TORCO UPDATE
Torco Racing Fuels has announced an interruption for their 2008 racing season. The break will include sidelining all Knoll Gas Motorsports’ teams, including those owned by Evan Knoll and sponsored by Torco Racing Fuels, Inc. for the 2008 season. However, the break will not affect event sponsorship in NHRA, IHRA, and other sanctioned bodies. [1/9/2008]
News and Analysis
KNOLL, TORCO EXITING DRAG RACING?
By Jeff Burk
At 2:38 CST DRO received a press release from the Mike Ashley organization which contained the following industry shaking sentence:
"This morning, (Mike) Ashley received a telephone call from his longtime sponsor Torco Racing Fuels, indicating that they would be taking the year off of drag racing.”
A call to the Mike Ashley organization got us the information that a representative of Torco contacted Mike Ashley and informed him that Torco was taking a year off from Drag Racing. Who called from Torco to inform Ashley of the news is unknown and an Ashley representative said the press release was written verbatim per Mike Ashley.
As soon as the press release broke the phones started ringing at the DRO offices. At this moment the only official information we have is the Mike Ashley press release, but calls to several of the teams backed by Torco confirmed that indeed Torco has informed them that they will not be sponsored for the coming season.
Assuming that the information is correct for the moment and indeed Torco and Evan Knoll have pulled out of drag racing the implications for the sport of drag racing are massive. Cars that Torco sponsored off of the top of my head include: J.R. Todd, Mike Ashley, Bruce Litton, Rickie Smith, NHRA Pro Stock Champ Matt Smith, IHRA Pro Mod World Champ Scott Cannon, and his dad Scotty, IHRA World Champ Fuel Funny car driver Dale Creasy Jr, Melanie Troxel who actually works for Evan Knoll and many others.
I had been told late in 2007 this year by a source at Torco Racing Fuels that they were probably not going to renew their contracts with the IHRA Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock programs. Nothing has been officially confirmed but reliable sources who don’t wish to be quoted because it could put their jobs at risk confirmed that the IHRA was having meetings regarding the Torco/Evan Knoll situation late Tuesday afternoon. More official news will undoubtedly surface regarding this situation with official news releases but for the time being there will continue to be some very, very concerned racers, race series and both the NHRA and the IHRA especially the IHRA. [1/8/2008]