FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kevin Macvaugh
Bullish Racing Communications
(201) 342-8374
pr@bullishmotorracing.com
BULLISH STAYS NEAR TOP OF NHRA POINTS FOLLOWING TOPEKA RACE
TOPEKA, Kansas (June 1, 2005) – Steady rain showers cancelled two of three qualifying sessions at the inaugural Nitto NHRA Sport Compact Summer Nationals, leading to a trying weekend for the Bullish Motor Racing Team. The fifth event of the 11-event 2005 NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series was hosted by the NHRA O’Reilly Summer Nationals – the second series event of 2005 to be hosted by a NHRA POWERade event. Nevertheless, team owner and driver Ara Arslanian drove the StreetGlow-sponsored Solara to a first round performance that keeps the team near the top of the championship points chase.
With only one opportunity to qualify for the field on an unpredictable track, the Bullish team was forced to try and find a median between tractability and the power needed for a favorable qualifying position. Unfortunately, the combination of hot weather and the earlier rain showers caused less than ideal track surface conditions. The Solara left the track groove on its qualifying pass and Arslanian was forced to shut off the power early, coasting to a 16.73/47.72 performance that left the team with the #7 qualifying position.
The result paired Arslanian with competitor Matt Hartford, who entered the weekend trailing Arslanian in the championship by only a single point, in the first round. The Bullish squad scrambled to make changes to the chassis and engine tune up with the limited data they had from the aborted qualifying pass. Unfortunately, the changes were not enough to overcome the challenge from the track. Arslanian could only muster a 7.30/190 performance from the Solara and couldn’t catch Hartford’s 6.71/209 run.
“The weekend ended a lot earlier than we wanted,” said Arslanian. “But that’s racing – sometimes you only make two passes and sometimes you go out and race six rounds. Hartford would have been hard to beat even if we had the setup dialed in – his team did a great job getting the car set up. My team did too but this weekend, it was just a little short.”
Hartford later went on to win the event, which furthered his points lead over Arslanian by a few rounds of racing. While competitor Steph Papadakis is also expected to surpass him in the points, Arslanian is expected to remain in the top three positions. With almost half the season already in the history books, Arslanian is confident with the team’s current position.
“There are still six races to go – that’s thirty-six more possible rounds of action. Being in the top three is a good place to be at. Everybody we thought should be going fast this season is, and that’s to be expected when you’re looking at second or third year engine programs. We might have the most veteran chassis out there, but we’re still only a few months into our twin-turbo 3.4L HKS stroker engine program. We’ve obviously have more work to do but I’m confident this team will get it done.”
The team now turns its attention back to defending its NDRA XBOX Cup championship this coming weekend at the NOPI South Florida race. Arslanian, a two-time defending champion in the NDRA series, is currently in firm control of the NDRA championship point’s chase.
For more event information about the Nitto NHRA Sport Compact Summer Nationals, please visit www.nhrasportcompact.com. The event will be broadcast on ESPN2, Thursday, June 9, 2 p.m. (Sunday, June 12, 2 a.m., repeat).
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
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Head Games Motorworks
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
