News Releases

SEATTLE, pre-race: Jeff Arend has qualified for eight races in nine starts since returning to full-time competition on NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour this season, but the driver of the CMKXtreme Machine Funny Car is still searching for that elusive first round win. The 41-year-old Canadian native will continue his winning quest this weekend at the 17th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways, his first visit to the northwestern facility.

Arend and crew chief Paul Smith have been able to find the right combination to qualify for the last six races, but eliminations have been a different story. Even when the CMKXtreme Machine has run well on raceday, Arend has lost to cars that have made their best runs of the weekend against him. At more than one event this season, the former NHRA Funny Car national event champion has run well enough to beat almost every other opponent in the first round, except for the one he's up against.

"We've had virtually no racing luck this season," said Arend. "We've seen other teams go out and win with 6-second elapsed times while we're getting beat after running 4.80s and 4.90s. I think it says a lot about the respect that other team's have for Paul Smith's tuning prowess. They know he's capable of getting the car down the race track under almost any conditions and when they race us they know they have to make a good run to beat us. It's been frustrating but it also makes the entire team work that much harder because we know eventually things will start going our way."

The CMKXtreme Funny Car was adorned with a new Pontiac Firebird body for the previous race in Denver, but a trip into the sand trap during qualifying caused minor damage and forced the team to return to their Corvette body for the remainder of the NHRA's western swing.

At each race this season, Jeff Arend and the team have been supported by a growing number of enthusiastic CMKX shareholders. That trend will continue in Seattle as the team expects another large turnout of shareholders to cheer Arend on. "It's great to have such a loyal following on hand at each event to support our racing efforts," commented Arend. "It's like having your own little cheering section at each race."