TORCO TO SPONSOR ASHLEY TEAM

Torco Race Fuels has announced a three-year sponsorship of Mike Ashley's Gotham City Racing team. Torco will be the major sponsor of Ashley's 1967 Shelby GT500E and will be associate sponsor on the other Mustang driven by Troy Coughlin, new to the team for 2005.

Ashley plans to run at all 14 events on the NHRA AMS TLR Pro Modified series, and two events on the IHRA Hooters tour. (Illustration by HotRodsbyBurke) [1-3-2005]

SPLITTING HAIRS

To nobody's surprise here at DRO, a published report in Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal states that Brut has signed a multiyear, multimillion-dollar deal to be the primary sponsor on a new Funny Car team for Don Schumacher Racing -- although no official

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announcement has been made by any of the parties involved.

In addition to the Funny Car team deal, the prestigious sports business weekly says that as part of the agreement there will be a multiyear partnership between Brut and the National Hot Rod Association to give Brut official-sponsor status, although NHRA would not comment.

The new Ron Capps-driven Funny Car will feature green Brut livery for all but two or three of the NHRA events. The Vitalis hair care brand, part of the parent company Helen of Troy Ltd., will pick up the sponsorship for those remaining NHRA events. [1-3-2005]

FUELERS IN BOISE

Scott New tells us that Firebird Raceway will hold two fuel altered events this year. The Boise, Idaho track will host their 35th Anniversary Ignitor on June 3-5 featuring AA/Fuel Altereds and AA/Fuel Dragsters in addition to their Division 6 Point's Meet. August 11-14, the Nightfire Nationals will again have the fuelers, along with the Bracketeer Series competing for a purse of over $160,000. [1-3-2005]