Top Fuel Drag Racing Team

More from Topeka...

[Your Name Here] — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:59:56 +0000

Hello from our Dote Racing shop in Monroe, OH. I drove over this morning from Avon, Indiana where I live. I got here just in time to out to lunch with the guys. We went to Firehouse Subs in West Chester. I love how they have so many different kinds of soda to choose from.

The guys, Doug Kuch, Tad Hafleck, Brandon Hazelton, and Justin Sturgill have been working hard since the minute they got back from Topeka. They rarely get days off, but thankfully they will 3 days for Memorial Day this weekend.

I didn’t have a chance to finish my last update. I wanted to share with you some of the stuff that I did in the week leading up to Topeka.

Doug and Justin drive our FX Caprarra Dodge Durango to every race and they picked me up in Indiana on their way to Topeka Tuesday morning. Tad and Brandon drive our two semi- trucks. We drove all day and got checked into our hotel before sundown.

That worked out well because I had to be up early the next morning for a radio show appearance on Legends Country 106.9 with Lani Novak. It was really fun. I like radio and Lani was super easy to talk to. We gave away some tickets for the race to a lucky listener who answered our trivia question correctly. Lani asked what year I won top fuel in Topeka. The first caller said 2008 which was the right answer.

Racing in the Heartland

[Your Name Here] — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:23:23 +0000

Hey there Dote Racing fans! Thank you for visiting our site. I will be checking in and updating here after every race. Plus I’m going to start updating at other times too, if I have something interesting to say.

Our next race will be in Bristol, TN which is June 15-17. It’s a few weeks away, and I can’t wait.

We just got back from racing at Heartland Park in Topeka, KS. We couldn’t have asked for better weather for a late-spring event in the middle of America. It was sunny but not too hot or humid. In fact, for eliminations on Sunday morning, the air was so good, our first round opponent and a lot of other cars, ran in the 4.70’s. We just didn’t have enough. We lost to Steve Torrence who qualified #2 and won the last race in Atlanta. We knew we had a tough opponent. Hopefully we will beat him next time.

Atlanta 2012

[Your Name Here] — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:38:39 +0000

Hello from the Dote Racing shop in Monroe, Ohio. We just back from racing at Atlanta Dragway in Georgia, and are preparing to leave for our next race in Topeka, Kansas next week. It will be just our fourth race of the season. We look forward to getting our first round win at Heartland Park. Our Dote Racing team, led by Doug Kuch, is gaining experience, gathering data, and getting better with every race.

Although we didn’t win the race, we did get a picture of our Dote Racing dragster on the front page of the Athens Banner-Herald for our qualifying efforts. It’s always good for our team to get media exposure. I think our car is very photogenic. The fans are always telling us how much they like our colors and paint scheme.

Gainesville Highlights

[Your Name Here] — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:01:06 +0000

Hello Dote Racing fans! We just got back from a great weekend in Gainesville at the Gator Nationals. We had an eventful, busy, and awesome week. I could write pages and pages about it, but instead I’ll just go over the highlights.

For our first qualifying session on Friday, we were the first pair out. I was SO nervous. The Gators were my first race in 3 and half years. I just tried to remind myself I’ve done this hundreds of times before. Our team owner and manager, Connie Dote, gave me a little pep talk. She used to be a softball coach so she’s good at preparing people for competition. She also reminded me that I need to go out there and have fun. She said none of this is worth it if we’re not having fun. That reminder meant a lot. I also called my Grandpa right before we ran and he said the same thing; to just have fun. I drive better when I just have fun and when I remind myself I’m doing what I love. It doesn’t do me any good to get all nervous and worried.

Testing Sessions

[Your Name Here] — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:28:50 +0000

Hello to all my Dote Racing fans! Our team just returned from a successful test session at Palm Beach International Raceway in Florida. We made nine runs over the course of three days and we learned a lot. Our crew chief, Doug Kuch, is doing a fantastic job sorting out all the new combinations we are running. Plus we just got a brand new dragster from Murf McKinney that had never been down the track.

Our first order of business was getting me licensed again for top fuel. I hadn’t been in a fuel car since December of 2008 so my license expired. I have to say, I was very nervous the first time I got strapped in the car and took it to the starting line. Driving top fuel isn’t exactly like riding bike. Our car chief, Glenn Camp reminded me that they wouldn’t have hired me if they didn’t think I could do it. With each run, I got more comfortable and more confident with the car. I am happy to say that thanks to the Dote Family and my Dote Racing teammates, I am a licensed top fuel driver again!