MITTENDORF MOVES FROM MOTORCROSS TO FUNNY CAR
Alan Mittendorf has made steady progress towards his goal of earning his Funny Car license. In 2002 the motocross champion decided he would someday drive a Funny Car after watching Gary Scelzi race at the NHRA national event in St. Louis. The 28-year-old resident of nearby Belleville, IL, earned his Super Comp license and then worked for several alcohol teams, including Bob Newberry and Randy Meyer. In 2005 he got his top Alcohol Dragster license. Last weekend he earned his Funny Car license at Paul Smith’s Drag Racing School. Needless to say, he is now looking for a Funny Car ride. [7-10-2006]
FORCE ON PR BLITZ FOR NEW REALITY SHOW
You might be forgiven if you’re a little late to work on July 11. John Force, the 13-Time NHRA Funny Car Champion, and his daughter, Ashley, driver of the Castrol dragster, will be interviewed by CBS-TV weatherman Dave Price Tuesday during an appearance on The Early Show. Co-star of the interview will be a replica of Force’s national record-holding
Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car, which will be on display outside the CBS studios in downtown New York.
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His appearance on The Early Show will kick off a hectic week for the 120-time NHRA tour winner culminating in the debut next Monday, July 17th, of Driving Force, a real-life series developed for A&E Network that focuses on the drag racing icon and his three youngest daughters: Ashley, Brittany and Courtney.
Following their CBS appearance Tuesday morning (tentatively scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET), John and Ashley will do a segment on Cold Pizza at the ESPN studios in New York before flying home to Yorba Linda, CA, for interviews with TV Guide (Wednesday) and the Associated Press (Thursday) and for live satellite TV interviews from the John Force Racing shops from 5-9 a.m. (California time) on Thursday.
Force, who is in the midst of a battle for the 2006 NHRA POWERade Championship, will conduct a round of national radio interviews Friday morning after flying to Denver, where he and his team will compete in the NHRA’s 27th annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.
Driving Force will air Monday nights at 9 p.m. (ET) throughout the summer. Although it contains drag racing segments, the show actually focuses on Force and his efforts to re-connect with his daughters whose piano recitals and cheerleading tryouts he missed because of his single-minded focus on racing. [7-10-2006]
MSD APPOINTS CASTILLO NEW VP
Danny Castillo has been appointed as Vice President of Research and Development for MSD Ignition based in El Paso, TX. Castillo has over 18 years R&D experience at Edelbrock Corp. and Axxion Group. His racing experience ranges from NHRA drag racing to SCCA sports car racing. [7-10-2006]
