Massey rides for ODYSSEY; DSR Teams Fight for Cancer Cure; Capps and Hagan Focus on Countdown

Massey to pilot special ODYSSEY® Battery Top Fuel dragster for DSR at this weekend’s NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway

BROWNSBURG, IN – A special paint scheme will adorn Don Schumacher Racing driver Spencer Massey’s 10,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster this weekend for the 30th annual NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.

Spencer will pilot the ODYSSEY® Battery Top Fuel Dragster at this weekend’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event with hopes that the new look will produce a breakthrough for the team seeking for redemption after a recent string of bad luck.

The ODYSSEY® Battery team will have a cheering section all weekend as employees from nearby EnerSys will attend.

“We have the opportunity to showcase the ODYSSEY® Battery brand colors on Spencer Massey’s Top Fuel dragster thanks to our relationship with Don Schumacher Racing,” said Dave McMullen, director of commercial marketing for specialty and markets at EnerSys. “We are looking forward to the NHRA event at Maple Grove Raceway, which is so close to home for many of us, and hope that the ODYSSEY® Battery Top Fuel Dragster brings luck to Spencer and the entire DSR team.”

The team led by crew chiefs Phil Shuler and Todd Okuhara is looking to repeat their 2011 winning success at the scenic facility.

“I absolutely love going to Maple Grove,” Spencer said. “There’s something about it that is special and you know when you pull in that it is going to be a fast weekend. We have a win there from a few years back and we’ve put some impressive numbers up on the scoreboards there so I’m really looking forward to going back.”

Maple Grove Raceway is the site of the Top Fuel national record run of 3.701 seconds set by DSR driver Antron Brown in 2012.

“Crew chiefs have been keeping an eye on the weather forecast all week and it’s shaping up to be fast conditions,” Spencer said. “You go to Maple Grove and you just lay it all out there and that’s what we have to do.”

Spencer is sixth in NHRA Countdown to the Championship standings at the halfway point of the playoffs with three NHRA Mello Yello events remaining in the season.

“We honestly have nothing to lose. We are more than 100 points back from the top spot in points with only three races left in the Countdown to the Championship so we just have to go out there and give it all we have. I really feel good about this weekend and feel like we can turn it around and make a statement.”
Beckman returns to DSR roots for race at Maple Grove to help Matco Tools ‘Tools for the Cause’ fight against breast cancer

– Jack Beckman’s Dodge Charger R/T Funny Cars have carried the messages of great sponsors and causes, but it will have some this weekend that will make it even more special for him to drive in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.

Jack will be driving for Matco Tools that sponsored his DSR Dodge in his first six events at Don Schumacher Racing to close the 2006 season.

And with national breast cancer awareness month beginning Wednesday, he will join with DSR teammate Antron Brown to display on their race cars more than 1,350 “I Drive For” names of those who have battled or are battling breast cancer as part of the Matco Tools “Tools for the Cause” program to raise awareness and funds for Susan G. Komen® during national breast cancer awareness month that begins on Wednesday.

Matco Tools has raised more than $436,000 since 2012, for Komen, which funds breast cancer research and lifesaving community programs.

Jack can well relate to the patients and families represented by those names. He is a cancer survivor and is in this third year as a national spokesman for the Chemotherapy: Myths or Facts™ media outreach program for Amgen. Ten years ago, Jack underwent his first chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with Stage III lymphoma. After a six-month, eight-cycle chemo program, Jack’s cancer was and remains in remission.

“I just find that because of my experience, I’m a pretty useful tool for talking to people who are going through this,” said Jack, who the year before the diagnosis won the NHRA Super Comp world championship in Sportsman competition.

The 48-year-old former U.S. Air Force sergeant who lives in Norco in Southern California, eagerly accepts every opportunity to help others in their fight against cancer and educating them about his experience with chemotherapy.

