'I do' taken to extreme on strip

WHEN YOU LOOK at the NHRA Funny Car point standings, Melanie Troxel is 14th and Tommy Johnson Jr. is 18th. Nothing suggests a connection. They merely look like two drivers trying to make the top 10 and qualify for the season-ending championship playoffs.

But they not only share the same goal, they share a bed and bathroom, probably even the same toothpaste. When the judge or the priest or the pastor said, "I now pronounce you man and wife," Troxel and Johnson could not have envisioned what would happen five years later.

They are drag racing in the same class and have yet to go head-to-head, but could this weekend at the Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Kent.

Johnson

Apparently Johnson, 40, sees enough of his wife at home -- which is another way of saying that he's not looking forward to it.

"It will be interesting," he said. "I know it's coming. I can tell you all day long that it doesn't mean any more to me, but it will. I'll dig deeper.

"But I can't win. If I win I'll be harassed for beating my wife. If I lose I'll be harassed for not being able to beat my wife."

Troxel, 35, already knows who will have a tougher time dealing with a loss -- her husband.

Troxel

"I absolutely think I would take it better than he would," she said.

Johnson said: "I'm not a bad loser, I just don't like losin'. We don't want to race each other. We don't want to talk about it. But it's my team versus her team. When the time comes, it will be for blood."

Yikes. It wasn't always like this. Troxel used to race a Top Fuel dragster, so they'd travel together with their two Yorkshire terriers and compete in different classes. They supported and rooted for each other, and still do, but it's changed now.

Troxel and Johnson don't talk much shop at home, and part of the reason is that they can't -- their teams are concerned they might share private information. Besides, "for the most part, we know what happened in each other's day," Troxel said.

At times it was tough enough being together 24/7. They live in Avon, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis, when they're not on the road, which isn't often. He's into gadgets, and she's into gardening, or as Troxel puts it: "I like to try to avoid killing plants."

They refrain from competing in anything at home because it's too much of a strain -- Troxel hates to lose, too. She lets him do the majority of the driving because he's a backseat driver, and Troxel gets sick of him complaining about her taking a corner too fast or braking too hard and hearing about it. He does the same things.

"I just don't comment on it," she said.

I didn't ask about speeding tickets because there was no reason to; they're both conservative drivers.

"Once you've gone 330 mph, there's not anything you can do in a street car that's going to be that exciting," said Troxel, who drives a Mini Cooper at home.

After six years in Top Fuel, Troxel was pursued by Gotham City Racing in the Funny Car ranks. Back in Troxel's Top Alcohol Dragster days, a little part of her wanted to someday try Funny Cars, and here was her chance.

"The only negative was racing against my husband," she said.

Troxel broke the news to him slowly and got the negative reaction she expected.

"You could say I wasn't a very big fan of that," Johnson said. "It was working very nicely with separate classes. I didn't think it was good competing for the same trophy every weekend."

But when he thought about it from his wife's point of view, Johnson understood.

"I can't fault someone for jumping at a good opportunity," he said.

Shortly after Troxel made the switch, Johnson lost his ride and is now racing with the Monster Energy team. He decided to drop the gloves and turn philosophical. After all, they're both racing.

"I was glad to get back out here," Johnson said.

Seattle holds special meaning for them. Johnson posted his first pro win here in a Top Fuel dragster in 1993, and Troxel won her first pro race in a Top Alcohol dragster in '99.

Troxel claims she's the better driver and has supporting evidence, holding a 109-point lead over her husband.

"I'm motivated to make sure I have bragging rights in the house," she said. "So, yeah, I'm going to take him out."

Said Johnson: "I would have to argue with that."

They sound good-natured, one in person at a Space Needle luncheon, the other on the phone. They met a long time ago when Troxel hung out with Johnson's little sister and had a crush on him. He ignored her then, and she made him pay for that when they started dating.

"I had to be very persistent," Johnson said. "She was incredibly hard to get."

The better-driver debate will be settled soon.

"I imagine it won't be that long until we race against each other," Troxel said.

"The best possible scenario is if it's in the final. Then nobody would be too upset."