge Avenger off of the transporter and immediately captured Friday night's Last Man Standing Award and an additional five points with a 5.791 et at 244.03 mph performance. It was a career best performance for the car.
Saturday's
qualifying attempts
would prove that the InstiGator's performance wasn't a fluke. Noakes
would outrun Dale Brand during the afternoon session by posting a
career best 5.754 et at 245.36 mph, remaining in the top spot after two
sessions. Noakes would once again put his ride into the seventies
during Saturday night's session, only to be outdone by Brand's run into the sixties.
The only spoiler for the weekend was a first round -.002 red light against Rob Atchison.
"I
can't tell you how disappointed we were about how the day ended,"
Noakes said. "But, we're very excited about making consistent runs like
that." Noakes was the only driver to make every qualifying attempt in
the seventies.
"Terry [McMillen]
did a great job putting that motor together," Noakes added. "He put it
together and took it apart and went out and tested and tore it down
again until he had it just the way he wanted. He gave Les a great car
to work with this weekend."
Crew
Chief Les Mellows was also optimistic. "Overall it was a successful
weekend," Mellow said. "A lot came together - a little adversity - but
we were able to overcome. We're just one step away from having the car
fit the driver perfectly. Once Paul is a little more comfortable in
this car, we'll have the car that can run with any of them."
While
the weekend showed promise for the future, the team did drop a spot to
fifth in the point standings. "We're two wins away from catching up."
Mellows said. "I think we can get ourselves back in the hunt. We're a
long way from being out of it. Tom [Carter], Robbie [Atchison}, Dale
[Brand}
and Laurie [Cannister] are ahead of us and you've got Mark [Thomas] and
a couple of teams behind us that you can't take for granted."
The
team also was happy to bring back former crew member Tad Heflick to the
Funny Car team. "We're excited about having Tad back," Noakes said.
"We're look at Tad as our car chief. This is a strong team from top to
bottom."
With the Torco Race Fuels President's Cup Nationals just a few weeks away (June 13-15),
Noakes is looking forward to getting back out on the track. "I
definitely think we look strong going into Buds Creek," he said. "We're
just one step away from winning one of these races."
Hoosier
Thunder Motorsports partners with high-quality and high-performance
companies like: Amalie Oil, Torco Race Fuels, Jet Label & Tape,
Auto Meter, Mahle Clevite, Perfect Circle, Flatout Gaskets, Harman
Heavy Vehicle
Specialists, Northland Dental and Rondeau Dental Seminars, NGK Spark
Plugs, MSD, Permatex, GO Graphix, eMax, Crane Cams, Freedom Grill,
Holbrook Performance Parts, Global Power Systems and Paradise RV &
Coach.
To learn more about Hoosier Thunder Motorsports, visit http://hoosierthunder.com.
To learn more about Paul Noales visit: http://noakesracing.com
photos used with permission © Roger Richards
ABOUT AMALIE OIL [http://amalie.com]
Founded in 1903 in Franklin, Pennsylvania, Amalie Oil Company was one of the original "Pennsylvania
Crude" oil companies. Today, Amalie blends and packages almost 200
different products. Amalie continues over 100 years of excellence with
a full line of Automotive, Fleet, Industrial, and Specialty lubricants,
that, since 1903, truly are Better than they have to be!
ABOUT TORCO RACE FUELS [http://torcoracefuels.com or http://torco.com]
Torco
Racing Fuels is the
first choice for engine builders and professional racers seeking
extreme power and consistency. The company also offers commercial and
racing oils and lubes; SKULL Shine, a complete line of car care
products; SKULL Gear, a complete line of apparel, traction compound,
and racing-related accessories.
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