With just two races left in the 2015 season, NHRA drag racing standout Leah Pritchett will have some “Black Magic” ready for the Halloween weekend in Las Vegas.
The 27-year-old California native will enter the 15th Annual NHRA Toyota Nationals at the “The Strip” at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway debuting new Black Magic Top Fuel livery on her Dote Racing dragster on the Halloween weekend (Oct. 30 – Nov. 1).
“This new Black Magic livery is awesome and brings another great paint scheme for the 2015 season,” said Pritchett, runner-up at this year’s Southern Nationals. “Black Magic® car care products are a sister company to Gumout, but it’s a great tie-in with Halloween in Las Vegas. I’m hoping a little Black Magic potion gives us a strong performance at ‘The Strip.’”
Black Magic Top Fuel Dragster livery
Gumout has been the primary sponsor for the Dote Racing team this season, with Leah Pritchett at the controls, and Black Magic® car care products are among the automotive directory of ITW Global Brands which also manufactures and distributes Gumout and Rain-X brands. Black Magic’s variety of car products include tire, wheel, interior and exterior care.
Leah Pritchett, the Dote Racing team led by crew chief Doug Kuch and tuner Rob Flynn, and the new Black Magic Top Fuel Dragster return to “The Strip” for the first time since last year’s impressive semi-finals finish (losing to event winner Spencer Massey) and qualifying in the fifth position for the 16-driver Top Fuel ladder. The team opted out of the first 2015 Vegas event in April.
“The Strip” has always been lucky for Pritchett, having earned multiple wins as a youngster in the Junior Dragsters and an NHRA Pro Modified national event win in 2011. Most recently, Leah competed in her first road racing event at nearby Pahrump, Nev., (the Spring Mountain Motorsports Resort) in the Formula Ford category.
“I have been coming to Nevada to race since “The Strip” was first opened back in late 1990s,” said Pritchett, who also gives advice to young female racers trying to follow in her footsteps in the Junior Dragsters. “I was winning races there as a teenager and then won in the ProMods (2011) too. Wow, I would love to win my first Top Fuel national event at Las Vegas too.”
Pritchett’s various Top Fuel liveries have proven popular with the drag racing fans this year, earning her “Best Appearing Car” with the Bristol debut of her flashy, all-gold Gumout livery. She also debuted the “Lady in Red” red chrome scheme in Indianapolis for the US Nationals and was another “fan favorite.”
“Now we think this new Black Magic livery will be another favorite for the NHRA fans at Las Vegas,” Leah said. “We have taken a little of the red chrome and the black paint to form an outstanding look for the Dote Racing dragster. Since our strong showing last year at ‘The Strip,’ I think we’ll can have a great weekend with the new Black Magic machine. With Halloween coming up, maybe we get that special potion and I can be the ‘Black Magic Woman’ who takes that NHRA ‘Wally’ trophy in victory lane Sunday.”
Pritchett and the rest of the Top Fuel racers will begin action at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway “Strip” with qualifying set for 1 p.m. PDT on Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. Qualifications are scheduled Friday (Oct. 30 – 1 and 4:30 p.m.) and Saturday (Oct. 31 – 1 and 4:30 p.m.) with final eliminations set for Sunday (Nov. 1) at 11 am PDT.
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