FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kevin Macvaugh
Bullish Racing Communications
(201) 342-8374
pr@bullishmotorracing.com
BULLISH RACING RACES TO SEMIFINAL; IMPORT DRAGSTER INTO 7’S AT NOPI MEMPHIS
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Aug 2, 2005) – Despite ongoing technical challenges, the Bullish Motor Racing team raced their StreetGlow-sponsored Solara to a semifinal round finish at the O’Reilly NOPI Memphis event, the seventh event in the 2005 NDRA XBOX Cup Racing Series this past weekend. As well, the team made further progress on its groundbreaking Bullish AEM Import Dragster program – running the turbocharged 3.0L 2JZ Inline-6-powered dragster to record a 7.45-sec./175-mph time slip in only its third on track appearance.
While the 100-plus degree temperatures that greeted teams and fans at last week’s NOPI St. Louis event were absent from the Memphis area, low 90 degree temperatures were enough to contribute to less than ideal track conditions – evidenced by inconsistent performances by almost all competitors. Nevertheless, team owner and driver Ara Arslanian drove the StreetGlow Solara to a 7.095-sec/183.15-mph best qualifying pass, good for the third spot on the qualifying ladder.
“Qualifying was a mixed bag for us,” said Arslanian. “We tested a little on Friday and the car was a handful on this track. By Saturday though, we were still trying to trace some of the little mechanical gremlins that has plagued us recently. We wanted to make sure all the bases were covered, so we even swapped motors after qualifying in case we missed something.”
The odd numbered 5-car field gave Arslanian a bye run for the first round of eliminations. With a new motor in place and a very conservative tune-up, the Solara covered the track in 7.051-sec./196.59-mph – a performance that pleased the team given the conservative nature of the set up. The result encouraged the team to use a very aggressive tune up for the semifinal round match against competitor Brad Personett – their third-straight pairing in three events. After driving completing his burnout though, Arslanian received notification from his crew that Personett’s team was having problems trying to start their Titan Celica in front of the burnout box. Although Arslanian is technically allowed to stage and take an automatic win when a competitor has mechanical difficulty after the starter gives his signal, Arslanian decided to pull behind the waterbox and shut down to wait for the Titan crew. After several minutes, both cars finally fired up and staged at the line. Unfortunately, despite his courtesy wait for Personett, lady luck was not on Arslanian’s side and the Solara ran an off-pace 7.827-sec/194.30-mph pass to finish behind Personett’s 6.964/198.58. Personett’s Celica actually suffered a blown engine during the pass and did not make the subsequent final round call – automatically handing the win to competitor Steph Papadakis.
“Some people said I should have not waited – especially since Brad got me at the last two events. That would have been an easy trip to the next round, but that’s not what the Memphis fans came down to see - It’s the right thing to do. You want to avoid winning on singles or technicalities as much as possible, championship teams just don’t do that. You never know when it could be yourself in the other lane with the same situation and I would hope that all real competitors would have done the same. Unfortunately, we were a round short this time, but we’re not entirely disappointed with our outing.”
Arslanian and team were also not disappointed with the latest outing of their Pro Extreme Compact category Bullish AEM Import Dragster. Arslanian donned his AEM fire suit and top fuel helmet prior to the start of the final round of eliminations, giving Memphis fans a shot to witness history in the making. The 262–inch wheelbase Top Alcohol-style dragster has the potential to run the first 5-second import-powered quarter-mile pass in history and is the first entry in the NDRA’s exhibition Pro Extreme Compact class. After a crisp burnout, Arslanian staged and rocketed to a best-ever 7.45-sec./175-mph pass to the cheers of an excited crowd.
“It was a really smooth ride. We didn’t have the clutch set up to take full advantage of the power, but we’re still happy with the number. We’re still only less than a dozen passes into the import dragster program, but the progress has been great. That was our quickest pass yet, but we’re just getting started. I’m really happy we were able to put on the show for our Tennessee fans.”
The recorded event will be broadcast on a future edtion of NOPI Tunervision on SPEED, Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm and 11:00 pm. For more event information about the NDRA NOPI Memphis, please visit www.nopi.com.
