Auto Club driver Robert Hight ready
to boot Funny Car field in Seattle

SEATTLE (Aug. 5) – Fans of the Seattle Seahawks know the importance of a good kicker, as three points for a field goal is often the difference between winning and losing.

The Seahawks can only hope their kicker is as consistent as Auto Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight has been in qualifying for the NHRA Northwest Nationals this weekend at Pacific Raceways.

Hight earned three bonus points in qualifying three different times, the last also earning him the No. 1 spot for Sunday’s final eliminations.

“This thing is like a great field-goal kicker,” Hight said. “Every time we go down the track, it’s putting up three points.”

Hight was No. 2 after the first session, then quickest in each of the final three. In Q4, he and crew chief Jimmy Prock saved their best for last, lowering his elapsed time to 3.883 seconds at 329.34 mph to snare his fourth No. 1 of the season and 53rd of his career.

“This is definitely the best qualifying effort we’ve had with this Auto Club Chevy all year long,” Hight said. “We were No. 2 after the first session, and then the next three qualifying runs No. 1. That gives you a lot of confidence.”

Hight earned 11 bonus points in qualifying, the most of any pro driver in Seattle.

“We picked up a lot of points here,” Hight said. “That’s huge, especially this time of year. If we can keep doing that, you never know what could happen. Getting to second (in points) is definitely attainable for this team. If things really go our way, we could get to the top spot. That’s what our goal is.”

Hight’s strong performance moved him into a third-place tie in points, and he’s only 48 points out of second with three races before the Countdown to the Championship starts.

Hight squares off against No. 16 qualifier Jeff Diehl in the first round. Diehl’s best pass this weekend was 5.998 at 120.28 mph.

Hight, though, wants to keep the qualifying momentum moving into Sunday.

“We’ve got to put four together like we did in qualifying on Sunday – and we’ll be up here talking to you guys tomorrow night,” Hight said, referring to the post-qualifying and post-race press conferences being held in the media center.

Saturday’s conditions should mimic Sunday’s, and Hight and Prock are confident their Chevrolet Camaro SS should continue to perform well.

“He believes it’s safe,” Hight said. “A lot of times when you’re quicker than everybody else, you’re right there on the ragged edge, but he says it’s plenty safe and he says we can do this four more times tomorrow.

“What we saw today is what we’re going to face all day tomorrow. Jimmy’s really confident that we can do that four times. If he’s confident, I’m confident.”

Elimination rounds for the Northwest Nationals begin at 11 a.m. Pacific on Sunday. FOX will televise three hours of live coverage beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Pacific.

4-Second Reads:
Qualifying Round 1 (Left Lane): 4.008 seconds/316.45 mph; strong run in the heat of the day (No. 2 of session and No. 2 overall; two bonus points)
Qualifying Round 2 (Right Lane): 3.894 seconds/329.42 mph; takes top spot with run straight down the middle (No. 1 of session and No. 1 overall; three bonus points in session and five bonus points overall)
Qualifying Round 3 (Right Lane): 3.908 seconds/327.59 mph; another strong pass and tops of the session (No. 1 of session and No. 1 overall; three bonus points in session and eight bonus points overall)
Qualifying Round 4 (Left Lane): 3.883 seconds/329.34 mph; quickest Funny Car run in qualifying (No. 1 of session and No. 1 overall; three bonus points in session and 11 bonus points overall)
This marks the fourth time this season and 53rd time in his career Hight has qualified No. 1. It is also the second consecutive race Hight has qualified No. 1; he set both ends of the track record last weekend at Sonoma Raceway in California. Hight is looking for his eighth victory from the No. 1 spot.
Hight’s last victory from the No. 1 qualifying position came in May 2012 at the Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. He holds an 83-45 record in 128 elimination rounds from No. 1.
This marks the fifth No. 1 Hight has earned at Pacific Raceways. He also qualified No. 1 in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010.
Hight’s first-round matchup against Jeff Diehl marks the ninth time the two will compete against each other, with the last meeting coming in June at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee. Hight holds a 7-1 advantage in the previous eight meetings.