Final Round Racing's Melissa Wright Earned Second Career Wally at Sacramento Raceway
- Nov 14, 2011
Wright, returning to the seat of her small block powered 1973 Chevy Nova, got the win light by .001 seconds. "That was the best moment of the year," Wright said, reminiscing on the teams season. "After having not raced the Nova for a few months, it was great to get back in the car. The car was running the number, and I was fortunate to be cutting good lights. The final round was very close and I feel luck just went my way." Luck continued to be on Wright's side. After the win, Wright and teammate Brett Olson slept for two hours, and then departed for Redding for the National Open, a National Dragster Challenge race for NHRA. Wright's Nova continued to run well, Olson's 1967 Pontiac Firebird came to life. The two ended up on opposite sides of the ladder and dominated the day on the way to a final round showdown. It was Wright taking the win again, earning her second Wally, the iconic trophy awarded at NHRA National and Divisional events. It was Wrights second career Wally, to go with three that Olson has won in his racing career. The weekend was vindication for Wright, who had to sit on the sidelines most of the season and watch Olson go to final-after-final at both Sacramento Raceway and Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. In 2010, Olson was the runner-up in the NHRA Division 7 ET Finals in the Sportsman category. The momentum from that performance carried over into 2011, a season the Wright said was "good so far." The team, together since 2004, still has a few events left in 2011, but now Wright says the focus is on next season, and getting more variety of races in. "We hope to do more travelling to other racetracks, and race as much as we possibly can." With both cars running strong, Final Round Racing should have plenty more opportunities for Wally's next year. The team was quick to credit K&N Filters for helping extend the life of their cars, as well as improving performance. "We use K&N Filters on all of our race cars, on our tow vehicle, and on our daily drivers. K&N products give us the performance and reliability needed to run a busy race schedule." Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