Editor’s Note: Members of the media interested in attending the event are encouraged to contact Kevin Macvaugh, Bullish Motor Racing, (201) 342-8374 or Seth Rubin, Alan Taylor Communications, (212) 714-1280.
About Bullish Motor Racing
Bullish Motor Racing, based in Hackensack, New Jersey, is a premier professional sport compact drag racing team competing in both the NHRA and NDRA sport compact drag racing series. Owner/driver Ara Arslanian competes in a tube-framed Toyota Solara powered by a 1,600 horsepower production-based, turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 engine. In the past three years, the team has amassed an unprecedented 4 championships with their third consecutive NDRA Championship coming last year. In addition to the national titles, the team also currently holds and has held quarter mile ET and MPH world records in the NHRA and the NDRA, as well as numerous track records. www.bullishmotorracing.com
About Street Glow, Inc.
StreetGlow® defined a new category in the automotive aftermarket with the introduction of Auto-Neon® and has since inspired a new generation of enthusiasts with its extensive line of performance lighting products. Their cutting-edge line of StreetGlow and OPTXR by StreetGlow branded products continues to drive new automotive lighting trends and showcase the popularity of this emergent category. Named to the prestigious Inc. 500 list of America's fastest growing private companies for four consecutive years, StreetGlow, Inc. is the number one choice in Auto-Neon and performance lighting products worldwide. For more information, visit www.streetglow.com or www.optxbystreetglow.com
Bullish Motor Racing 2005 Season Statistics
NDRA NOPI Drag Racing Series
- NOPI Race Wars Firebird Raceway, Phoenix, AZ, March 19-20, 2005 Ara Arslanian: Qualified 2nd, 7.04-sec/202; Finished 2nd (redlight) Notable: First race with new 3.4L, twin-turbo engine program
- NOPI Race Wars DC Maryland International Raceway, Mechanicsville, MD, April 9-10, 2005 Ara Arslanian: Qualified 1stP, 6.755-sec/205.85-mph; Finished 1st (6.751-sec./204.57-mph d. Manny Cruz 7.953-sec./168.35-mph red-light) Notable: First race with new dual-rail fuel injection system; recorded a weekend best 6.751 pass in final.
- NOPI Race Wars Virginia
Virginia Motorsports Park, Dinwiddie, VA, April 23-24, 2005
Ara Arslanian: Qualified 3rd, 11.128 /83.12; Finished 1st (6.908/199.82) d. Don Nase 8.33/120)
Notable: Third consecutive victory matches career best win streak.
- NOPI South Florida
Moroso Motorsports Park, Morrison, CO, June 4-5, 2005
Event cancelled due to rain
- NOPI Rockingham
Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC, June 25-26, 2005
Ara Arslanian: Qualified 3rd, 7.107/185.46; Semifinal Round (6.700 /206.48 l. Matt Scranton 6.638 /208.04)
- NOPI Bristol
Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tennessee, July 9-10, 2005
Ara Arslanian: Qualified 2nd, 6.890/202.03; First Round (7.168/191.76 l. Brad Personett 6.938/206.76)
- NOPI St Louis
Gateway International Raceway, St. Louis, MO, July 30-31, 2005
Ara Arslanian: Qualified 5th 6.940/203.49; First Round (7.520 /203.74 l. 6.744/210.64)
- NOPI Memphis
Memphis Motorsports Park, Memphis, TN, July 30-31, 2005
Ara Arslanian: Qualified 3rd 7.095-sec/183.15-mph; Semifinal Round (7.827-sec/194.30 l. Brad Personett 6.964/198.58)
Summer Sport Compact Slam
- BFGoodrich Tires Summer Sport Compact Slam
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ, July 2-3, 2005
Ara Arslanian: Match race vs. Bob Benza; 6.89/209 best E.T.
ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
Through our sponsors, team Bullish Motor Racing has been able to compete at the highest level of performance with the best resources and equipment. Bullish Motor Racing thanks all of our sponsors for their great support in making us a championship team.
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