And rejoining Matco Tools to helps its “Tools for the Cause” campaign would make it even more special to drive into Sunday’s winner’s circle at Maple Grove to receive the 16th NHRA Wally trophy of his career.

Moments after Jack won the NHRA Top Fuel world championship, Antron matched the feat.

The race at Maple Grove Raceway will end a run of four events in four weeks. Following the eastern race and a three-week break, the series races Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the finale Nov. 13-16 at Pomona, Calif.
Matco Tools team driving for more than victory at Maple Grove; ‘Tools for the Cause’ program honors those affected by breast cancer

– Antron Brown never lacks for drive but he will arrive at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa., in ultra high gear.

He fresh off his sixth NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event title with his Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster team that got them back in the race for a second NHRA world championship in three years

The New Jersey native’s dragster will feature the “I Drive For” campaign on his driver’s suit and Top Fuel dragster beginning this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway. “I Drive For” is part of the annual Matco Tools “Tools for the Cause” program to raise awareness and funds for Susan G. Komen® during national breast cancer awareness month that begins on Wednesday.

Matco Tools has raised more than $436,000 since 2012 for Komen, which funds breast cancer research and lifesaving community programs.

Joining the “I Drive For” effort this weekend at Maple Grove will be the DSR Funny Car driven by Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman, who won the NHRA Funny Car world championship in 2012 moments before Antron won the Top Fuel championship.

The cars driven by Antron and Jack will carry 1,350 names of those who have batted or are battling breast cancer that were submitted through Matco’s “I Drive For” social media campaign.

Antron will drive for his mother-in-law, Linda Matranga, a breast cancer survivor, as “I Drive For … Linda” will adorn his firesuit and side of his race car.

“October is a very important month for our series because it’s right in the middle of our Countdown (to the Championship) playoff,” he said, “but October means even more to our Matco Tools team here at DSR. My wife Billie Jo’s mother is a breast cancer survivor and this disease has affected our family as it has many others.

“I’m excited for the ‘I Drive For’ campaign to drive for Linda, and to drive for all those touched by this disease. We want to continue to drive awareness for such a great cause.”

The Matco Tools for the Cause program is focused on raising money to aid in the fight against breast cancer. As part of its 2014-15 program, Matco Tools has committed to donate at least $100,000 to Komen.

Antron will be joined at the track by family and friends from around his hometown of Chesterfield, N.J., who will be cheering for him to continue the comeback he started on Sunday in the NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis.

A series of mysterious mechanical issues for three events contributed to subpar qualifying performances that put the team in the bottom half of the 16-car eliminations fields and led to three straight uncustomary first-round losses by the team led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald.

The team arrived at Gateway ranked eighth and 153 points behind DSR teammate and points leader Tony Schumacher but will arrive at Maple Grove fourth and 80 points behind Schumacher.

“This was a big day for us,” Antron said of winning for the 47th time in his career and 31st in Top Fuel to give DSR its 236th event title.

And the driver’s reaction times excelled in the semifinals when he was quicker than Steve Torrence to leave the starting line that enabled the Matco dragster to eliminate the quicker car on that run.

It was Antron’s third straight win at Gateway and fourth in the past five years.

His week in Pennsylvania begins Thursday with a tech school visit to the Automotive Training Center Exton (114 Pickering Way, Exton, Pa. 19341) before he eagerly returns to the cockpit of his Matco Tools dragster.

Although he seeks his first Maple Grove title in three championship round appearances including each of the past two years, the track has been good to him. A major step toward winning the 2012 world championship came at the scenic track when he earned 20 bonus points for setting an NHRA track record that remains today with the quickest run in history of 3.701 seconds and his personal best speed of 328.78 mph.

“With three races left, we’ve just got to keep pushing and doing what we’ve been doing because it’s still anybody’s championship out there.”

The race at Maple Grove Raceway will end a run of four events in four weeks. Following the eastern race and a three-week break, the series races Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the finale Nov. 13-16 at Pomona, Calif.
Capps needs first Maple Grove win to get back in Countdown hunt

– Ron Capps doesn’t need any extra motivation when he gets to Maple Grove Raceway Friday for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event near Reading, Pa.

