AAA Chevrolet driver Robert Hight earns 50th career
No. 1 qualifier, looks for victory in Epping
EPPING, N.H. (June 3) – Robert Hight took his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to new heights Saturday, setting the New England Dragway track records for elapsed time and speed to earn the 50th No. 1 qualifier of his stellar career.
Hight will start from the No. 1 spot for Sunday’s NHRA New England Nationals, marking the 13th season – all consecutively – he’s earned at least one No. 1.
Hight’s 50th No. 1 qualifiers ties with him with the legendary Don Prudhomme in the Funny Car category.
“That’s pretty cool,” Hight said. “Fifteen years ago, I never would’ve thought my name would’ve even come in the same sentence as Don Prudhomme’s. He’s one of the greatest of all time. He dominated in his day. Fifty No. 1s – that’s pretty awesome. To have my name in the record books with Don Prudhomme is pretty surreal. It’s harder and harder to get these No. 1 qualifiers.”
Overall, Hight broke a tie with Angelle Sampey and stands 13th in NHRA history with the 50 No. 1s.
“Every single year I’ve qualified No. 1 at some point,” Hight said. “I’ve had good cars, and I’ve got a good team around me. When you qualify No. 1, you really need to put it to good use and get the win on Sunday.”
That’s the plan this weekend, and with the fastest Funny Car on the property, Hight will be a top contender for his first victory of 2017 and 38th of his career. He snared the No. 1 spot with a track-record ET of 3.822 seconds at a track-record 336.74 mph.
But even on that pass, Hight said he and crew chief Jimmy Prock left some speed on the table.
“That Q3, when it ran .82, the clutch never locked up,” Hight said. “Jimmy Prock kept telling me, there is a lot left in this thing. We went up there swinging tonight, trying to put up a big number, and it didn’t make it. There’s some big numbers out here. These conditions we’re getting and this surface here in New England is one of the top in the country.
“I think we’re going to have more of the same kind of conditions tomorrow, so you could see some records. But we’ve got to get some wins. It’s time for this AAA car to get in the winner’s circle.”
Hight will start the first round of eliminations against Mike Smith, who qualified No. 16 with a pass of 6.237 at 111.25 mph.
“It’s good to be back with Jimmy Prock,” Hight said of reuniting with his crew chief in Gainesville, Fla., earlier this season. “We got used to doing this a lot when I first started with him. I’ve got a good car. This is really a great way to start off four in a row, the ‘Eastern Swing,’ as No. 1 qualifier.
“But qualifying’s behind us. We never did get down the right lane. Don’t know how big a deal that is for tomorrow. I’m sure that no matter what, we’ll be picking the left lane.”
Hight hopes to join John Force Racing teammates John Force and Courtney Force as Funny Car winners in Epping. Courtney won the first race here, in 2013, while John won in 2015. Could Hight continue the odd-year trend?
“Sometimes history has a way of repeating itself, and I don’t quite understand that because every year, we change things on the cars,” Hight said. “But there’s just certain race tracks that you well as an individual team or as a whole team. We’ve done well here, and I’ve qualified No. 1 here before. We’ve had a lot of success here, and I want to add my name to that winner’s circle. Courtney and John have both won, and it’s AAA’s turn tomorrow.”
The NHRA New England Nationals begins at 11 a.m. Eastern Sunday. Fox Sports 1 will provide three hours of live finals coverage starting at 3 p.m. Eastern.
4-Second Reads:
Qualifying Round 1 (Left Lane): 3.849 sec./336.74 mph; second quickest time of the session and fastest speed of the weekend (sixth fastest Funny Car speed overall)
Qualifying Round 2 (Right Lane): 7.972 sec./82.48 mph; shook rear tires and shut off early
Qualifying Round 3 (Left Lane): 3.822 sec./334.65 mph; set career-best ET by four thousandths of a second and fifth quickest of all time in earning best ET of the weekend
Qualifying Round 4 (Right Lane): 8.566 sec./76.85 mph; shook rear tires
This is the first time this year Hight has qualified No. 1. His previous best qualifying effort of the season was No. 2, at Gainesville and Concord.
Hight has now qualified in the No. 1 spot 50 times and has seven victories, 13 finals, and 82 round wins in 124 elimination rounds. His seven victories are the second most from any qualifying position (has eight victories from No. 2 position).
Hight’s most recent victory from the No. 1 qualifying position came in the 2012 Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, when he defeated Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps and John Force. His last win from No. 1 in a two-car matchup also came during the 2012 season, when he defeated Bob Tasca III at Las Vegas.
Hight has never won a Funny Car race at New England Dragway. He has a record of 2-4 in elimination rounds at the track.
Hight’s matchup against Mike Smith marks only the second time the two will compete in an elimination round. Hight won the only other matchup in 2014, when they faced each other at Epping.
Coming into this race, Hight has set the fastest speed of an event weekend four times in eight races this season.