CHEVROLET AT INDIANAPOLIS
What:
62nd Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals
When:
Friday, Sept. 2-Monday, Sept. 5
Where:
Lucas Oil Raceway, Brownsburg, Indiana
TV:
FOX Sports 1: Qualifying and Traxxas Funny Car Shootout – Noon and 5 p.m. ET Sunday (taped highlights)
FS1: Eliminations – 11 a.m. ET Monday (live)
FOX: Eliminations and finals – 1 p.m. ET Monday (live)
Chevrolet Drivers Seek to Dash for Cash and Points in the ‘Big Go’
Prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals features Traxxas Nitro Shootout
DETROIT (Aug. 31, 2016) – Intrigue, excitement, gamesmanship, bragging rights, playoff berths on the line, and a lucrative payday are folded into the 62nd Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals over the Labor Day holiday weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana.
With so many engaging elements incorporated into the world’s most prestigious drag race, no wonder the annual four-day event is commonly referred to as the ‘Big Go” by competitors and fans.
The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the last of 18 regular-season National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) races, during which drivers earn points to qualify for one of the 10 spots in each Mello Yello Series class for the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff.
A special world championship points system — 50 percent increase in base points (150 points to win), with a maximum of 188 points available — will be in effect. All other NHRA Mello Yello Series events offer 100 points to win.
“I think it is huge if you can win Indy because it gives you momentum going into the Countdown,” said Robert Hight, who advanced to the Funny Car finals of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals the past two years. “Indy is points and a half, so we need to use that to the best of our ability to move up a spot or two in the point standings. I won the championship from the 10th spot before, but I don’t think anyone will ever do that again. The level of Funny Car racing is too high and you start with too big of a deficit. I think from there you might have to win five races in the Countdown and that is a tall order with the class of Funny Cars now.”
Hight and his three John Force Racing teammates also will compete in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout, which offers a $100,000 reward to the Top Fuel and Funny Car winners. Hight, who drives the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS, was a Funny Car finalist in the Shootout last year.
Brittany Force, a three-time winner this season in the Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster, will be among the Top Fuel competitors. John Force (PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS) and Courtney Force (Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS) also will compete for the Funny Car prize.
“The Traxxas Shootout comes into play because that race counts as a qualifying run for the U.S. Nationals,” said Courtney Force, who won at Houston and is second in Funny Car points. “There is a lot going on mentally, but I have the faith in my team that we have a great race car. I just have to focus on driving the race car and pretend it is any other race. As a driver, you have to block out all the distractions and get your game face on.”
All four of the John Force Racing drivers have secured a berth in the Countdown that begins Sept. 16-18 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Greg Anderson (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS), Jason Line (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS), Bo Butner (Jim Butner Auto Chevrolet Camaro SS), Vincent Nobile (Mountain View Tire Chevrolet Camaro SS), and Drew Skillman (Ray Skillman Chevrolet Camaro SS) have clinched berths in the Pro Stock playoff.
Shane Gray (Valvoline/Nova Services Chevrolet Camaro SS), Chris McGaha (Harlow Sammons of Odessa Chevrolet Camaro SS), and Alex Laughlin (Gas Monkey Garage Chevrolet Camaro SS) seek to wrap up spots. Laughlin, who is competing in his first full season, enters the race 36 points behind Jeg Coughlin for the final berth.
Nobile, who is fifth in the Pro Stock standings, will have the opportunity Saturday to pick up an additional 100 points when he faces Aaron Strong (A&J Furniture Chevrolet Camaro SS) in the final round of the Seattle race that was postponed Aug. 7 because of rain.
“We get the chance to run for two Wally’s this coming weekend and that’s always exciting,” said Nobile, who has been the No. 1 qualifier the past two events.
John Force, the 16-time Funny Car champion who has won four times at Lucas Oil Raceway, will be the grand marshal of the event. KB Racing teammates Line and Anderson, who are 1-2 in the Pro Stock standings, will be the honorary starters.
“I’ve never had the opportunity to experience being an honorary starter, and for Chevrolet to pick us is just an honor. This is going to make the U.S. Nationals even more special this year,” said Anderson, a six-time winner of the event.
Dan Fletcher, a winner earlier this year in the PEAK/K&N/Denso Chevrolet COPO Camaro, heads the ample Chevrolet COPO Camaro entries in Stock Eliminator.
FOX Sports 1 will telecast eliminations live at 11 a.m. ET Monday, followed by the FOX live telecast of eliminations and finals at 1 p.m. FS1 also will telecast taped highlights at noon and 5 p.m. ET Sunday.
Chevrolet 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.
CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PREVIEW – CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE U.S. NATIONALS
ROGER ALLEN, CHEVROLET RACING NHRA PROGRAM MANAGER: “The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is known as the ‘Big Go,’ and each year the competition and excitement seems to increase as Chevrolet drivers in the three professional classes and in Super Stock and Stock Eliminator categories in their Chevrolet COPO Camaros vie for the coveted titles. There are a number of subplots that come into play during the race weekend, including the lucrative Traxxas Shootout for Top Fuel and Funny Car. All four Chevrolet drivers from John Force Racing — Brittany Force, John Force, Courtney Force, and Robert Hight — will compete in the Traxxas Shootout, and we’re looking forward to watching that special event in the midst of the final event of the ‘regular season.’ Those same drivers have qualified for the six-race Countdown to the Championship, too.
