CHEVROLET RACING AT LAS VEGAS
DENSO SPARK PLUGS NHRA NATIONALS
AT THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
APRIL 3, 2016
\The following are quotes from Team Chevy drivers following the Denso Spark Plug NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
AN INTERVIEW WITH DENSO SPARK PLUGS NHRA NATIONALS PRO STOCK WINNER JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS
HOW HARD IS IT TO TUNE AND DRIVE SAME TIME?
“Well, I like to keep it real. It has been a great day. It is tough. It is difficult, but everybody on our team works hard. I want to thank Coca Cola Company of course. Finley Chevrolet. They provide us with great vehicles. Of course we love Chevrolet. And all the fans for coming out. I want to say congrats to Bo (Butner) for making the finals.”
YOU HAVE MADE FOUR STRAIGHT FINALS, WHEN ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO SLOW DOWN?
“Never I hope. Hopefully it continues like this for the rest of the year. But this is a great start. We’ve never had a start this good, even back in the heyday. It feels really, really good. None of this would be possible without Summit Racing Equipment. I love them. I even love Jim Greenly. He’s tough on me, but I love him. It is great to be part of their team.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “I have had a great weekend and I definitely have a smile on my face. I always want to win, and it sure would have been cool to make the final so that we could have had a chance to double up the K&N prize money and to have that huge payday for the weekend. But it’s been a great weekend for KB Racing. I am really happy and really proud of where the program is at and the job that we have done with our two Summit Chevys. Even Bo Butner and his Chevy. Just so proud of him and the job he has done. “
CHRIS MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “We were just fighting the starting line. If we could just get over our starting line issues and get it down low like the other guys that are running fast, I think we can give them a run for their money. We did almost pull one out in the second round, got close. We went down the right lane and it’s been tricky this weekend. Now, we are on to Charlotte and we will see if we can get over our hump. We seem to be the only guys that have enough power to give the KB Racing guys a run for their money.”
SHANE GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE/NOVA SERVICES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (on first-round loss to Chris McGaha): “We were really, really close to having lane choice, but Chris got us by speed. You’d like to think that if we were eighth it would have made a difference, but you never know. We need to get better in qualifying anyway, so we won’t make any excuses. “We’ve got some issues somewhere right now. We have a pretty good idea of what it is, and we’ll keep working at it until we get it right. I hate it for our team, for Valvoline, Nova, and all our sponsors, but that’s how it goes sometimes. We’ll get there.”
Top Fuel
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER: “In the second round we had a cylinder go out right from the step. I felt it. It was sluggish right when we launched. Going out second round is a bummer but we are still on such a big high from our first win at Gainesville. This is still just the beginning of our season and we have all season long here. We are still No. 1 in points, and that is huge. I am still trying to wrap my head around all the things that came with last weekend’s win. We are going to test here tomorrow then pack up and head to Charlotte for the four-wide in a few weeks.”
Funny Car
COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, TRAXXAS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “(Round 2 of eliminations) was a stout run for our Traxxas Chevy Funny Car team. It was the heat of the day and I think dad and I had the two fastest runs in the two Funny Car sessions in that race. I know all the fans said it was a great drag race, side-by-side and going 3.99. You know, it’s always fun going up there against dad and getting to race him. I think he rolled it a little bit on me but that is part of the game and makes it more fun. I had my eyes set on getting lane choice in the next run and was hoping it would be against Robert (Hight) but it didn’t work out the way we were hoping for. The thing that we can take away from this weekend is that we definitely feel like we have a consistent race car, and a fast one. Not only a fast one, but a quick one down that race track. That is definitely what we need to go rounds and pick up these points. I think we are moving up on points after this weekend. We are going to go out here tomorrow and test here in Vegas and see if we can push this car a little harder and see what she will do.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “We should have run better than a 4 (second) flat (in Round 2). I also should have had a better light than a .76. She got me, and you have to win those close ones. At the end of the year and you look back, it’s those close ones that you wish you had back. So we have to turn it around. I look at it as it was an opportunity lost and that we should have gained more points and left here with a bigger lead.”
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “It didn’t go the way I wanted but we have to look at the big picture of my race teams, because we are turning it around. That is what I promised Jim Campbell, head of motorsports at Chevrolet that I would do. We took some hits, lost some people but I am putting the band back together. We are leaving here with Robert (Hight) No. 1 in the points, I am No. 2 and Courtney is fifth. The dragster is also in the lead, so that shows. I am not saying we are going to be world champions, but we are competitive now. That is what I promised Campbell, and what I promised Auto Club, Peak, Traxxas, Monster and everybody. And that is what it is all about.”
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