Pr - Marty Thacker - Wrap-up - U.s. Nationals

Thacker Races to Quarterfinal Finish in Indy​

Last weekend, Marty Thacker and the Rapid Transit Race Team competed in the prestigious U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Team qualified #13 for the event, the second quickest blown car and only 1 of 4 to qualify for the very quick field of Top Alcohol Dragsters.

"I guess sometimes you have to take the bad with the good. While a second round exit was much earlier than we had planned on, we did learn some new tricks. Rainy weather cancelled the Thursday session, but we still had 3 more shots to work on our new tune-up. Actually, it's a retrofitted version of a tune-up scheme we used with success in 2003. We went into first round ready to rumble, but when our opponent left before the tree activated, it confused me, so I left the line with too much RPM causing some major tire shake,” said Thacker.

After a qualifying effort of 5.39 at 268 MPH on Sunday morning, good for the 13th spot in the field, Thacker entered the first round Sunday night. After taking the win light at the big end the Team began to focus on 2nd round. Monday afternoon, Thacker lined up with the only other blown car left in the field, but left .010 too quickly and turned on the red light.

“We came back to the line for second round feeling pretty good about our chances. When I swapped feet, the Torco Racing Fuel really kicked in, because she yanked the front end up high and kept them there all the way till half track. I could hear Dan hollering on the in-helmet-radio to shut it off. I thought he was worried because we haven’t been running a wheelie bar lately, but I finally found out I had red lit and shut it off. Talk about going from hero to zero. The ESPN2 crew wanted me to talk about the wild ride when I got out of the car. I really just wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere, but I owe the fans, Knoll Gas - Torco Race Fuels, Atlantic Industrial, and all our other supporters more than that so I did the interview. Don't be surprised if you see the wheelie bar back on that fast Spitzer dragster when we get to Maple Grove."

The next event for the Team will be in Reading, Pennsylvania at the Toyo Tires Nationals, September 15th thru the 18th.

Quick Facts

• The Team has been to two final rounds this year earning one win at the prestigious Jeg’s All-Star event earlier this year in Joliet, Illinois.
• This weekend marks the 4th race for the Team in the last 5 weeks. Earlier in the month they earned a runner-up finish at the St. Louis divisional race.
• The defending Division 3 Champions currently sit in the #3 spot in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series points standings and in the top 20 nationally.
• 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