After great start to her year, Troxel has trouble finishing

As if Melanie Troxel’s bittersweet breakout drag racing season could get any worse, Spike, her pet Yorkshire terrier, was killed by a coyote last week.

Spike’s untimely demise was responsible for Troxel’s somber mood Thursday before the first round of top-fuel qualifying at the Auto Club Finals, the final event in the 23-race NHRA Powerade season.

It was another bump in a season that had begun with such promise for Troxel, a victory in February at Pomona Raceway, site of this weekend’s event.

She reached the finals in the first five events, and eight races into the season, she was 154 points ahead of second-place Doug Kalitta. She was the first-quarter winner in 2006 driver-of-the-year voting, best driver and best female athlete nominee at the ESPYs, and was honored as sportswoman of the year by the Women’s Sports Foundation.

But Thursday, Troxel was 213 points behind Kalitta and in fourth place with only a slight chance of catching Brandon Bernstein for third.

“It’s frustrating,” said Troxel, 34, in her first full season of competition.

“It’s been a good year, but disappointing at the same time. You hate to not be grateful for what we’ve had. We’ve had a great season, we’ll finish in the top five, but ... we had an opportunity to do something great and didn’t make that happen.”

It certainly didn’t happen during her lone qualifying run.

She smoked her car’s tires and was one of five top-fuel drivers who failed to make the 16-car field. She makes another attempt today and two Saturday before final eliminations Sunday.

Troxel’s teammate at Don Schumacher Racing, Tony Schumacher, trying to overcome a 45-point lead by Kalitta to win a third consecutive championship, was the No. 1 qualifier with a run of 4.490 seconds at 328.54 mph.

Schumacher is trying to break his national record, 4.437 seconds, for 20 additional points toward the championship.

Kalitta qualified fifth Thursday. Bernstein is 100 points back, and Troxel is 113 points behind Bernstein.

Other top provisional qualifiers in the professional classes were Del Worsham of Chino Hills in his 2005 Monte Carlo funny car with a career-best 4.712-second run at 309.56 mph, Greg Anderson in pro stock with a run of 6.677 seconds and 205.94 mph in his 2006 Pontiac GTO, and Andrew Hines in pro stock motorcycle at 7.020 seconds and 191.00 mph on his 2004 Harley-Davidson V-Rod.

martin.henderson@latimes.com