Celebrating, promoting and supporting women in motorsports and Moto Enthusiasts

Melanie Salemi to debut new ride

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Drag racing Pro modified driver, Melanie Salemi, is set to debut a new ride at the upcoming 26th Annual World Street Nationals race in Orlando, FL. The Buffalo, New York based team plan to debut a new screw blown Radial Vs. The World 2019 Camaro owned by Eddie Whelan.

“I’m extremely excited for the awesome opportunity for my team brought forth by Eddie Whelan. We owe all of this effort to him and his Al-Lee Installations team. He continuously provides us the opportunity to have the best of the best. I don’t doubt that in due time this car is going to be at the top of the class”. 

Melanie Salemi

Melanie’s signature ‘Purple Reign’ livery theme will continue on the Whelan owned 2019 Camaro. The fan-favorite color scheme has been a staple for the Melanie Salemi Motorsports team over the years, making Melanie easily identifiable in the field.

The new Al-Lee Installations 2019 Camaro was built and assembled by Melanie’s Brother-in-law, Jim Salemi of G-Force Race Cars. Mike Stawicki, owner of MSR Performance Racing Engines, is responsible for the new C rotor screw supercharged Hemi powerplant setup. Transferring that power will be a Liberty Gears five speed transmission coupled to a QuickDrive Lock up drive unit with Neal Chance billet torque converter. 

Melanie Salemi – 1310 on 315s

Salemi plans to be the first female to aggressively campaign in the wild radial doorslammer class at the World Street Nationals. They will be running the car on a 315-sized radial tire setup.

This is a versatile car. You’ll see it on 315’s and you’ll possibly see it on big tires at some point but for the next four months it will be strictly on 315’s. Needless to say we are pumped for the chance to go Radial vs. World racing with this new car and we have properly named this quest ‘1310 on 315’s!” 

Jon Salemi

Audrey Worm’s New Top Fuel Dragster

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NHRA Top Fuel Dragster driver Audrey Worm took a giant step this week in her young drag racing career. The 27 year-old just purchased her own Top Fuel Dragster, a huge step towards her goal of owning her own Top Fuel racing operation.

Promising Rookie Upstart

Coming up from the nostalgia racing ranks, Worm burst onto the scene in Top Fuel during the 2017 season in the Leverich Racing Top Fuel Dragster. She made her debut during the NHRA Dodge Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, qualifying in the No. 14 position.

Audrey Worm Top Fuel
Photo: Audrey Worm, Facebook

She went onto compete in nine races during the 2018 season, qualifying for six of those events, and qualifying for the Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. Worm picked up her first professional round win at the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. She also was named one of Drag Illustrated’s 30 Under 30 recipients.

In 2019, she would attend five races with the Leverich team, qualifying at those events, and culminating in a career-best 3.968-second pass at the Virginia NHRA Nationals in Richmond. 

Her last appearance was at the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, NH before the team decided to change directions. This left Worm on the sidelines without a racecar.

A 2020 Goal for Team Ownership

Undeterred, Audrey has always made it clear she wants to own her own racing team. This ambition would put her in elite company as the second female owner in the sport’s history.

“It’s official, I’m heading home from Texas with my own Top Fuel Dragster! The car was previously driven by Jenna Drake [formerly Jenna Haddock] and before that Antron Brown. I am so blessed to have the support — not only friends and family, and my amazing husband Aaron Grant, but also from great sponsors.

Audrey Worm via Facebook
Audrey Worm new Top Fuel Dragster
Jenna last drove the dragster in competition.

The purchase of her very own dragster is a monumental step towards fielding a Top Fuel team for 2020. She and her supporters have a bright future awaiting them in 2020 with plenty on the horizon to keep them busy and to look forward for in the coming months.

“I would like to thank Chip Lofton at Strutmasters; William Francis and Kenny from Burromax; Cody from Sisson Engineering; Hap Whitlock from Hi-tech Cam; Howie O’Neil [and] Leonard Long from G-Force Shifters; PennGrade; Duane A. Junker from Gates; Millerweld, Jim Novinger; Carrie Willhoff at Racechick; Jim Michaud; Heidi Jordan and Robert Jordan; all my Racefan members, and all the individuals who contributed money for making my dream come true!”

Audrey Worm

The Jessi Combs Foundation

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I ask that… all of you celebrate my life and everything I stand for. I ask that you do everything in your power to share my mission, what I put my entire life on the line for. To reveal to this world what they are capable of, by showing them the confidence and abilities they already possess.”

