Following the recently completed Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals contested in Norwalk, Ohio, Kontos’ met with his team to announce a restructuring in order to focus on building a winning one-car operation and provide Simonton with a good training vehicle in which to learn. Team driver Jason McKnight and Kontos mutually agreed to part ways, allowing McKnight a chance to explore future employment opportunities.

“We’d like to thank Jason for the time and effort he put into helping us build this team to where we are at today,” noted Kontos. “This was a very difficult decision for us to make and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. I am committed to providing our marketing partners, our fans and our friends with a competitive car and quite frankly we’re not at that level yet. I believe by returning to the single car, we’ll be able to focus 100 percent of our efforts on building one solid baseline tune-up and thus giving Cassie some full quarter-mile laps in which to learn.”

Simonton qualified in Norwalk while competing in her first NHRA National Event and lost a first round race against Alexis Dejoria. However, the 23-year old driver from Brownsburg, Ind. impressed her team and fellow competitors with her driving skills. “Ever since I licensed in Georgia, I have had a chance to experience pretty much every possible driving scenario from shaking the tires, to missing shifts, to having staging issues,” noted Simonton. “I believe we’ve started to turn a corner on the tune-up of Spiro’s car and I’m very blessed to have this driving opportunity. We are also very fortunate to have Dale and Laurie Cannister providing their leadership and knowledge to our team.”

The Kon Rodz Racing team will be restructuring their race schedule as well and will post updated race-dates soon on their website at konrodzracing.com.

Joliet, Ill. – Spiro Kontos’ two-car Kon Rodz Racing / Bullydog.com Top Alcohol Funny Car team will hit the NHRA Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series with both feet running this weekend at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.

The 2010 NHRA season has been a learning experience for the Barrie, Ont. based two-car TAFC team. With sophomore driver Jason “The Viking” McKnight driving the “team blue” Kon Rodz / Bullydog.com Flopper and rookie sensation Cassie “Pebbles” Simonton piloting the ‘team pink” entry, the Kon Rodz team knows cracking the elite-eight car field this weekend will be a tough feat for sure.

“This divisional event the week after the Route 66 Nationals always brings the best of the best,” noted 24-year old Cassie Simonton from Brownsburg, Ind. “And we’ll have to be on top of our game in order to qualify for this very difficult 8-car field. Over the past two races we’ve experienced some problems with our air-gap settings, which have caused us some issues in staging, but we’ve solved this glitch and we’re confident our exceptional crew will help us put “team blue” and “team pink” in the show for Sunday’s eliminations.”

Simonton is entering her third NHRA Divisional event and qualified at the last NHRA Division 3 event contested at O’Reilly Raceway Park. Her teammate McKnight also placed the Kon Rodz / Bullydog.com car in the field.

One of the issues facing Simonton is simply making a full 1,320 foot run under power. “I have not made a full-pull since our test session in Valdosta, Ga. nearly two months ago,” she said. “I’ve had some learning curve runs and shook the tires hard on several runs, but the advantage of having a two-car team is when we make mistakes with one car, or do something good, we can share that data and improve both cars. I think we’re at the cusp of a great break-through performance for both cars. Hopefully, it will happen this weekend at Route 66 Raceway.”

Bully Dog Technologies is a proud partner of the two-car Kon Rodz Racing team. Bullydog.com is recognized as a leader in the diesel performance industry, which motivates them to stay abreast of new technology in this industry. With the introduction of electronic components and software to improve performance, they began to research new types of products like intake and exhaust systems to complement their electronic components. Bullydog.com is now able to offer a complete performance package including gasoline products. Customers are encouraged to use the promotional code “KONRODZ” at checkout when ordering their products from the company website.

To learn more about Cassie Simonton, Jason McKnight and the Kon Rodz / Bullydog.com Racing team, please visit their website and their team page at crxmedia.com.

Keep informed of their race day performance with up to the minute results posted on dragracecentral.com.

