Pr - Marty Thacker - Preview - Joliet National

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    Thacker Looking for Two Wins in Joliet


    Marty Thacker and the Rapid Transit Race Team haven’t had luck on their side this season, but they are hoping for all of that to change this weekend as they compete in the Jeg’s All-Star event and the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA National Event this weekend in Joliet. The defending Division 3 championship team sponsored by Knoll Gas – Torco Race Fuels will be representing their division in the Jeg’s All-Star event for the 4th time in 5 years.

    “What a great event for all the Lucas Oil Series competitors. We owe a lot of thanks to the Coughlin family for putting this event on each year. Not only do they put up their money and a lot of nice extras for the competitors, but they also take personal roles in all stages of the event. It's easy to see that racing holds a special place in their hearts,” Thacker commented. “The Rapid Transit team has won this event, runner-upped, and gotten beat in the semi-finals in previous All-star events. “This year we have been working hard to put the Knoll Gas - Torco Race Fuels entry back into the Jeg's winner's circle. It will be a hectic weekend, but one with the prospect of big payoffs if we get it right.”

    The track, which is considered to be one of the fastest on the circuit, has been good to the team in the past. At the 2002 event, the team became the first car to run over 270 miles an hour and just the 3rd blown car in history to run a 5.20 pass down the quarter-mile. This weekend, with the support of friends and family that will make the trip up from Robinson, Illinois they hope to have more success.

    “The 2006 season has been rough for the Rapid Transit team so far. We struggled with a lot of parts breakage at the first few races. In Atlanta, we discovered an electronics problem in part of the ignition system that had probably been the culprit all along. After fixing that, we were working the tune-up back toward the edge when the clutch came apart on us in Topeka doing a lot of damage. After a lot of late nights replacing the damaged parts, we are ready to begin working on the tune up again. We know the track will be great, and while the air should be great for the A-Fuel cars, it will be good for us as well.”

    Qualifying for the event will be held at 1 and 5:30 PM on Friday and will continue on Saturday morning at 10:30 AM. The final run will also count as the Jeg’s All-Star event’s first round. Eliminations will continue at 2:30 PM and the final round will be at 4:00 PM. Eliminations for the NHRA National event will begin following the 1st round of Pros on Sunday.

    Quick Facts

    • This is the 4th Jeg’s All-Star event for the team in the past 5 years. They have been to the finals twice, earning the win in 2002.
    • The defending Division 3 Champions currently sit in the Top 10 in the points standings following the first event of the series.
    • The Team, based out of Robinson, Illinois, has won 5 UDRA National Championships and 2 NHRA Divisional championships.
    • Four of the Rapid Transit Race Team crew members race in the NHRA Super Comp class.

    Please visit the official team website www.rapidtransitracing.com.

    You can access the full line of innovative products offered by our major sponsor TORCO Racing Fuels including racing gasoline, additives, and Skull Gear at www.torcoracefuels.com.

    Visit the websites of our current associate and product sponsors at the following websites:

    Atlantic Industrial – www.atscaf.com

    Valvoline - www.valvoline.com/pages/racing

    Hoosier Racing Tire – www.hoosiertire.com

    Fatheadz – www.fatheadz.com

    Submitted by: Shanna Snyder-Bell

    Contact Person: Marty Thacker
    Contact email address: mlthacker@mapllc.com
     
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    Last edited: Jun 8, 2006

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