Jessi Combs

There isn’t many that embody the very spirit of female gearhead empowerment more than Jessi Combs. Best known for her independent and adventurous spirit, exemplary skills and a tremendous personality while hosting and starring in shows such as “Overhaulin’,” “Xtreme 4×4” and “Mythbusters.” Her talent and more importantly the empowerment that she inspired for women in the automotive industry and beyond is unparalleled.

Jessica Combs (July 27, 1980 – August 27, 2019)

With a lifelong desire to become a race car driver, her love for speed and machines began at a very young age. She boasted driving anything with wheels – from super cars to monster trucks, relics to rally cars, hot rods, two wheels, four wheels and even at times, no wheels. Sadly, it is only fitting she would leave us doing exactly what she loved – strapped within the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger in pursuit to become the Fastest Woman on Earth.

Her exceptional talent was demonstrated in a wide variety of forms – from work in her own metal fab shop building hot rods, motorcycles, custom trucks, race vehicles and more.

She also was a pioneer for women in automotive – championing the cause for women across the globe. She identified and provided solutions for women in the industry, developing a line of welding gear for ladies and putting women in automotive on the map with her role in All Girls Garage.

Her ability to lean-in and foster opportunity for women – achieving her own goals and maintaining a hands-on and fast paced life at speed will remain her legacy and will forever define Jessi in the hearts of people around the world.

The Jessi Combs Foundation Mission

The Jessi Combs Foundation

The Jessi Combs Foundation was founded in 2019. The mission of the foundation is to educate, inspire and empower the next generation of female trailblazers & stereotype-breakers.  

What Would Jessi Do?

The guiding principle is simple – “What Would Jessi Do?” The foundation mission centers around three main concentrations – Educate. Inspire. Empower.

  • EDUCATE.
    To build on Jessi’s belief in education and trade training for women, the foundation seeks to provide individual scholarships and foster in-kind support of educational and vocational training facilities with the objective to inspire and empower the next generation of female tradespeople. They also aim to continue workshops and live events designed to reach young aspiring women at the one-on-one level that Combs loved so much.
  • INSPIRE.
    Constantly resetting the bar was a trait Jessi was known for, and the foundation wants to continue to raise the bar and inspire via foundation projects with Combs signature style in mind. They also seek to highlight the achievements, talent and arts of other inspiring women.
  • EMPOWER.
    The foundation will empower women through grants and event sponsorships that align with the barrier smashing attitude Jessi embodied.

Donate to the Jessi Combs Foundation

Help to advance the mission to educate, inspire and empower the next generation of female trailblazers & stereotype-breakers.  

Donations of all varieties are accepted, with donations of $50 or more receiving an exclusive Jessi Combs Foundation gold sticker, only available to donors. 

To donate by check, mail to:
The Jessi Combs Foundation
Attn: Vanessa Klock
915 S. Kimball Street
Mitchell, SD 57301

DONATE NOW

Beyond Driven Documentary

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Petersen Automotive Museum is holding a special screening for Beyond Driven, a documentary about the life of Lella Lombardi and the Women of Formula racing.

Presented by LOVE Entertainment, Beyond Driven: The story of Lella Lombardi and the Women of Formula racing is a documentary about the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix and Lella Lombardi’s historic feat as the first and only woman to score in Formula One. It also examines her mysterious life, death and the legacy she left for women in Formula racing.

Special Screening Event Details

Friday, November 15th 2019
6:30PM – 10:00PM
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

Tickets: $25/person; Petersen Members – Free

The screening will include a cocktail hour and a Q&A with the Filmmakers and Drivers.

MORE INFO

Brittany Force 2019 Dallas Results

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A track record, the top qualifying position, and a semi-final appearance are among the highlights for NHRA Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster driver Brittany Force at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals in Dallas, Texas.

No 1 qualifying Double-up with Dad

For the second time in NHRA history, a parent/child duo scored a double-up in qualifying poles. Brittany Force secured the No. 1 qualifier spot in Top Fuel, while dad John Force also earned the Funny Car pole Saturday at the Texas Motorplex. This marks the second occasion that the pair was able to accomplish this feat, the first time coming from this year’s SpringNationals in Houston, Texas.

“It’s always really special to hold onto any No. 1 qualifier with a teammate but to hold it with my dad, that’s the best. He’s the one who taught me how to drive this car and everything about this sport, and the reason I’m out here is because of him so to be able to share the No. 1 qualifier with him is awesome,” Force said. “We did it earlier this season and now we’re doing it again. It’s just very special to me. I’ve doubled up with Robert a handful of times but to be able to double-up with my dad would be awesome. It’s on my bucket list.”