After months of planning, on-hands training and several shake-down runs behind the wheel of the Kon Rodz / Bullydog.com TAFC last season, Simonton recently earned her NHRA TAFC competition license after recording a solid 5.85 second elapsed time at over 200 miles per hour during a test session held in Valdosta, Ga. For the former NHRA Division 5 Top Dragster Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event champion who lives in Lima, Ohio accomplishing this honor is an enormous step in achieving her professional racing goals.

“I have been waiting my whole life to hold that NHRA competition license which say’s NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car driver, Cassie Simonton,” noted the always up-beat college graduate of The University of Northwestern Ohio who received a bachelor’s degree in high performance technologies. “I can’t thank Spiro enough for the opportunity he has given to me. He has an enormous heart and it is a tremendous honor to be a part of his racing family. Knowing that I get to drive with my team-mate Jason McKnight in our second Kon Rodz Racing / Bullydog.com TAFC this year at a few races is a distinguished honor indeed.”

Simonton has been working with the Kon Rodz team driving instructor and advisor, Laurie Cannister, a two-time IHRA champion in her own right. And for Simonton, the council and teaching which Cannister has given her has been instrumental in learning to drive the wild handling flopper. “Laurie is an amazing driver herself with several race wins and series championships. She knew what type of issues I would have learning to drive this car and has an amazing ability to articulate them to me. I feel so privileged to have learned from her and I know the more runs I make, she will be by my side helping me every step of the way.”

Simonton is scheduled to make her competition debut at the Division 3 LODRS event at historic O‚Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Ind. April 23rd-25th. Until then, she will be making thousands of runs down the virtual quarter-mile in her head to prepare for her first side-by-side race.

Gainesville, Fla. – The 1980’s Rolaids television commercials used to ask consumers; how do you spell relief? For the Barrie, Ont. Canada based Kon Rodz Racing / Bullydog.com Top Alcohol Funny Car team it’s spelled, R.A.C.I.N.G.

After battling snow storms and the bitter cold of the great white north, Spiro Kontos‚ spirited team heads 1,210 miles due south to compete this weekend at the 47th running of the NHRA Tire Kingdom Gatornationals, contested in Gainesville, Fla. And for team owner Kontos, the team‚s initial 2010 NHRA debut could not come soon enough.

“Ever since our last race of 2009 in Dallas, Texas our team has been chomping at the bit to get back to competition,” noted Kontos, the owner of Recyco Environmental. “Towards the end of last season, our crew chief Dale Cannister began to find some good performance out of this car. Our driver Jason McKnight has truly matured into a very solid driver after his first full season behind the wheel of our flopper. And everybody on the crew has been working day and night in preparation for this weekend’s Gatornationals. I am so proud of them all and we are genuinely blessed to be able to compete at this very historic NHRA event.”

The team recently completed a private test session in Valdosta, Ga. where the Kon Rodz / Bullydog.com TAFC made several conservative runs to break in the team’s new chassis.

They also enter this weekend‚s NHRA event sporting the colors of their new marketing partner Bully Dog Technologies, recognized as the leader in the diesel performance industry. In 2005, the company expanded its range of products to include performance products for gasoline powered vehicles, at the 2006 SEMA show the gasoline products were taken to the next level with innovative and revolutionary product designs.

With the support of Bully Dog and the teams other outstanding marketing partners such as Lucas Oil Canada, NGK Spark Plus, Autometer Gauges, Fast Eddie Race Wear, Fowler Connecting Rods, Manton, Flatout Gaskets, CompuTech, Total Seal Inc, MAHLE, Clevite Inc, PSI, Lenco, Victory Valves, DMPE, Brad Anderson Enterprises, Direct Waste Systems, Recyco Environmental, DragRaceCanada, Ram Jet and CRX Promotions, the Canadian warriors are looking to have the same level of success their Hockey teams just experience in the Olympic Winter Games.

The Kon Rodz / Bullydog.com TAFC will begin qualifying for the 47th Gatornationals on Friday, March 12th at 11:00 am. They will receive (3) attempts to qualify for the 16-car field. Qualifying continues on Saturday morning and first round of eliminations are scheduled to begin Saturday evening after the final Professional qualifying session.

