Michalek Brothers Racing Energized for First Ohio Race Since 2015
When Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR) pulls to the starting line for Q1 on Friday afternoon at the 2018 NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, OH, it will have been 3 years since the team last crossed the finish line in the Buckeye State while taking home a runner-up finish to Chris Demke. While the goal remains the same, a lot has changed since that Sunday afternoon in 2015.
Michalek Brothers Racing will debut a brand new partnership with ENERGIZE, LLC at the 2018 NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals.
MBR will pull through Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park’s gates for the first time with their own A/fuel dragster operation since purchasing it in late summer of 2015. The team will also be debuting a brand new partnership with ENERGIZE, LLC in the first of two scheduled appearances this year as they look to go toe-to-toe with a stacked field of some of the best Top Alcohol dragster teams in the country.
“Through the years we’ve had a lot of success at this racetrack, both as crew members and drivers, including a handful of runner-up finishes,” said Corey. “But for as close as we’ve come, we have yet to end the day on top. While we want to find a way to come home with the Wally, we need to remain steadfast in our approach from 2017: don’t hurt parts, find a way to qualify, and then make other teams beat us in eliminations.”
“We’re 10 runs into this new venture and we’re improving each run, including our first sub-5.40 second pass during our final run in 2017, but we aren’t on the same level yet as the cars that are ripping off 5.20s on a consistent basis. If we continue to make incremental progress during the event and establish ourselves as a 5.30s player going into eliminations on Saturday night, we’ll give ourselves a shot to compete.”
Michalek Brothers Racing returns to Norwalk for the first time since the team finished runner-up to Chris Demke at the 2015 NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals.
MBR will kick off the weekend on Friday June 22 with two qualifying runs at 1:00PM and 3:00PM, followed by a third and final qualifying session at 11:45AM on Saturday morning. The top 16 qualified cars will then kick off eliminations as the final class on track at 6:30PM on Saturday evening. Elimination rounds at 12:10PM and 2:00PM on Sunday afternoon will narrow the field down to 2 finalists who will battle it out for the event title at 2:55PM.
After an off season full of equipment upgrades, including an improved trailer, team co-owner and car chief Kyle Michalek looks forward to returning to competition for the first time since the team’s runner-up finish last September at the 2017 NHRA Carolina Nationals.
“It’s always fun coming to the race track, but it’s even more fun coming to our home race track where we have the opportunity to share our passion with our family and friends,” said Kyle. “It is even more exciting this year as we highlight our recently formed partnership with Energize, LLC. In addition to Energize, we are fortunate to have continued support from Champion, Fel-Pro, and Zeigler Diesel Performance; we couldn’t do this without our loyal partners and truly appreciate their support. This weekend is a big opportunity for team, and we have been thinking everyday about getting back to the track to pick up where we left off since we pulled out of Zmax dragway in Charlotte last year.”
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