Brittany Force, driver of Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster

Brittany Force’s qualifying efforts of an exhilarating 3.651-second pass at 331.28 mph Friday night was enough to set the track elapsed time record and marked her first No. 1 qualifier at the Texas Motorplex. She scored an additional 6 qualifying bonus points for the quickest elapsed times of session Q2 & Q4.

Semi-Final eliminations finish for Force

Photo: Gary Natase Auto Imagery

In the opening round of eliminations, the Advance Auto Parts machine blasted past No. 16 qualified Cameron Ferre with a stellar 3.694-second pass at 330.31 mph defeating Ferre’s 3.984 at 269.19 mph pass.

Round two, Force competed against longtime rival and three-time world champion Antron Brown. In prior meetings, Brown has the edge with a 17-9 record. Brown would leave the starting line first, and Force would encounter trouble when her dragster had cylinders out early, but hung on to run a 3.815-second pass at 319.60 mph upsetting Brown’s 4.113 at 230.72 after he smoked the tires.

The semi-final matchup placed Force against Torrence whom she has a 3-1 record against prior to this meeting. Torrence would take the starting line advantage and never look back for the win. Force dropped a cylinder to run 3.793-seconds at 318.32 mph giving Torrence and his 3.747 at 328.38 mph performance a trip to the finals – and the eventual event win. The margin of victory at the finish line was 0.0606 seconds (approximately 28 feet).

“Going into first round, this Advance Auto Parts team made some big moves especially when points leader Steve Torrence got taken out and No. 2, Doug Kalitta, got beat by my teammate Austin Prock. That opened the doors for this Advance team to pick up some points and catch up and that’s exactly what we did. We made it to the semis and would have obviously liked to have gone all the way but I’m not looking down on it. I’m staying positive and we’re still in the hunt for this championship.”

Brittany Force

Brittany and her Advance Auto Parts team leave the event in the No. 3 points standings for the Countdown to the Championship. They trail current leader Steve Torrence by 46 points with two events remaining.

Leah Pritchett 2019 Dallas results

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NHRA driver Leah Pritchett earns a pair of No. 2 qualifiers but falls short in both Top Fuel and Factory Stock eliminations during the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals.

Pennzoil Top Fuel results

For the third time during the Countdown to the Championship events, Leah Pritchett and her Pennzoil Top Fuel team were able to score the No. 2 qualifying position, running a 3.681 E.T. at 332.10 mph best qualifying effort.

In the opening round of Top Fuel eliminations, she faced No. 15 qualifier Kebin Kinsley. Kinsley would have the early advantange, but Pritchett would drive around him at the finish line, running 3.724 E.T. at 324.12 mph to his losing 3.822 E.T. at 263.51 mph.

“Having a race car that makes it down the track on race day is very crucial for us, and we did not take Kebin Kinsley lightly. He showed with his early numbers that he wasn’t there for the taking, and it was a great drag race. The feeling of putting on that win light for the Pennzoil team is just as bright as our car. We’ve made progress in the sense of simplifying our issues. This was the best weekend we’ve had in the Countdown in regards to moving our program forward. The issues we’ve had have been in the bellhousing, and we were able to fix that.”

Leah Pritchett, driver of the Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster

Round two would put her against No. 7 qualifier Austin Prock. Pritchett would leave first and carry the early lead, but encountered mechanical difficulties with her 11,000-horsepower machine dropping cylinders down track, allowing Prock to come around for the win. Leah ran 3.964 E.T. at 250.55 mph in her defeat by Austin Prock’s 3.742 E.T. at 330.39 mph.

“(Austin) Prock laid down that 3.68 in E1. Us not having lane choice wasn’t our issue in E2. We dropped a hole, and then dropped another two, and then kicked a belt at about half-track. At the top end, (NHRA on FOX reporter) Amanda Busick had asked how paralyzing it was to see your competition reach the finish line before you and I said, in that moment, it might be paralyzing because there’s nothing you can do, but this team is not paralyzed by any means. We know exactly what happened and why we weren’t able to move on beyond round two.

Leah Pritchett

Pritchett’s Pennzoil Top Fuel team exits the event in the No. 5 position in the Countdown to the Championship. She trails the current leader, Steve Torrence, by 104 points.

