A promising performance at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, has Doug Foley and his Foley Lewis Racing team eager to get back on track to continue refining their program. But while the full-time teams of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series complete the Western Swing and the Brainerd Nationals, Foley and his part-time team are taking a summer break to prepare for a busy stretch of races to close out the season, including the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. 
 
Before Norwalk, Foley qualified No. 9 at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway before defeating motorsports icon Tony Stewart in the opening round of eliminations. 
 
At the Norwalk race, Foley was the No. 4 qualifier after Friday’s two qualifying sessions with his 3.744-second pass at 319.98 MPH. He slipped to the No. 8 position by the time Saturday’s two sessions were completed, but he improved his best time to a 3.739. Foley earned lane choice for Sunday eliminations, where he faced full-time competitor Billy Torrence in the first round. Foley left the starting line first and charged to a consistent 3.746 at 322.50, but he came up just eight thousandths of a second short of beating Torrence’s 3.717. 
 
“We saw an increase in performance and consistency, which is something we haven't had in a long time,” Foley said. “Usually, we have one or the other. We just hadn’t found the ability to keep up with those full-time teams on a regular basis. We went to Norwalk, a place where you had to turn it up a little bit, and we were able to turn it up.”
 
The first-round win at Bristol and the consistently quick performances at Norwalk served as a morale boost for Foley and his team led by crew chiefs Lance Larsen and Doug Kuch, especially after a trying DNQ at Chicago. 
 
“The guys are really doing a great job. They've given me such a good car,” Foley said. “I think we all looked at Chicago and said, ‘Wow, there's a reality check.’ We all have to dig down deeper a little more and try to figure out how we can be more consistent. After four years back in Top Fuel, we’ve really found our stride in a crucial year with us trying to be competitive and grow the team. I think it couldn't have come at a better time.”
 
Adding to the significance of the Norwalk performance was the fact that Summit Motorsports Park is the home track on the NHRA tour for two of the team’s biggest sponsors, Alloy Employer Services and United Garage Door Company.  
 
“Having lane choice is a big accomplishment for a part-time team like ours, and to do it in front of our sponsors at their home track was exciting,” Foley said. “We can’t hang our heads over going 3.74 and losing by .008 at the stripe against a full-time car. We gave them a good race. It was close. The thing I'm most proud of is the guys give me a car every race that is just a quality car that is put together properly. The effort is really flawless.”
 
After Norwalk, Foley and the team started their summer break while the NHRA Mission Foods Series headed West for races in Seattle, Sonoma, and Brainerd. Foley Lewis Racing will be back on track at the 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park over Labor Day Weekend. The team will take advantage of the time away from the track to restock and refresh its parts supply. 
 
“When you have that summer off, you look at where your weaknesses are,” Foley said. “Anybody who runs a business looks at where are you strong, where are you weak, and where can you do better? For us, it's a little bit of parts inventory and adjusting our tuneup to put a little more power in the car. We want to look at what we could be missing on the power side so we can try a little harder in places like Indy, and then Maple Grove and Charlotte, where you're expecting cool weather.”
 
In addition to Alloy Employer Services and United Garage Door Company, Foley Lewis Racing races with support from Authority Garage Supply Inc., CHI Overhead Doors, Liftmaster, DDP Roofing, Red Line Oil, MR Drywall Service LLC, PROTECS, The BAMR Company, and Sander Engineering.