Melanie Troxel is an American

drag racer Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

who has raced in

Top Fuel Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.641 second ...

, Funny Car and

Pro Modified Pro Modified, also known as Pro Mod, is a class or division in the sport of drag racing used in the NHRA and FIA (quarter-mile) and the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) (eighth-mile). It is similar to the Top Doorslammer class as de ...

. She is the only woman to have won races in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. She was named Individual Sportswoman of the Year 2006 by the

Women's Sports Foundation The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit charity focused on female involvement in sports. Founded in 1974 by tennis player Billie Jean King and initially supported by Olympic athletes Donna de Varona and Suzy Chaffee ...

after becoming the first driver to appear in five consecutive championship finals that year.

Career

Melanie Troxel became interested in

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

while working on cars for her father's race team. She had a breakout year in 2006, when while racing in

, she became the first driver to appear in five championship finals consecutively. She won two of those races for Don Schumacher Racing. During those races, she set the sport's record for fastest pass at and quickest in 4.458 seconds. She was named Individual Sportswoman of the Year 2006 by the

. As a result of losing her sponsorship, she left Don Schumacher Racing and joined Morgan Lucas for the 2007 season where she won twice more. In 2008, she moved from Top Fuel to Funny Car to join Mike Ashley's team, which was sold to Roger Burgess before the start of the season. Troxel failed to qualify for four of the first six races of the year, but won an event, becoming the second woman to do so after Ashley Force two races previously. Troxel was the first woman to win races in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. For the following season, she raced the

class for R2B2, which was an exhibition category at the time. In 2010, she continued to race Pro Mods, but with a limited number of Funny Car races as well, with some events in different locations on the same weekends. During her time on Pro Mods, she set the

NHRA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...

run record of 5.772 seconds. She was recruited in 2015 to race an electric drag racer for

Don Garlits Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Born in Tampa, Florida, Garlits is considered the father of drag racing, he is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. A pion ...

Personal life

Troxel was married to fellow drag racer Tommy Johnson Jr. between 2003 and 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Troxel, Melanie Living people Female dragster drivers American female racing drivers Year of birth missing (living people)