Lucas Oil Products, Inc and the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series is pleased to
announce a new partnership with OPTIMA Batteries for the 2012 racing season. “We
are thrilled to start a new partnership with the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing
Series, as they continue to be a great advocate for performance products in the
marine industry,” said Cam Douglass, Director of Product Development &
Marketing for OPTIMA Batterie. “These events take boating to the extreme and
demonstrate how OPTIMA’s BlueTop battery uses it’s deep-cycling and cranking
power technology to perform in the most-demanding of boat races. The Lucas Oil
Drag Boat Racing Series continues to bring intense speed and action to fans
lakeside and OPTIMA Batteries is excited to be a part of it.”
Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series Competition Director, Ken Dollar commented,
“OPTIMA will be a great asset to the drag boat community and we are very excited
to be working with the OPTIMA family. Extending their sponsorship even further
to the “Problem Child” Top Fuel race team will be a great fit for the series. It
is quite an honor to be included in OPTIMA’s ongoing commitment to Team Lucas
properties and series’ across the USA.”

 
 
 
 
‎2011 was quite a year!! We qualified #1 seven times, won four races, won our third consecutive World Finals race, made the seven quickest 1,000’ runs of all time: 3.39, 3.42, 3.43, 3.48, 3.49, 3.50, 3.51 seconds (six of these were run consecutively), reset our own ET record twice (3.488 and 3.396), ran the fastest 1,000’ pass of all time at 261.23, set the MPH record at 258.26 mph, and won both the SDBA and LODBRS Top Fuel Championships! It will be tough to top that next season, but we are certainly going to try!!! Wishing all of our sponsors, families, friends, and fans a fun, safe NYE and we'll see y'all on tour in 2012!
 
 
Heading into the LODBRS World Finals at Firebird Raceway, we had a 91 point lead (less than one round) on Spirit of Texas in the run for the championship. We had one run of qualifying on Friday, and two on Saturday. We qualified #1 on Friday with a 3.49 @ 254, and we remained #1 heading into Sunday. Our other qualifying efforts were 3.53 @ 248 and 3.98 @ 166. Spirit of Texas qualified #2, so we only gained 2 points, furthering our lead to 93 points (still less than one round win). We faced the Lucas Oil Speed Sport Special in round one Sunday and ran a 3.51 @ 253, giving us the win as Speed Sports broke right off the line. Spirit of Texas also advanced, which meant we would meet them in the final round to decide the winner of the race AND the winner of the LODBRS championship!! There was so much excitement surrounding this final round! We ran a 3.55 @ 240, Spirit of Texas redlit, and then lost the blower belt shortly after the launch. Both teams put it all on the line for the championship, and it was a thrilling end to this season long battle! This also marks our third consecutive year winning the World Finals at Firebird!!
Thank you to all of our sponsors, fans, friends, and family for your support!! This season was filled with many highs and a few lows, and we are ecstatic to be the 2011 LODBRS & SDBA Top Fuel Hydro Champions!!


 
 
The San Diego race did not turn out as planned. None of the TFH's were able to make a full pass down the track . . . . . It seems we all had too much horsepower and the water had too much bite. Bad news is, Spirit of Texas was able to gain 202 points on us at the race . . . Good news is, we do still have a 91 point lead (one round) going into the World Finals, where the championship will be decided! This will make it VERY exciting . . . and a little nerve-wracking!! Stay tuned for more details as the race gets closer.
 
 
Problem Child's record-breaking runs in Wheatland will be shown on CBS THIS Saturday morning, August 20th at 10am Pacific. Watch the clip below for more details!
 
 
lakefest in Marble Falls, TX August 12-14 continued our record-setting streak. We lowered our own ET record two more times, and also reclaimed the MPH record! Our last six passes down the track have broken either the ET record, MPH record, or both!

