CHEVROLET NHRA AT CHARLOTTE
What:
Seventh NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods
When:
Friday, April 22-Sunday, April 24
Where:
zMAX Dragway, Concord, North Carolina
TV:
FS1: Qualifying – 10 p.m. ET, Saturday (taped highlights)
FS1: Eliminations and finals – 4:30 p.m. ET, Sunday (taped)
Chevrolet Heads to Four-Wide Event with Points Leaders in All Three Classes
Unique format to NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series; Courtney Force to make 100th start
DETROIT (April 21, 2016) – John Force laughs when recalling the inaugural National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) four-wide event at zMAX Dragway in 2010. Of his 143 Funny Car victories, that win in the unique event stands out in his memory.
“I was so confused at that first Four-Wide Nationals,” the 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion said. “I went up to the starting line on my scooter every chance I got to just watch how the Christmas Tree worked. I raced in the exhibition race the year before, but until you make that first pass with three other Funny Cars all around you, you don’t know what to expect.”
The event is a departure from the regular head-to-head format. This weekend, qualifying sessions and elimination rounds will be conducted using four lanes in all Mello Yello Series classes. Two Christmas Trees will be utilized — one between each two lanes. The first two drivers in each elimination round Sunday to cross the finish line advance to the second round and then the final. In the final round, drivers will place in the order they cross the finish line.
Chevrolet teams continue to ride a wave of success and seek to continue the early-season momentum at the track in Concord, North Carolina.
Force, driving the PEAK Antifreeze Chevrolet Camaro SS, is second in the Funny Car standings to John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight (Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS). Hight is a two-time winner of the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. Brittany Force (Monster Energy Chevrolet Dragster) paces the Top Fuel standings, while Jason Line (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS) – a two-time winner and two-time runner-up in the four races this season – is atop the Pro Stock standings. Line set the track and national elapsed time record at zMAX Dragway of 6.455 seconds last spring.
KB Racing teammate Greg Anderson (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS), also a two-time winner this season and has won the NHRA Four-Wide event twice, is second in the standings. Bo Butner (Butner Auto Sales Chevrolet Camaro SS), a finalist in the last event three weeks ago at Las Vegas, is third. Drew Skillman (Ray Skillman Chevrolet Camaro SS) and Chris McGaha (Harlow Sammons of Odessa Chevrolet Camaro SS) complete the Chevrolet hold of the top five in Pro Stock.
A total of 11 Chevrolet drivers will compete in the Pro Stock division this weekend. Kenny Delco (JCM Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS), Shane Tucker (Auzmet Architectural Chevrolet Camaro SS), and John Gaydosh Jr. (Gaydosh Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS) will compete for the first time this season.
Also, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods will mark the 100th Funny Car race for Courtney Force (Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS). Force transitioned into the Funny Car category in 2012 after competing in Super Comp and Top Alcohol Dragster. She recorded her first win in her 15th Funny Car race and went on to earn NHRA rookie of the year honors.
“It’s amazing to think this is my 100th event,” said Force, who was the No. 1 qualifier in the four-wide event in 2015. “I’ve learned so much along the way from the start in my Traxxas Funny Car to now and I hope we can make a great performance this weekend for our 100th race.”
In addition, five competitors driving a Chevrolet COPO Camaro are entered in the Stock Eliminator class. Three Chevrolet COPO Camaro drivers are entered in Super Stock.
Chevrolet also will welcome fans to its Chevrolet Performance Display during the weekend. It will include a number of Chevrolet’s award-winning production vehicles, examples of Chevrolet engines, and a selection of performance parts and accessories that are available for fans to purchase from their local Chevrolet dealer.
FOX Sports 1 will telecast taped highlights of qualifying at 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday. FS1 will telecast taped eliminations and finals at 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
CHEVROLET ENGINEERING OUTLOOK FOR NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
ROGER ALLEN, CHEVROLET RACING PROGRAM MANAGER, NHRA: “After a few weeks off, we’re looking forward to the weekend of competition at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods. The event delivers excitement and drama because of its unique format, and all the Chevrolet competitors are anxiously awaiting making that first pass of the weekend. Chevrolet drivers continue to pace the point standings in all three professional classes — Brittany Force in Top Fuel, Robert Hight in Funny Car, and Jason Line in Pro Stock — after another successful event in Las Vegas. We’re aiming to keep the momentum going in the fifth round of the NHRA Mello Yello Racing Series this weekend.”
