With piston ring, I thee wed

Couple hopes to be joined in victory at Mile-High Nationals

Scott Stocker, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 13, 2006 at midnight

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The fastest married couple in motor sports, with three wins between them this season, is hoping Denver will be the site of a rare feat.

Standing together on the victory podium.

Littleton native Melanie Troxel, who leads the Top Fuel points standings, and her husband, Tommy Johnson Jr., who is sixth in the Funny Car division, almost pulled off the double in February at the Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals in Phoenix, with Johnson winning his final and Troxel finishing runner-up.

The 27th running of the Mopar Mile-High Nationals, which conclude Sunday at Bandimere Speedway, would be a special place to make it happen.

"To both win in Denver would be meaningful, since I've lived so long in Colorado," said Troxel, who began her racing career in Bandimere's High School division.

Said Johnson: "It will be more personal with us when we both win on the same day. . . . It's definitely going to happen. We came close in Phoenix, and we have also reached the semifinals at the same races about four or five times."

As the National Hot Rod Association enters the halfway point of its 23-race season, it already has been a special year for Troxel.

In addition to her track success, she was honored as a finalist in two categories - best driver and best female athlete - for the prestigious ESPY awards.

"I was really caught off-guard by this honor," Troxel said. "I'm excited to be a part of all this, win or not."

The couple's success and Troxel's sudden recognition have been eye- opening.

"The season has been good, and I'm off to one of my better starts," Johnson said. "In fact, I kid Mel that I'm having my best season and no one seems to notice."

Troxel has led Top Fuel since her season-opening win in Pomona, Calif. She went on to appear in a record five consecutive national finals, winning again in Las Vegas. She also has posted the fastest quarter-mile (331.04 mph) and quickest elapsed- time (4.458 seconds) passes of any woman in the sport's history.

It's just a matter of following in her father's footsteps.

"My dad has been my biggest influence for me to get involved in racing," said Troxel, whose father, Mike, was the Top Alcohol Dragster world champion in 1988.

"Mom (Barbara) was always very involved with the team. They raised me to believe I could do anything and that there was no reason a female could not be successful in this sport."

Nevertheless, Mike Troxel, who died of cancer in 2000, always found himself on pins and needles when his daughter came to the starting line.

"I remember Mel, who is meticulous to a fault, at about 8 wanting to drive," Barbara Troxel said. "I know Mike was really surprised when she said she wanted to do it professionally. Her dad didn't expect that was the direction she wanted to go. When she was little, we would put her in a car seat just to contain her for a while.

"As a result, Mike had a difficult time watching her on the track when she started," she said. "Subconsciously, he was worried about her, and he would have felt guilty had she been injured. It's normal for dads to worry about their kids, and I think it was a least two years before he really watched her make a pass on the track."

Troxel has gone through some similar feelings as she watches her husband in his races.

"Tommy and I do this as a living, and we are aware of the dangers," she said.

Because of her father's influence, Troxel knows her way around a race car.

"Melanie is an excellent machinist and has made parts for race cars for a long time," said Mike Musso, who worked with her father for several years. "She can tell the guys what to do, and they respect her opinions."

Troxel, 33, and Johnson, 37, have known each other since she was 14 and he was 18. Their fathers were friends and often pitted next to one another at racing events.

Johnson, who has seven career wins, believes racing in two divisions is just right for the couple.

"That's the best part, two divisions," he said. "We're both very competitive."

stockers@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5275

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