In the first round of qualifying on Saturday, we ran a 3. 396 @ 261. 233 - The quickest and fastest 1,000' pass in drag boat racing history! It was a leg on our current 3.488 record set in Wheatland two weeks ago, and leg on the MPH record of 255. 363 held by Spirit of Texas (set at this same race last year). Daryl carried the nose about 500' before having to pedal it to set it down. We are also getting closer to the (our) fastest 1/4 mile MPH of 265. 52.

We did not go back out for Q2, and we remained #1 qualifier.

Sunday- Round 1- vs. Spirit of Texas- we ran 3. 434 @ 258. 264 to their 3. 903 @ 207. 24. Our times were not quick enough to back up the legs set in qualifying, but the qualifying numbers backed up both the ET and MPH in this run. The 3. 434 & 258. 264 became the new records at this point.

Second (final) round vs. Lucas Oil Speed Sports- we ran a 3. 426 @ 254. 41 to their 3. 633 @ 240. 925. Our ET was able to back up the 3. 396 from qualifying as the new ET record.

We broke the ET record twice, and MPH once, plus another #1 qualifier and race win. Our performance is adding up to many extra points and furthers our points lead in the chase for the LODBRS Championship!

Our next stop is Chouteau, OK August 27-28 for a few exhibition runs at the SDBA Mid-Summer Nationals. After that, we are off to San Diego, CA Sept 16-18 for LODBRS Bayfair. That should be another record-breaker as the water there at sea level is very, very fast. In fact, that is where we recorded the fastest 1/4 mile pass in drag boat racing! Don't miss it!!
 
 
WHEATLAND, Mo., Aug. 2, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the Inaugural Diamond Drag Boat Nationals, held July 29-31, the Red Line Oil-sponsored Top Fuel Hydro won the event, captured the points lead, and set a world record for drag boat racing on a 1000-ft course. With a final round time 3.50 seconds at 242 mph to beat the Lucas Oil "Speed Sport" Top Fuel Hydro, the Daryl Ehrlich-driven "Problem Child" boat broke the elapsed-time record three times over the weekend, capturing the series points lead in the process.

In the first round, the Eddie Knox-owned boat covered the 1,000-foot course in a series record time of 3.488 seconds at 251 mph. "Problem Child" claimed a final-round victory and overall event win over driver Jarrett Silvey of New Braunfels, Texas, after his boat lost a supercharger belt in the final round.

"Man, to win this inaugural race here is awesome, this was one of those perfect series of events when everything falls into place," Ehrlich said after the $12,000 victory before an estimated 5,000 fans. Ehrlich also reclaimed the series points lead from Scotty Lumbert, whose "Spirit of Texas" lost in the first round. "Eddie and the crew guys worked like mad to get this thing ready," Ehrlich said.

"To set a new elapsed time record, to take back the points lead and to beat our rival, it doesn't get better than this," said team owner Eddie Knox. "The Lucas folks showed a lot of grace and class in the winners circle, as a Red Line Oil boat won their debut race at such a fantastic new facility."

The event will be televised on CBS on August 20, at 1pm EST/10am PST.

Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp. manufactures more than 100 quality products for the automotive, racing, motorcycle, marine and industrial markets. Its complete line includes a wide variety of motor oils, gear oils, additives, and greases. For more information, please visit www.RedLineOil.com or contact Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp., 6100 Egret Court, Benicia, CA 94510, (800) 624-7958.

 
 
For race results, please follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/problemchildtfh) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/problemchildtfh). We will post round by round results right after each run, as well as photos/video when we can. Next stop is Augusta, GA this coming weekend (July 15-17)!
 
 
**WORLD FINALS LODGING** Just one exit from the track, the Radisson Chandler is offering racers and fans rates of $70/night for king or double rooms, and $99/night for suites. There is an onsite restaurant, room service, lobby bar, and sleep number beds. Use this direct link to the special rate or call 480.961.4444 and ask for the Drag Boat Racing rate. Rates valid Nov 15th-20th.
http://radisson.com/dragboatracing