05/11/07

Team QUARTER-MAX / PiranaZ Racing completed their second national event as a two car team at the IHRA Spring Nationals Presented by Advance Auto Parts, Rockingham, North Carolina (April 20-22).
At the end of the final qualifying session Mike Corvo Jr. driving the QUARTER-MAX Chevy Cobalt was qualified in the 7 th spot with an elapsed time of 6.365 at 218.69 mph. Frank Gugliotta driving the PiranaZ Ford Mustang was qualified in the 15 th spot with an E.T. of 6.430 at 215.72 mph.

Sunday, Corvo took on his teammate, Frank Gugliotta, in first round. Mike had his best pass for the weekend against Frank, who had a hurt motor. But in second round, Mike couldn't keep the intensity and he red lighted against Robert Patrick.

Mike Corvo Jr. - "We continue to make great runs in this Quarter-Max/Strange Cobalt. The entire crew even after a month away from the race track never missed a beat. We were fourth after Friday's session and ended up seventh in a very strong field. Seventh unfortunately paired us with our Pirana Z teammate Frank Gugliotta. Frank's race motor was hurt on the dyno just before the team needed to be in Rockingham and they were forced to race with a backup."

"I felt great going into Sunday knowing we had a car capable of winning the race. It was up to me not to have a repeat of San Antonio and I knew great reaction times were the key ingredient for a successful day. Round one faired well with an .013 reaction time and an early shutoff run of 6.345 at only 215.34. Round two paired us with the current points leader and I knew it was crucial to take him out for the benefit of both Frank and I. Pulling forward I told myself not to lay back or I'd be late, as the tree fell I was red by .053. It's really disheartening to let the team down for the second race in a row. Drag racing is a sport where you have one shot to make it right. Our success is measured in thousandths of a second and we don't get a second chance on race day. I want to apologize to all the employees, the sponsors and especially all the crew for dropping the ball. With that being said we left Rockingham sixth in points and it will only take one good weekend to put us deeper into the hunt for a championship."

Team QUARTER-MAX / PiranaZ Racing completed their first national event as a two car team at the Amalie Oil Texas Nationals in San Antonio, TX (March 23-25).

After some problems with the track surface IHRA changed the race from 1/4 mile to 1/8 mile after the second round of qualifying. But this had no effect on drivers Mike Corvo Jr. or Frank Gugliotta. At the end of the final session Corvo in the QUARTER-MAX Cobalt qualified number 7 with an elapsed time of 4.170 at 172.28 mph, and Gugliotta in the PiranaZ Mustang qualified number 14 with a 4.192 at 171.18.

Sunday, Corvo took on last year's World Champion, Pete Berner in first round. Corvo's 4.127 against Berner was the second fastest of the session, but Corvo was unfortunately beat on a holeshot.

Mike Corvo Jr. - "We have the one of the best cars in the class right now. We qualified 7th, ran 3rd best in speed and won the Jon Kaase Tuning Challenge which rewards the crew for the best 4 runs in qualifying. We are consistently making nice runs and the team really has a handle on this RJ Race Cars chassis and Larry Morgan horsepower. The only downside of the weekend was I got beat first round on a holeshot. For a driver there's no worse way to lose a race. You really feel like you let the team and our sponsors down. They're the ones who work their tails off everyday to give you the best racecar you can have and in an instant you're on the trailer. All in all, I've adapted well to these mountain motor cars and I'll just have to step it up a notch. Congrats to my teammate Frank Gugliotta. He took his Pirana Z Mustang to the semis and would have been in the final if an oil leak didn't cause an aborted run. I'm excited and looking forward to Rockingham because we have such a good ca. The time off between races gives me time to evaluate my performance as a driver and it gives the team a chance to fine tune the entire program. I'm working hard every day both physically and mentally to make sure when we pull into Rockingham, we're there to win”.

Frank Gugliotta - “I would like to begin by thanking Rick, Bonnie, and Rickie Jones for giving me the opportunity to drive their Pirana Z Ford Mustang. I feel fortunate to have left San Antonio with a semi round finish, as we had several set backs. First of all the track; then we suffered some engine problems, and as a result, our performance level was down. But even with all of this, the team pulled together and made the best out of these hurdles. I feel very confident in the team as they put their hearts in this deal. I would also like to thank Pirana Z, QUARTER-MAX, RJ Race Cars, and Strange Engineering for their support. Heading into Rockingham, I am feeling very confident as we will now have Larry Morgan Rocket Power under the hood. In a short time, I have come to realize that Rick Jones will do whatever it takes to give his team the best to compete with. I also feel confident that the team combined of the Pirana Z Ford Mustang and the QUARTER-MAX Chevy Cobalt will perform well at this event”.

Owner Rick Jones says, “This was the first race for our new 2 car team. Things went pretty smooth, and everyone on the team did a good job. The Cobalt ran really well but we lost first round to Pete Berner. Hopefully we can do better at Rockingham. We had some engine problems on our Mustang but Frank drove really good and we managed a semi final finish. Larry Morgan is taking over our entire engine building duties and hopefully both cars will run great at Rockingham.” The team's next event is the IHRA Spring Nationals Presented by Advance Auto Parts at Rockingham, NC on April 20-22, 2007.

RJ Race Cars, Inc. and Strange Engineering have had an ongoing R&D program for the past several years. Owner of RJ Race Cars, Inc. and Quarter-Max Racing Rick Jones says, “This year we are continuing our R&D program, and we are taking it to a new level with a two car team. This will allow us to test and refine more new products for Strange Engineering.

Jeff Stange and the entire staff at Strange Engineering are very receptive to new ideas.We all work together really well is to make better products. The end resultit makes my race cars fast and handle smoothly. The bottom line is they have great products and service that is second to none!”

Quarter-Max® Racing recently made the announcement that they will field two new RJ Race Cars for their two car team in 2007 with Mike Corvo Jr. driving the 2007 Chevy Cobalt and Frank Gugliotta driving the 2007 Ford Mustang. Now, team owner Rick Jones says “We are very pleased to announce that PiranaZ will be the primary sponsor on the 2007 Ford Mustang that will be driven by Frank Gugliotta. We are excited to be working with Mark Whisnant from PiranaZ. They make some really cool apparel and we are proud to represent them at the IHRA national events”. Mark Whisnant of PiranaZ says “We are very excited about this partnership with Rick Jones and the Quarter-Max® Racing team. IHRA Pro Stock is one of the most competitive classes in drag racing, and is a perfect way for PiranaZ to showcase our unique style of apparel. Frank Gugliotta - PiranaZ - RJ Race Cars - Kaase power - 2007 Mustang – what an awesome combination! PiranaZ Racing has been offering the race fans an alternative to the “run of the mill” race theme apparel for the last ten years. This is PiranaZ's first venture into the ever growing IHRA market. We will be selling our apparel at the racetracks from our PiranaZ mobile store, and generating awareness of our website, www.piranaz.net.”

Quarter-Max® Chassis & Racing Components will remain the primary sponsor on the 2007 Chevy Cobalt driven by Mike Corvo, Jr. The Quarter-Max® and PiranaZ race teams will make their debut next month at the IHRA season opener in San Antonio at the Amalie Oil Texas Nationals.