NHRA Pro Foley Relocating to NASCAR Country

MOORESVILE, N.C. (August 30) – Top Fuel driver and noted drag racing instructor Doug Foley is moving to a much racier neighborhood.

Foley recently signed a contract for a 12,000-plus square foot shop in the heart of NASCAR country in North Carolina. The new shop will house Foley's race team and the world renowned Doug Foley Drag Racing School.

A longtime resident of the Northeast, Foley said the time was right to leave his organization's former home base in West Berlin, N.J., as the cost savings just made too much sense not to relocate to Mooresville.

"It was the right time for us to head south," Foley said. "The cost of running our operation in the Northeast was expensive and you got very little for your money. This new facility will be able to house all of our tractor trailers for the school and our race team, as well as our hospitality rig and 15 plus racecars, with room to grow."

Foley said being in an area that is so nuts about motorsports was an added plus.

"There is a tremendous amount of technology in this town and for a single-car team, being able to get anything you need without having to own the equipment is a huge step in the right direction," Foley said.

To strengthen his Top Fuel endeavors, Foley joined forces with Dote Racing several moths ago, and the move to his new shop comes with plenty of time for his crew to get ready for next season.

"We plan on moving into the new facility following the Reading national event in October, which will be our last event of the 2010 season," Foley said. "We'll test over the winter whenever we want since we're down south and that way we can take our time preparing for the 2011 season."

As a Top Fuel team owner and driver with more than 15 years of experience in drag racing at all levels, Foley recognized the need to help drivers learn the skills needed to race effectively and safely while working their way up the racing ranks. In 1997, he opened his school, and ever since then he's been training drag racing's best and providing novices a thrill in corporate outings through the Doug Foley Drag Racing Experience.

For more information on Foley's racing operation and Top Fuel team, visit DougFoley.com.

Dote Racing Pleased with Norwalk Results

Dote Racing, a team that competed only two weeks earlier at Englishtown, NJ and ended up in the #15 spot were hoping not to duplicate those results when they arrived at Norwalk.  They have been working on a new combination in preparation for next season and had difficulties getting down the track in Englishtown.

 On their first lap on Friday, Crew Chief Doug Kuch slid the car right down the track to a 4.07, which is the first full lap since the addition of the new parts.  The night session got pushed back substantially and the conditions were getting better minute by minute.   This team would normally go for the throat when an opportunity like that arises but with the lack of full runs Doug opted to go the conservative route and secure lane choice for Sunday’s competition.  The team ended up 6^th at the end of that session and 8^th by Sunday morning.  They drew one of the team Kalitta cars in first round taking the win over David Grubnic.  Unfortunately our draw for second round was Larry Dixon, who has been spectacular in the last five races.  Doug took a shot at the tree but was unsuccessful at that attempt, red lighting and giving Larry the win.  “We want to win every round we attempt but we know that is not possible, especially on a part time schedule, but for the most part we were happy with this weekend and feel that Doug Kuch did a tremendous job getting this new combination to come around so quickly.  Unfortunately, our team won’t compete again until the end of the summer but we go into this break a lot more confident about the teams’ direction.  The guys did a great job servicing the car, which is not easy for a group that only gets together several times a year.  It was an honor to also win Best Appearing Car, which was a great one to do it at since I had my whole family there”, said Connie Dote.

The team will skip the Western swing and Brainerd but will be competing at the World Series of Drag Racing in Cordova, IL on August 28^th running both of their team cars with Spencer Massey driving their second car before heading to Indy, the team’s next NHRA event. 

Don’t forget about  the contest on www.dougfoley.com where fans can get the opportunity to drive a dragster by picking the winners of each event.  We have done this for three national events so far and have yet to get a winner!!!! Go to www.dougfoley.com for more info.

Dote Racing Honored with Best Appearing Car Award

    Dote Racing, who has been competing in the sportsman ranks for years prior to making their move into Top Fuel this season has always competed in some of the finest looking hot rods ever seen in the pits.   They have prided themselves on having quality equipment, professionally maintained  with paint schemes that have turned more than a few heads.  After purchasing the car from Doug Foley they contacted Ryan at Korek Designs to have him get started on their newest project.  When the  body was delivered to their new shop in Mooresville the crew was extremely impressed.  "The attention to detail is second to none.   It has been a long time since we have seen a fuel car this attractive and there has been a sense of pride every time we take it out of the trailer," said Mike Dote.  "When we found out Saturday evening that we had won best appearing car we were very honored.  It was nice to see NHRA recognize our efforts.  There are a lot of really nice cars out there and to be recognized as the best appearing is a compliment towards what we are trying to accomplish."