FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kevin Macvaugh
Bullish Racing Communications
(201) 342-8374
pr@bullishmotorracing.com
BULLISH RACES TO SEMIFINAL; DRAGSTER MAKES HISTORIC PASS AT NDRA ROCKINGHAM
ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (June 29, 2005) – For yet another time in Bullish Motor Racing’s 24-event 2005 racing schedule, inclement weather came into play at the NOPI Rocks NC event, June 25-26. The fifth race of the 2005 NDRA XBOX Cup series was hosted by Rockingham, North Carolina’s Rockingham Dragway and was the fourth event the team has attended this year to be delayed or cancelled by rain. This time though, Bullish Racing team owner and driver Ara Arslanian was able to race to a semifinal finish in the Pro Compact category competition and make a historic first pass in the team’s new AEM Import Dragster before rain cancelled the remaining action late Sunday.
Arslanian’s semifinal round finish ensures the reigning two-time NDRA XBOX Cup champion is still firmly in control of the season points in search of an unprecedented third-straight championship title. The weekend began as another uphill challenge for the Bullish crew though. After successfully testing a new engine/drivetrain setup during a private testing session a week before the event, the Rockingham track surface proved to be inadaptable on Saturday to the teams gathered test data.
“We laid down a few good passes on Friday night,” said Arslanian. “So we packed up the trailer and expected to be ready for the first Saturday qualifying session. Unfortunately, track conditions changed overnight and we had severe tire shake issues and used all three rounds of qualifying to figure out the right adjustments.”
Arslanian may have been fortunate to abort his first round qualifying pass, coasting to a 20.14-sec/31mph finish; competitor Tirso San Juan’s Celica had lost control and crossed the centerline and into Arslanian’s lane near the top of the track – potentially setting up a disastrous scenario had Arslanian’s StreetGlow Solara made a full pass. San Juan’s car proceeded to overturn and hit the retaining wall on Arslanian’s side of the lane, but emerged unhurt. During the second round of qualifying, Arslanian was again forced to abort the pass after severe tire shake issues surfaced for a second time. Finally, Arslanian and the crew got the StreetGlow-sponsored Solara going for a 7.10-sec./185-mph pass during the third and final qualifying round. Though the run was good for the fourth slot on the qualifying ladder, the team then tackled an ignition related problem that may have developed from the violent vibrations of the first two qualifying passes.
“Tire shake in a 1,700 hp car is not the same thing as what you would go through in your street car. It literally can rattle your teeth, so it may have played a part in a wiring issue during the third qualifying round. We knew we had the setup coming around though and felt confident that we were ready for eliminations.”
The changes to the Solara prior to the start of Sunday’s eliminations proved to be spot on as Arslanian and the Solara cruised to a 6.83-sec./204-mph victory against competitor Manny Cruz, who had given up the round on a red-light start. The first round victory set up a major battle between Arslanian and competitor Matt Scranton for the semifinal round. Although Scranton had run a 6.50 during qualifying, he clearly had lost some performance and ran a neck and neck race with Arslanian after both races left with comparable reaction times (Arslanian .083, Scranton .039). Scranton just edged out Arslanian with a 6.63-sec./208-mph clocking at the finish line, despite the twin-turbo HKS 3.4 L Stroker powered Solara recording a 6.70-sec./ 206-mph best pass of the weekend.
“If I were able to choose a way to win, that would be it – side by side with the crowd on their feet. The ending was wrong, but it was still a great race and we still increased our points lead. I’m glad we were able to give the fans that came out a good show.”
The Solara wasn’t the only star of the Bullish Racing show this past weekend though. For the first time ever, Bullish Racing fired up its 2JZ twin-turbo powered AEM Import Dragster for the public. The historic debut of what is hoped to be the first import-powered vehicle to deliver a 5-second quarter mile took place adter the first round of qualifying. Arslanian jumped out of his StreetGlow racing suit and into his AEM racing suit the second he got back to the staging lanes after his first round qualifying pass. The Rockingham crowds were quickly electrified by the starting of the 262-inch rail dragster – with twin Turbonetics turbos and 3.0 L 2JZ engine in full sight. After a lengthy burnout to the cheer of the fans, Arslanian lined up the dragster for its maiden public pass. Unfortunately, after a stout launch, the dragster bogged and Arslanian had to abort a full pass. And while the team’s first public pass was hobbled by a minor glitch that the team had rectified for a second demo on Sunday, the rain nixed the team’s chance to put another pass down for the Rockingham audience.
“We were tremendously happy to bring out our dragster for the Rockingham crowds. We’re obviously extremely early in our Import Dragster program and minor issues like the one we had are bound to come up this early in the game. We wanted to put down a full pass for the fans that came out to see us, but unfortunately Mother Nature had her say in the matter. Still, it was a really proud moment for me and the team to have rolled the dragster onto the world stage. We’re really excited about the prospects of the program and the fans definitely let know that they were excited as well.”
The team now turns its focus to the annual BFGoodrich Summer Sport Compact Slam event at its home track – Englishtown’s Raceway Park. On tap for the event besides the usual 6-second, 200+ mph competition will be a featured match race between Arslanian’s import powered Solara and the Tom Martino-driven Jesel Pontiac Grand Am NHRA Pro Stock racecar – the first import vs. domestic matchup of its kind.
“We love Englishtown. Everybody knows it’s our home and we love to be able to attend the Sport Compact Slam every year for our hometown fans. The Import vs. Pro Stock match race will be huge. People know that I’ve been looking to do this for a long time and I think it will be the ultimate import vs. domestic, displacement vs. replacement, old school vs. new school race of its kind.”
More info about the BFGoodrich Tires Summer Sport Compact Slam can be found at www.racewaypark.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
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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