Leah Pritchett will continue to compete in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series driving the Nitro Ninja Top Fuel Dragster owned by the Lagana family at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals this coming weekend in Charlotte, NC. The dragster will be primarily sponsored by FireAde 2000, with associate backing from Boninfante Friction and Aerodine Composites Group.
Up until last week, Pritchett was driving under the Bob Vandergriff Racing team with teammate Dave Connolly, she’d even won her first NHRA Top Fuel Wally at the CARQUEST NHRA Nationals in Phoenix, AZ just a few weeks ago. Last week, when team owner Bob Vandergriff Jr. shocked the drag racing community announcing his immediate retirement from the sport, with the passing of primary sponsor C&J Energy founder and CEO Josh Comstock. Many wondered aloud what the fate of Pritchett would be – to find new opportunities with other teams this late in the season.
“It has been a whirlwind of a week, but continuation of my pursuit to compete in Top Fuel has been made possible by FireAde 2000, with joint efforts of longtime partners Boninfante Friction, Aerodine Composites, and of course the Lagana family. Having partners able to come in clutch at the last moment enables me to enter one more race at this time, and will help me stay relevant in the NHRA Mello Yello Series Championship Point standings,” said Pritchett. “This will also buy me a bit more time to work on sufficient funding for the rest of the season to compete with a readily available team.”
Pritchett began her partnership with FireAde 2000 when they signed on to be a multi-race sponsor of Pritchett’s BVR dragster for 2016. Although circumstances have changed, the manufacturer of innovative, and environmentally friendly firefighting, tank cleaning, and dust control products have stepped up to support Pritchett for this unique NHRA event. “Just as the FireAde products continue to surpass industry standards, whether fighting blazing wildfires on the land, in the oil fields, or with a can of FireAde 2000 that should be in every garage or household, they continue to exceed my expectations. FireAde is helping me get through this high temperature of a time, and as a dedicated partner, I look forward to representing them as best I can for as long as am I able to.”
Ron Thames, CEO and Founder of FireAde is also excited about this weekend stating, “In a short time Leah has proved to be an incredible ambassador for our company, on and off the track, and we are pleased to be able to continue our partnership with her and support her efforts during this time”.
Pritchett is grateful for the opportunity to race this weekend in Charlotte and not let her many fans down who have supported her at a track that has delivered multiple Wallys in the Pro Mod division, and numerous round wins in Top Fuel over the past years.
“Beyond working alongside and being close friends with the Laganas, I feel fortunate to bring the proper resources to their operation to compete at this event. Experiencing this portion of my journey with people I know, respect, and trust, makes this quick turnaround of a time, that much more rewarding.” Although the Nitro Ninja team competes on a limited NHRA schedule, the FireAde backed Top Fuel entry, with John Stewart as Crew Chief, has a proven track record of being a quick and consistent contender. Ironically Pritchett will be driving the same dragster that she competed against just two weeks ago at the famed NHRA Gatornationals in the first round, driven by nitro newcomer Tripp Tatum. “I will even have a couple of my former crew members from my BVR dragster driving down and working on the car with me this weekend.”
The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods gets underway Friday with the Nitro qualifying sessions at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. (EST.) Television coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 with qualifying coverage on Saturday at 10 p.m. and eliminations Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (EST.)