“In Pro Stock, Vincent Nobile and Aaron Strong will finish what they started at Seattle in an all-Chevrolet final that was postponed by rain. Nobile and five other Chevy drivers have secured berths in the Countdown, while four others can wrap up spots in the 10-driver playoff. All in all, it shapes up to be another outstanding event for spectators and the FOX audience. Chevrolet is pleased to be the title sponsor of the biggest drag racing event in the world.”
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT – CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE U.S. NATIONALS
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER: “There is a lot of pressure going into the U.S. Nationals. It is the biggest race of the season. It gets so much attention and there are so many fans there. It is two races in one weekend so there is a lot that you are banking on. You want to go out there and do your job and hopefully turn on some win lights. You have to try and look at it no differently than any other race weekend. You are still doing the same things. You are driving your race car to the 1,000-foot finish line. You have to shut out the distractions. There is the extra attention and I think that gets you more excited since it is a bigger event. That just pumps you up. You have to shut out all the craziness and do your job.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE & COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “This is like Daytona or the Indy 500. You have to win it. We have won this race a lot and dominated. We haven’t been dominating but we have turned the corner. We are coming to Indy with a focus. This new Chevrolet Camaro is really working. I am moving ahead. You do everything you can in testing for Indy and you take your best combination to the race. You take all your best stuff and you try and qualify. We want to bring the thunder for the night run. Bottom line is you want to hit that race running.”
COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, TRAXXAS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “I have seen my dad win the U.S. Nationals. I have seen my sister (Ashley Force Hood) win it and also my other teammates (Robert Hight and Gary Densham). It would be huge for me. It is right up there with winning a championship. If you get a championship and a win at the U.S. Nationals, you have definitely accomplished a lot. The best drivers are out here and to be able to race them and get a win would be huge for the Traxxas Chevy Camaro team. That is our goal going into this race. I think we have a great race car and it has been performing well. I am excited to get out to the race.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “Last year we came off a win in Brainerd so we had some momentum coming in here. We went to the finals of the Traxxas Shootout and the finals of the race. I don’t think we are far off with my Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS. We are just a little off. We are missing some consistency and power. That is why we were in Indy last week testing for two days. We learned some things and I think we are headed in the right direction. I have said this before but if you are hunting for a combination at this time of the year you are in trouble. I don’t by any means think we are lost. We just have to dial it in and be a little bit more consistent.”
PRO STOCK:
VINCENT NOBILE, MOUNTAIN VIEW RACING, MOUNTAIN VIEW TIRE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “We get the chance to run for two Wally’s this coming weekend and that’s always exciting. At first, I was bummed we had to postpone the Seattle final because the momentum we had there was something we struggled with, but we carried it into Brainerd so there is no reason why we can’t keep it going in Indy. I remember my first final and how excited I was and I’m looking forward to racing Aaron Strong on Saturday. Our goal going into Indy is to do what we did the last two races: be fast, qualify in the No. 1 position, and go some rounds. A minor issue cost us the race in Brainerd, but it’s fixed and we are definitely confident going into Indy.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “Indy is the granddaddy of all races. With it being so big and having Chevrolet Performance as the sponsor, I would love nothing more than to win this race.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “So many people consider the U.S. Nationals a nightmare, saying it’s too big and too long. Not me. I love it. I look forward to it every year. The fact that it is bigger makes it so great and special to win. The U.S. Nationals is the closest thing we in NHRA have to a Super Bowl. We’ve been working our tails off in the shop and testing since Brainerd to find something special to give us the edge and help win.”
SHANE GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE/NOVA SERVICES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “We’ve been fortunate enough to win a handful of races, and certainly Indy is a monster event and one every driver wants to win. This was the first national event, the place where the East Coast hitters would take on the West Coast guys and the top dogs in the Midwest would show up and everyone went all out to figure out who was the best of the best. Even though we have 24 national events a year these days, it still has that feeling like this is the one where you truly prove yourself. I’ve got a great team, we have wonderful partners in Alex (Laughlin) and Drew (Skillman), and we’re all three running strong coming into the race. I like our chances.”
DREW SKILLMAN, RAY SKILLMAN RACING, RAY SKILLMAN CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “Now we’re moving forward. The Grays (technical alliance with Gray Motorsports) never stop innovating. Our program is evolving every day. I see us being more and more competitive every race in the Countdown. I’m here to win a championship.”
CHRIS MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “Going back to Indy five years later (after making his Pro Stock debut at the event) definitely brings up a lot of memories of where it all started. I was just thinking about it the other day and how we qualified No. 11 in a car that we were renting and we had a lot of big expectations back then. The future looked really bright at that race and it still does now. We’re eighth in the points right now, but even if we were third in points we want to do good at Indy. Indy is a special race and it makes you feel like you need to do good there to set the stage for what you’re fixin’ to do in the Countdown.”
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