“The way the points are shaping up, it’s still extremely tight. We have a chance at this championship; we have a race car that’s coming around at a fast rate of speed and a team that’s dedicated to finishing strong. We look forward to continuing our Top Fuel championship campaign. We really thought today was our day. It was a good day, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a great day.”

Leah Pritchett

MOPAR Dodge Challenger Drag Pak Results

Leah Pritchett Factory Stock Dallas

Pulling double-duty in the Factory Stock class with her MOPAR Dodge Challenger Dragpak can be a bit chaotic during the high-stress Countdown weekends, but Leah always balances this with professionalism and grace. This weekend, the Factory Stock driver was able to land the No. 2 qualified position in Factory Stock with a 7.889 E.T. at 172.36 mph effort.

“If you look back to March and the Gatornationals, the first Factory Stock race of the season, we were two-tenths behind the leaders in the class, and I remember telling Kevin Helms, our crew chief, we’ll be lucky if we even qualify for this race. That’s how far off pace we were, and the lack of parity in the class. It’s a testament to Dodge, MOPAR, DSR and this team. We knew we were challenged and we were still going to maximize all of our available opportunities with the power plant that we had. Hats off to NHRA for making pully adjustments and weight changes throughout the season to really tighten the class up. We weren’t the fastest or the quickest, but we were able to completely turn our season around by never giving up.

Leah Pritchett – driver of the MOPAR Dodge Challenger Dragpak

For the first time in 2019, Leah would land in the finals of the Factory Stock class – making for a busy weekend. In the opening round of eliminations, she would face David Barton, defeating him with a 7.934 E.T. at 172.61 mph to his 7.948 E.T. at 172.74 mph.

Round two would match her against David Janac, where despite running a bit off-pace with a 7.978 E.T. at 171.97 mph, she was able to score the easy win over Janac’s 8.821 E.T. at 119.16 mph.

In the semi-final, she captured the win in a tight race against Randy Taylor with a 8.012 E.T. at 171.36 mph over his 8.012 E.T. at 171.53 MPH. This placed her in the final against Chris Holbrook.

Unfortunately, her luck would run out in the finals. Leah’s 8.017 E.T. at 171.16 mph was not enough to defeat Chris Holbrook who posted a stout 7.977 E.T. at 172.74 mph.

Leah Pritchett finished the season in the No. 9 position in point standings for the 2019 Samtech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown.

“To finish the year with a Wally and a back-to-back win at this race would’ve been amazing, but the first thing I did when I got out of the car is high-five the guys, and thank them for not giving up and working extra hard to squeeze as much as we can out of these cars and this program. We fought hard today, almost had both of our cars in the final, and I’m excited about 2020. There was a moment in all of the chaos, running back and forth between both cars, that I reminded myself that I’m one of the few people in the world that gets to do that, so I make sure I enjoy it and use it to condition myself for other high-pressure situations.”

Leah Pritchett

W Series Announces 2020 Drivers

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The W Series, a ground-breaking racing series for women that launched in October 2018 to change the racing industry stereotypes and provide opportunity for women in racing has announced its second season of drivers.

After extensive three-day, on-track test sessions at Almeria (southern Spain) last month, and reviewing rigorous lap-time assessment and data-analysis, the W Series has selected six new drivers to race in 2020. They will join the top 12 returning drivers who automatically qualified for the 2020 W Series championship as a result of having finished inside the top 12 in the 2019 W Series championship season.

The 18 confirmed drivers for the 2020 W Series championship

DRIVERCountryAgePts
Position
Jamie ChadwickUK211st
Beitske VisserNetherlands242nd
Alice PowellUK263rd
Marta GarciaSpain194th
Emma KimilainenFinland305th
Fabienne WohlwendLichetenstein216th
Miki KoyamaJapan217th
Sarah MooreUK258th
Vicky PiriaItaly259th
Tasmin Pepper South Africa2910th
Jessica HawkinsUK2411th
Sabre CookUSA2412th
Ayala AgrenNorway25New
Abbie EatonUK27New
Belen GarciaSpain20New
Nerea MartiSpain17New
Irina SidorkovaRussia16New
Bruna TomaselliBRasil21New

Two more 2020 W Series championship drivers will be announced at a later date, bringing the total to 20. Over 40 new drivers applied for consideration in the series.

It’s an impressive list, including the top 12 from our 2019 season, and six new drivers, who all performed well at Almeria. The result is a varied and international group, comprising 18 drivers from 12 countries, ranging in age from the super-experienced Finn, Emma Kimilainen, 30, to the very promising young Russian, Irina Sidorkova, 16.  
Our commiserations go to those whom we haven’t selected, but sadly their disappointment is simply an example of the jeopardy inherent in any athlete’s life at the higher levels of competitive sport. The more you can win, the more you can lose.