Not only is the driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny intent on getting closer to the top of the Countdown to the Championship playoff standings, but he wants to check Maple Grove off the short list of only two NHRA national event tracks where he has yet to win an event title.

Ron, whose team is led by crew chief Rahn Tobler, appreciates the history of the scenic facility and wants badly to own an NHRA Wally trophy from the track.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to Reading. I love racing there but it’s one of only two tracks left where I haven’t won in my career,” he said.

Ron can’t explain why he hasn’t been able to get to the Maple Grove winner’s circle and has only advanced to two championship runs and none since 2000. A year ago, he advanced to the semifinals.

“I wish I could explain it because then we could change our outcome there,” he said. “It’s a beautiful track and we’ve run well there but we just can’t close the deal. Tobler has run good in the past there so hopefully we can go there and make some magic and get a win.”

In addition to adding to his stockpile of 43 NHRA trophies, a more pressing matter is moving up from fifth in the six-race Countdown standings and cut the margin of 126 points he trails leader John Force.

The NAPA AUTO PARTS team qualified eighth last weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis but lost a great opportunity to gain ground when it lost to Force in the quarterfinals despite a solid 4.143-second run to Force’s 4.119, which was the best of the round. Although Force lost in the next round he was able to pad his lead over Ron by 20 points.

“We lost more ground,” Ron said. “You get to the point where you feel like you’re running out of time, but we’re still in it. We’ll have the same mentality we had going to St. Louis and that is to just win.”

Two events will remain in the Countdown after Maple Grove that ends a run of four events in four weekends. After a three-week break, the series races Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the finale Nov. 13-16 at Pomona, Calif.
Hagan focuses on NHRA Countdown to the Championship battle with Rocky Boots/Mopar Dodge this weekend at Maple Grove

– It is an exciting time for the driver of the Rocky Boots/Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car. The performance of the team is getting stronger each weekend, they are in the battle for their second Funny Car world championship and Matt’s ventures outside of his race car are going well.

So well that his store, Matt Hagan Outdoors (MattHaganOutdoors.com), will be moving to a new 30,000-square-foot. location in late October and his stores logo will be featured on his Rocky Boots Dodge this weekend for the 30th annual NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.

Matt Hagan Outdoors is a unique, western-themed store that features a full line of footwear by Rocky, Durango, Georgia, Ariat and Merrell along apparel by Rocky, Ariat, Silver, Cinch, Browning and more. The store also contains a wide variety of hunting and fishing gear with a huge selection of firearms, archery and ammunition.

“We’ve got a lot of good stuff going on right now, that’s for sure,” said Matt. “I’ve got a lot going on at home with the farm and moving Matt Hagan Outdoors to a new location but when I’m at the track I just focus on doing my job, driving this race car and turning on four win lights on Sunday.”

The Rocky Boots team was runner-up at last weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals and moved into third place in NHRA Countdown to the Championship points standings, just 42 points behind leader John Force. The week before he won the delayed Carolina Nationals title held at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas.

“Maple Grove is a crucial event,” Matt said. “We know it’s going to be fast and it’s a place where records are set. If you leave the race with a new record elapsed time, that’s 20 more points. That could be huge. But we just have to go out there and race our race and focus on doing our jobs and getting the job done in Reading.”

The team led by crew chief Dickie Venables has two event titles and two runner-up finishes this season with three races remaining in the Countdown to the Championship.

“I’m so proud of Dickie and each and every one of my guys,” Matt said. “They are really stepping it up in this Countdown and it shows with a win and a runner-up in the past three races. We just have to keep that momentum going.

“I think I’m more anxious than ever to climb in my race car this weekend. This sport is so humbling, things are going well now but it could change at any point so we just have to focus and take it one lap at a time.”