DSR equipped with PressurePro™ for the first ‘long haul’ race since 2020 restart.
Don Schumacher Racing’s fleet of 18 ‘big rig’ semitrucks departed from the team’s Brownsburg, Ind. headquarters today to make the 881-mile journey to Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla. The NHRA Gatornationals marks the first ‘away’ race since the 2020 NHRA season restart in July, and the DSR team members responsible for driving the 53-foot trucks across the country have an extra sense of assurance during their travels thanks to a newly formed partnership with PressurePro, a family-owned organization committed to revolutionizing tire performance management.
During the downtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all DSR trucks and trailers were equipped with PressurePro’s PULSE displays and Dynamic Sensors, providing a complete Tire Performance Management Solution that delivers accurate and continuous tire performance data, adding an extra level of safety and savings to travel and operations. The system alerts drivers and their co-pilots to any tire fluctuations, and will indicate when it’s necessary to stop and make adjustments to tire pressure, helping to avoid blowouts, fires, and reduce wear and tear.
“After the trailer fire earlier this year, Don (Schumacher) challenged us to find something to help prevent any similar situations from occurring in the future,” explained Beth Hyatt, DSR’s Hospitality and Fleet Manager, referring to a trailer fire that occurred on one of the team’s race trucks due to road debris puncturing a tire on the way to pre-season testing. “We were introduced to PressurePro, and after meeting with them and learning of their innovative TPMS solutions, we knew this was a fantastic partnership opportunity for us. Safety is always our No. 1 priority at DSR, and knowing we now have an added layer of protection is important to all of us.”
DSR’s armada consists of 14 race trucks, aka rolling race shops which are also used to transport race car chassis, bodies and all necessary parts, pieces, tools, and crew chief lounges. Four non-race trucks also travel full-time with the team to all races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Two of the trucks house DSR’s on-site lounges and offices, a third is used solely as a massive walk-in refrigerator, and the fourth truck and trailer is a fully decked-out kitchen, utilized by DSR’s executive chef and his sous chef to feed DSR’s staff, hospitality guests, and several rival race teams.
“This will be the first time since installing PressurePro that our teams will travel more than the two miles it takes to get from our race shop to the Indy track and back,” said Hyatt. “During a ‘normal’ season, our trucks will travel about 35,000 miles on average. Traveling coast-to-coast for 24 events per year, we put a lot of hours and a lot of miles on these trucks and need to make sure we’re keeping them in tip-top shape. This new partnership with PressurePro is one more way we can do that.”
“We’re excited to partner with DSR to add Tire Performance Management to their rigs” stated Vanessa Hargrave, PressurePro’s COO. “Don and his team have a world class organization, and understand, more than most, the significance that proper tire maintenance has not just on your efficiencies while travelling, but to the safety of your drivers, equipment and others on the road. We’re proud to have been chosen to provide this critical tool for the DSR team.”
About Advantage PressureProTM, LLC: World leaders in Tire Performance Management, PressurePro has armed users with the market’s most trusted and advanced TPM Solutions since 1991. A global company whose roots remain firm in their family owned business values, PressurePro remains driven to add safety and savings to every road you travel. Noted pioneers of their industry, PressurePro continues the innovation of their comprehensive line of offerings, providing users with the real time tire performance data needed to save fuel, extend tire life, decrease maintenance, reduce downtime, improve compliance and more. Learn more about their full line of stand-alone and integrated TPMS options at www.pressurepro.us.