12th Annual United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals

Entering the second of three consecutive NHRA Full Throttle Series races, Jerry Toliver is excited to get the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil Funny Car back on the track for this weekend's 12th annual United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.  In fact, the sooner the Jim Dunn Racing team can hit the quarter-mile the better.

"I think these back-to-back races are actually going to help us," Toliver said.  "At Topeka we had a new clutch system on the CANIDAE car and it really responded.  We had been dropping holes and having problems, but on our first-round run on Sunday we didn't drop any holes and didn't hurt anything.  Even though we lost, the car seems to like the changes we've made, so now it's just a matter of getting some more laps and getting a handle on the deal.  That's why I think loading up the car from one race and just going on to the next might not be such a bad thing."  

   

Toliver made his best pass of the weekend in Sunday eliminations at Topeka resulting in a solid albeit losing side-by-side first-round race with John Force, and the Temecula, Calif., resident is buoyed by the potential shown by the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil Chevy.   

"I'm excited," Toliver said.  "I think we're going to start seeing some results from the team's hard work.  The motor program has been good, I like the way this CANIDAE car handles, and now it's just a matter of fine-tuning the new clutch program and dialing it in.  I'm ready to get back on the track."          

A two-hour telecast of qualifying coverage for the Route 66 NHRA Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD on Saturday, June 6, beginning at 10:30 p.m. (ET).  Coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD continues on Sunday, June 7, when NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage starting at 11:00 a.m. (ET), and concludes with two hours of final-eliminations coverage beginning at 4:00 p.m. (ET).

Kirk Weeks