Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Melling Performance and Elite Motorsports Name Honorary Crew Member for U.S. Nationals

Joining the Elite Motorsports team at this weekend’s Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals will be two lucky sweepstake winners. Thanks to Melling Performance, Mike Wendt and his guest Ken Stenger will be honorary crew members for the day on Saturday, August 31.

Wendt, from Midland, Michigan, is a former racer himself who hasn’t been to an event in 25 years. He entered Melling’s contest for the crew member experience from an ad on enginelabs.com. Melling’s contest was in conjunction with their efforts to spread the word of the CARS ACT H.R. 4468, the bill limits the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with regard to regulating emissions standards for new motor vehicles.

“Melling is proud to have two crew members for a day that showed they care about car culture and keeping an option for driving a hot rod with horsepower,” said Mark Melling, President and CEO of Melling. “In spreading the word about the CARS ACT, we wanted to find a way to provide our customers with the pertinent information while giving them an experience they won’t forget. What better way than the experience of a lifetime at the NHRA U.S. Nationals? Thank you to Elite Motorsports and Mike and Ken for making the Melling Supports CARS ACT promotion a success.”

Wendt and Stenger will get an up close and personal experience at the U.S. Nationals, NHRA’s biggest drag race. They’ll get a behind the scenes look from inside the Elite Motorsports pit and their names will be featured on six-time world champion Erica Ender’s and three-time 2024 event winner Aaron Stanfield’s JHG / Melling Performance hot rods.

The Crew Member of the Day promotion is yet another example of Elite Motorsports and Melling’s growing partnership. Members of Elite Motorsports, including Enders and Stanfield as well as team owner Richard Freeman, also took part in the Melling Supports CARS Show event on July 1st. The successful partnership continues to expand, earlier this year Melling committed to an extension of their support of Elite Motorsports on and off the racetrack.

This story was originally published on August 30, 2024. Drag Illustrated

You May Also Like

Features

There’s a version of the Pro Mod rules debate that plays out in comment sections and Facebook groups, where people who have never tuned...

Exclusive

Ten years ago, “Tricky” Rickie Smith added another championship to his robust résumé when he clinched the 2015 PDRA Pro Nitrous world championship. This...

Features

There are programs that spend years grinding toward their first win light. They write checks, burn nitro, shake the car down, and work through...

Race Coverage

The First Drag Race presented by Robbin’s Repairables set at Shadyside Dragway ignited the 2026 ten-race championship season for the Southeast Gassers Association. From...

Since 2005, DI has informed, inspired and educated drag racers from every walk of the racing life - weekend warrior and street/strip enthusiasts to pro-level doorslammer and Top Fuel racers. From award-winning writing and photography to binge-worthy videos to electric live events, DI meets hundreds of thousands of racers where they live, creating the moments that create conversations.