Catherine Bond Muir (Chief Executive Officer, W Series)

I was generally impressed by the 14 drivers whom we tested and appraised at Almeria [southern Spain] last month, and making our selection was correspondingly difficult. But we’ve crunched all the data to the best of our ability, and I’m therefore confident that the 18 drivers whom we’ve selected so far represent an excellent line-up. But we’ve left two spaces available, to allow us a little more time to select the final two drivers who, together with the 18 drivers we’ve already selected, will make up the 20 drivers who’ll contest the 2020 W Series championship.

Dave Ryan (Racing Director, W Series) 

More information on the W Series

Visit their website: http://www.wseries.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wseriesracing/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wseriesracing/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/w-series/

Alexis DeJoria returns in 2020

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NHRA drag racing driver Alexis DeJoria returns in 2020 to nitro Funny Car competition full-time after a two-year hiatus. DeJoria will make her reentry into the sport beginning with the 2020 NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California.

DeJoria made her NHRA Funny Car professional debut in 2011 at the Texas NHRA FallNationals, winning five races during her professional stint, including the prestigious 2014 NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. She announced her retirement at the conclusion of the 2017 season.

Though DeJoria enjoyed a slightly slower-paced lifestyle in retirement, the thrill and excitement of driving an 11,000-horsepower machine never left the back of her mind.

“I honestly knew deep down when I made the announcement to retire at the end of the 2017 NHRA season that it was going to be sort of an open-ended retirement,” said Alexis. “I’m beyond excited to get back out there. I’ve been blessed spending time with my family these past two years off. This was a decision I made with their support, and we are all looking forward to my return to the driver’s seat.”

Alexis DeJoria

Her independent return into Funny Car will be lead by Nicky Boninfante and Del Worsham. Boninfante and Worsham will serve as co-crew chiefs on DeJoria’s Funny Car operation. The trio have longstanding history extending back nearly a decade. Worsham witnessed and signed off on DeJoria’s Funny Car licensing paperwork when she piloted his car in 2010 before taking the lead as her crew chief during her rookie season in 2012. Boninfante took over tuning duties for DeJoria in 2017 after working along side her during her tenure at Kalitta Motorsports.

“I now have this incredible opportunity to build a team with two of the people who were by my side when I started my nitro Funny Car career. Del is my mentor and the person whose car I licensed with in the first place, and Nicky was one of the first people at Kalitta who I talked to when I made the transition from Top Alcohol Funny Car to nitro Funny Car. Del and Nicky, they’re the ‘dream team’ for me, and I’m eager to embark on this new adventure with them.”

Alexis DeJoria

DeJoria’s partners, including her primary sponsor, will be announced at a later date.

Megan Meyer wins 2019 Top Alcohol Dragster Championship

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This season proved to be a historic one for NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series TAD driver Megan Meyer. Not only did she carry home the win for the rain-delayed NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals in the quickest side-by-side pass on record in TAD, but she also secured the 2019 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Championship – becoming the first female in history to win a TAD Championship.

https://www.facebook.com/NHRA/videos/2959620090732650/
via NHRA Facebook

In the final round, Meyer took on former teammate and points rival Troy Coughlin Jr. With the pressure on, Meyer drove to a 5.149, 281.48, her best run of the weekend, to squeak by Coughlin’s competitive 5.169, 280.80 mph run. The pair marked the quickest side-by-side TAD runs in history, and Megan’s win light gave her not only the win for the NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals event, but also gave her the points needed to make the title official.

Megan Meyer officially clinched the 2019 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Alcohol Dragster national championship.

Photo: Megan Meyer, Facebook

Last season, Meyer finished the 2018 championship season as NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster’s third-place finisher. This season, she was gunning for the championship out of the gate, appearing in 12 finals this season and scoring seven victories in her injected nitro dragster. She is aided and tuned by her father, Randy Meyer. Megan’s victories this season include four national event titles – with marquee wins at the prestigious 50th annual Amalie Gatornationals and the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

Meyer is the fourth woman to win an NHRA Lucas Oil Series sportsman championship, joining class champions Amy Faulk (Super Stock, 1979), Jackie Alley (Super Stock 2011), and Mia Tedesco (Super Gas, 2016).

Photo: Megan Meyer, Facebook

A big congrats to the new champ from all of us at Horsepower & Heels!