Evernham and VP Notch Pikes Peak Win
VP Racing Fuels Inc. helped power NASCAR Hall of Famer Ray Evernham to a class win at the 96th running of the historic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado.
“Ray made a name for himself driving asphalt modified cars in New Jersey before he moved to NASCAR racing and had tremendous success there,” said Freddie Turza, VP Racing Fuels technical manager. “There were factory teams through to grassroots racers competing this year and to have Ray choose VP for fuel power, over everything else that’s available to this legend, is really gratifying. It says a lot for VP, and we’re very proud.”
Evernham, as a NASCAR crew chief, won three series championships, two Daytona 500s, and two Indianapolis Brickyard 400s with driver Jeff Gordon at the wheel. He has also seen success as a team owner and TV personality.
Evernham’s Pikes Peak car-nicknamed The Ghost, for its pearl white paint scheme-has the appearance of a 1936 Chevrolet sedan but has the aero performance of a high-tech Indy car and is powered by an 850-plus horsepower Chevrolet engine fueled by VP. In addition to the nearly 5,000-foot elevation change from the starting line to the top of Pikes Peak, the twists and turns of the mountainside paved course is the ultimate test for man and machine against a time clock.
“It was an absolute honor to compete in this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,” Evernham said. “This course presented quite a challenge for me, the team, and the car and thanks to VP we knew we had fuel power well taken care of. To come to Pikes Peak for the first time and win is really gratifying.”
