Motorsports is driven by sponsorship in all kinds of forms, and teams in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) are no different. This week, the Top Fuel operation owned by Australian businessman Santo Rapisardo with Larry Dixon driving, has added Prolong as an associate sponsor (source: Competition Plus).
Prolong Super Lubricants is a brand owned by GoldenWest Lubricants and is based in Pomona, California, home of this week’s season-opening Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway. Prolong is a well known product in the automotive circles and its many engine treatment and part lubricant products sell all over the world.
The Aussie’s Top Fuel race team will run about half the Mello Yello Drag Racing schedule and it’s not believed this associate partnership will affect any changes in expanding their effort for 2013. Sardo is able to fund his part-time operation due to being a successful entrepreneur in the crane business down under where he also is an accomplished success in drag racing.
Larry Dixon was out of a job before last season and to that end, started up Larry Dixon Racing to develop and hopefully build his own team. However, due to the poor economy, Dixon wasn’t able to secure funding and instead, looked to land a job driving with another team. He was able to obtain a seat for three races near the 2012 season’s end that had belonged to Hillary Will at Dote Racing (source: Yahoo! Sports). The job piloting Rapisardo's Top Fueler then surfaced in the offseason.
Dixon, who began his Top Fuel driving profession back in ’95, is the second winningest driver in Top Fuel racing history and earned three championships during his vaunted career. Joining Dixon and the Rapisardo group as crew chief this season is veteran tuner Lee Beard who has been a part of three championship titles as well.
Larry Dixon’s ulterior goal is to eventually assemble his own team but for right now, the trials and tribulations of acquiring financing will take a back burner as he heads into the 2013 season with Rapisardo at the Winternationals.
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