To learn more about the Kon Rodz Racing team, please visit their website or at their team page here on our site.

Keep up to date with up to the minute results posted on dragracecentral.com.

Barrie, Ont. – The Kon Rodz Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team is proud to announce a new marketing partnership with Bully Dog Technologies for the 2010 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing series. As a part of this agreement, the Kon Rodz team will become official distributors of outstanding Bully Dog products.

“I am so happy to have Bully Dog on board of our two-car team as a mid-level associate sponsor for the 2010 season,” noted team owner Spiro Kontos. “With the state of the world economy, to have a company like Bully Dog offer to enter into a marketing partnership with us is truly amazing and we are very fortunate to have them join our list of outstanding marketing partners. We will work very hard to provide them with an outstanding return on their investment.”

Bully Dog Technologies, is recognized as the leader in the diesel performance industry. In 2005, the company expanded its range of products to include performance products for gasoline powered vehicles, at the 2006 SEMA show the gasoline products were taken to the next level with innovative and revolutionary product designs.

“We are very excited to be supporting the Kon Rodz team,” stated Mike Deford, the marketing manager of the American Falls, Id. based company. “Their professionalism and dedication to the sport make them a perfect fit for Bully Dog. We both are addicted to performing better than the competition, together I look forward to being atop the podium many times this year.”

The Kon Rodz team and Bully Dog want to remind all their customers to enter the promo-code “KON RODZ” when ordering fine products from Bullydog.com.

The team will debut the Bully Dog logo’s on both the Jason McKnight and Cassie Simonton driven Top Alcohol Funny Cars this week during a test session to be contested in Valdosta, Ga., prior to entering the NHRA Tire Kingdom Gatornationals March 11th-14th.

To learn more about the Kon Rodz team new marketing partner Bully Dog Technologies, please visit their website. To learn more about the Kon Rodz team, please visit their website or view our Kon Rodz Racing CRX Team Page.

Kon Rodz Racing Team Page

In 2005, Kon Rodz Racing Team Owner Spiro Kontos was involved in a tragic car accident leaving him bed ridden for two-years. While recuperating, Kontos discovered a new hobby, classic car collection via E-bay auctions. His initial investment has grown into the two-car highly competitive, multi-talented Top Alcohol Funny Car team he owns today.

The team competes in the highly competitive NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car division. They race in two countries, 4 geographic regions and produce quality results on and off the track. The Kontos Family is known through out the drag racing community as a spirited bunch, often attracting multitudes of new racing fans to their professional pit area. They truly are international ambassadors for the sport of drag racing.

Team Achievements

Driver Information

Jason McKnight

A competitive soul who began working with legendary Canadian Drag Racer Al Billes nearly two decades ago, McKnight joins the Kon Rodz team as the driver of our first of two professional Top Alcohol Funny Cars. In his first season behind the wheel of our teams Alcohol Funny Car, McKnight impressed the fans and media by finishing in the top 15 in the IHRA World point standings. His matriculation into becoming a consistent and solid driver greatly accelerated after 2008 IHRA World Champion Laurie Cannister joined our team as a driving consultant. McKnight is a skilled mechanic who also provides tuning assistance with Cannister’s husband, our crew chief Dale. He is an accomplished public speaker and provides a positive attitude for our team to follow.

Cassie Simonton

22-year old Cassandra Simonton., a native Minnesotan, has been dominating the quarter-mile drag strips of NHRA Division 5 since her humble beginnings as a Junior Dragster driver at the tender age of 8. Over the past six-years, Simonton has been driving in NHRA and IHRA’s exclusive Top Dragster division. She was an instant success. A winner of the 2003 NHRA Division 5 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in Brainerd, Minn., Simonton is also an extreme go getter, who does not let her age or gender stop her from accomplishing her goals. A college graduate from The University of Northwestern Ohio with a degree in High Performance Technologies, Simonton is also a skilled mechanic.

View a special inside video about Cassie from the University of Northwestern Ohio

View Cassie’s Website

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