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Post by Franko10 ™ on Mar 17, 2005 22:08:42 GMT -5
Gainesville, prerace: CMKXtreme Machine Funny Car driver Jeff Arend will return to the track where he made his debut in 1995 to compete at the 36th annual NHRA Mac Tools Gatornationals. Arend and the team plan to use the historic quarter-mile at Gainesville Raceway to fine tune their set up and create a consistent 4.70 race car.
Arend qualified for his first NHRA national event in his Funny Car debut driving for Paul Smith at the Gatornationals in 1995. He continued to drive for Smith during his rookie season, qualifying for every race they attended and finishing the year 18th in the national point standings. Now, 10 years later, Arend and Smith return to Gainesville under dramatically different circumstances.
This year, Arend will race the entire season with the support of a major sponsor in CMKX Diamonds, and he’s behind the wheel of a brand new race car with all the latest bells and whistles. With Smith’s years of experience as a tuner and Arend’s solid driving skills, no one in the Funny Car class is taking the CMKXtreme Machine lightly this season.
Arend opened the 2005 POWERade Drag Racing season in Pomona by qualifying 10th with a career-best 4.79 at the Winternationals. The CMKXtreme Machine team struggled in Phoenix and Arend failed to qualify, but the team learned enough about their new Murf McKinney ride during the weekend to give them plenty of confidence heading into the Gatornationals.
"I’m definitely looking forward to returning to Gainesville, it’s a great race track," said Arend from his California home. "The CMKXtreme Machine has shown a lot of potential at the first couple of races and I feel confident. We’ve got a mid-4.70 race car and Gainesville Raceway is the kind of track that can handle that kind of performance, so we’re eager to go racing in Florida."
Arend will begin his weekend at the Gatornationals by joining teammate, CMKXtreme Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Connie Cohen, and members of the GM Racing team on a visit to Shands Hospital in downtown Gainesville on Thursday, March 17. The Mac Tools Gatornationals mark the first time this season that all three CMKX Racing teams will be competing at the same event.
nhra.com/apcm/templates/team_report.asp?articleid=3370&zoneid=86
Arend qualified for his first NHRA national event in his Funny Car debut driving for Paul Smith at the Gatornationals in 1995. He continued to drive for Smith during his rookie season, qualifying for every race they attended and finishing the year 18th in the national point standings. Now, 10 years later, Arend and Smith return to Gainesville under dramatically different circumstances.
This year, Arend will race the entire season with the support of a major sponsor in CMKX Diamonds, and he’s behind the wheel of a brand new race car with all the latest bells and whistles. With Smith’s years of experience as a tuner and Arend’s solid driving skills, no one in the Funny Car class is taking the CMKXtreme Machine lightly this season.
Arend opened the 2005 POWERade Drag Racing season in Pomona by qualifying 10th with a career-best 4.79 at the Winternationals. The CMKXtreme Machine team struggled in Phoenix and Arend failed to qualify, but the team learned enough about their new Murf McKinney ride during the weekend to give them plenty of confidence heading into the Gatornationals.
"I’m definitely looking forward to returning to Gainesville, it’s a great race track," said Arend from his California home. "The CMKXtreme Machine has shown a lot of potential at the first couple of races and I feel confident. We’ve got a mid-4.70 race car and Gainesville Raceway is the kind of track that can handle that kind of performance, so we’re eager to go racing in Florida."
Arend will begin his weekend at the Gatornationals by joining teammate, CMKXtreme Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Connie Cohen, and members of the GM Racing team on a visit to Shands Hospital in downtown Gainesville on Thursday, March 17. The Mac Tools Gatornationals mark the first time this season that all three CMKX Racing teams will be competing at the same event.
nhra.com/apcm/templates/team_report.asp?articleid=3370&zoneid=86
