Pritchett’s Gumout dragster to get new name from fans this week at US Nationals
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| Gumout dragster |
Back in June, Leah Pritchett and the Dote Racing team unveiled the popular "Solid Gold" Gumout Expert Series dragster at Bristol Dragway.
The racing fans loved the new paint and the car was awarded the "Best Appearing Car" of the Thunder Valley Nationals.
Now, the racing fans will have the opportunity to name the latest version of Pritchett's Gumout Top Fueler this week as the Dote team heads to the world's biggest drag race, the 61st annual NHRA U.S. Nationals, set for Sept. 4-7.
The red chrome paint should be another popular scheme with the NHRA fans when Pritchett jumps into the 10,000-horsepower, nitro-burning car Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. EDT for the first time in her quest for the most coveted drag race trophy. Nitro qualifying is set for one run Friday, two Saturday and two Sunday before Monday's (Labor Day) final eliminations.
The fans with the winning name of Pritchett's latest Gumout machine will receive special Gumout prizes. The fans can enter the names by going on twitter with @Gumout and @LeahPritchettTF.
"The Solid Gold Gumout car received a lot of attention for the three NHRA races it competed," said Pritchett, the 27-year-old racing veteran from Avon, Ind. "Now, the Dote team and the Gumout folks wanted to include some of that look and we went with red chrome. It's a cool looking paint for a dragster. And, at night, it should be fun to watch."
Pritchett, who started her drag racing career at age eight in Junior Dragsters, is one of most versatile drivers in the professional ranks, holding for four pro licenses in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Heritage Funny Car and ProMod. Leah is a Heritage Funny Car World Champion and a three-time NHRA national event winner in ProMod.
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| Leah Pritchett |
"The NHRA U.S. Nationals is our sport's biggest drag race," said Pritchett, the California native. "So it makes any driver's career to win at Indy. That has been my goal since I first came to Lucas Oil Raceway at age 12 in Junior Dragsters. I'm extremely excited for this week's events as well as the new Gumout paint scheme."
Pritchett and her Dote Racing team hit the LOR drag racing surface last week in a pre-U.S. Nationals two-day testing session.
"It was a very good test for our team," said Leah. "We were able to try a number of things on the Gumout car and I believe we'll be ready for qualifying when the Friday night session begins. We never made a full run in testing but we had some good early numbers with our passes."
Weather always plays an issue at the U.S. Nationals and hot and humid conditions could throw a curve to many of the competitors this weekend.
"It was cooler during the test runs last week," admitted Pritchett. "With temperatures in the 90s predicted, the track surface will be a big key to success. Actually, we like the hotter conditions with our dragster setup. It should be a very interesting weekend in Indy."
Pritchett's most successful performance this year was in hot and humid conditions at the Southern Nationals outside of Atlanta. Leah recorded her first final round appearance in the Top Fuel ranks as she took runner-up to former NHRA Mello Yello World Champion Antron Brown.
Pritchett's first qualifying effort takes place on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. EDT. There are two additional runs on Saturday and Sunday for the Top Fuel dragsters. The final eliminations are set for Monday, Sept. 7, at 11 a.m. EDT.