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT – NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER: “I go into (the Four-Wide Nationals) with a whole different mindset, just because it is different. I enjoy the race because it is a challenge, and the nice thing about it is it’s not just a challenge for me but it’s a challenge for all the drivers because we haven’t been doing it that long. I have to go up there, I’ve done it the last few years, you’ll see me up there on the starting line before we run, and I’ll just be practicing. If I know I’m going up in lane two, I’ll be standing up in lane two before I go out there and just mentally practicing with the car in front of me.”
FUNNY CAR:
COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, TRAXXAS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “The challenge of the whole race and pressure it puts on the teams and the drivers to change things up; that’s why this is a race I would love to win. We qualified No. 1 here last year, but I feel like my car is performing at its best right now. We are really hunting that first 2016 win. As a driver it is a challenge because your weekly race routine is completely switched up. We have a different Christmas Tree to adjust to and depending on the lane, you have to train your eyes to pre-stage your car while looking across the tree. It’s also a challenge for crew chiefs because like a normal event, you get four qualifying runs, so you’re only getting one pass in each lane to get it figured out on race day.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “The only strategy is to not let the four-wide affect you. You are paying attention to two other cars you normally don’t have to deal with. To me, I don’t want to know who is in the other lanes. I don’t want to think about their tendencies whether they are usually slow and they are in lane three. I don’t want to think about that. You really want to eliminate thinking. I just want to roll up there and be ready to do my own thing.”
PRO STOCK:
DREW SKILLMAN, RAY SKILLMAN RACING, RAY SKILLMAN RACING CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: ”We’re getting a lot closer; every week we’re learning a little more and getting more and more competitive. The event is a challenge for the drivers and crews to get staged properly and in time, and then focus on what you need to do without allowing distractions. The race this weekend will mix the points up, I think.”
SHANE GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE/NOVA SERVICES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “This is one race for us where we really want to put our best foot forward. My wife Amber and our kids Bryce, Tanner, and Taylor will be there, and I know all the guys will be bringing their families out at various times over the weekend, so you really want to have a great showing for all of them. We’re also bringing IDG Racing back on board and they have a lot of employees in the area, so we’ll have a strong support system this weekend. It’ll be fun no matter what, but we all know the most fun you can have is when you win.”
CHRIS MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “I’m excited to go back to the Four-Wide Nationals because I’ve been the No. 1 qualifier the last two years. This year, we’re going to kind of go into the race in test mode; we’ll be experimenting with the tune-up. I’ve got something worked up in the engine that’s in the car already. We were going to wait to put this motor in and run something I knew was proven but I think we’re going to stick with the new motor and see what it’s got. With the new fuel injection, we don’t know if we’ll be back in the No. 1 spot but we’ll see.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “We’ve been trained for years to do something a certain way and for one weekend we have to do something differently. It definitely takes a little practice and a little luck because there is a lot of stuff going on. It is a lot of fun, though, and certainly a good test for all the drivers. It’s one of those things where you decide you don’t like it and you continue to or embrace it and try to do the best you can. I’ve embraced it, though I haven’t done that well. This race win has eluded me for some reason. But this year we have a great car and a really good chance of bringing home the Wally.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “I think the only preparation you can do (for this unique event) is Q 1, 2, 3 and 4. You don’t get another chance during the year to practice four-wide racing; there no way to practice it. A couple of years ago I won this race by losing in the first round and losing in the second round — I was second place in both — but winning the final. You just never know what can happen out there in this event. The car set-up isn’t necessarily anything different or you don’t necessarily race the cars differently. But for a driver it is different. Just trying to get used to the Christmas Tree with four blinking lights instead of two, and just making sure you get staged in time is important. You just have to avoid all the land mines somehow and get your mind numb when you go up there and be able to get the car staged properly. After that, it’s a normal race.”