CHEVROLET AT INDIANAPOLIS
What:
63rd Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals
When:
Friday, Sept. 1-Monday, Sept. 4
Where:
Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in Brownsburg, Indiana
TV:
FS1: Eliminations live – 11 a.m. ET Monday; FOX eliminations and finals live, 1 p.m. ET Monday
FS1: Qualifications live – Noon-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. ET Sunday
Chevrolet Seeks to Make a Splash in the ‘Big Go’ Regular-Season Finale
Chevy drivers carry momentum, expectations into Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals
DETROIT (Aug. 30, 2017) – In an illustrious career that has included 16 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car championships and 148 victories, John Force’s first win in the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals remains a personal favorite.
He’s won the “Big Go” three additional times since that 1993 Funny Car victory, and Force is aiming to create more memories this weekend in the 63rd annual event at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
“Indy’s the mothership,” said Force, who will drive the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS with a special Chevrolet Accessories livery. “I remember standing there watching ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits and Don Prudhomme and Shirley (Muldowney) and Raymond Beadle and Kenny Bernstein race there. You want to just be part of it.
“There’s an old saying in Indy car, ‘You can win the championship, but you’ve got to win the Indy 500.’ In drag racing, you could win the championship, but if you ain’t won Indy, you ain’t won (nothing).
“We have multiple races there for big money, like the Traxxas Shootout, and we’ll be fighting for it. But, overall, it’s the big race that you want to win. It’s huge, it’s a big event, and trust me, every race team is coming in with guns a blazing. We’re going after it.”
The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the last of 18 regular-season NHRA Mello Yello Series races. Following the event, the top 10 drivers in each of the four Mello Yello Series professional categories will qualify for the six-race Countdown to the Championship that commences Sept. 15-17 at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.
Chevrolet drivers hold the top eight spots and nine of the 10 in the Pro Stock standings, while Robert Hight is second in Funny Car points and Brittany Force is fifth in Top Fuel to lead the John Force Racing Chevrolet contingent.
The Traxxas Nitro Shootout will offer $100,000 to the winners in special bonus events for qualified Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers. Brittany Force (Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster) will compete in Top Fuel, while Hight (Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS), John Force, and Courtney Force (Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS) will compete for the top prize in Funny Car. She defeated Hight in the Funny Car final in 2016.
“It’s definitely not going to be easy,” said Force, who gained the eighth spot via a lottery-style drawing. “Huge thanks to the fans. I wouldn’t be able to have this opportunity without them, their support and the votes they made. I really want to say thank you to them. I really appreciate it.”
Additionally, Chevrolet COPO Camaros will be favored to take the prize in the fourth of five SAM Tech Factory Stock Showdown events. The Bowtie brand has won two of the three.
Chevrolet has won all 17 Pro Stock events, featuring nine different drivers visiting the winner’s circle. Rookie Tanner Gray (Gray Motorsports Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro SS) has won two of the past four events and a class-leading four overall. Indiana resident Bo Butner (Jim Butner Auto Chevrolet Camaro SS) controls the points lead based on three victories and five runner-up finishes, and Indianapolis resident Drew Skillman (Ray Skillman Auto Chevrolet Camaro SS) also has three wins.
Chris McGaha (Harlow Sammons of Odessa Chevrolet Camaro SS) was the 2016 Pro Stock winner. Butner was the No. 1 qualifier.
“This is a home track for me, so it’s kind of crazy that I get to go there leading the points and try to get that Pro Stock trophy,” said Butner, a resident of Floyds Knobs, Indiana. “I’ve won a lot of division races at Lucas Oil Raceway, but I’ve never won the U.S. Nationals. I’ve been fortunate to have won at a lot of racetracks, but this is the one that’s got me – and it’s the biggest.
“It’s great to be No. 1 (heading into the Countdown to the Championship), but you finish the regular season top 1-4 and I think you have a really good shot of going on to win the championship. Maybe it’s something less I have to worry about, though. I can just go to Indy, race, and have a good time. I think it’ll be fun, but my goal is to go, qualify well, and win.”
Pro Stock this weekend will also feature a first in NHRA competition as three generations of drivers – Johnny Gray, Shane Gray and 18-year-old Tanner Gray – compete in the same event.
“Getting the opportunity to race alongside my grandpa and dad at an event like the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is pretty special,” Tanner Gray said. “Having an opportunity to make more history by being the first three generations of one family to compete professionally in the same class makes this rookie season I am having even more awesome.”
Jeff Strickland, the 2016 Stock Eliminator champion driving a Chevrolet COPO Camaro, leads the Chevrolet charge in that Sportsman class. Four Indiana residents also will be driving a COPO Camaro in Stock Eliminator: Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Jeff Myers of Decatur, Clarence Harding of Lowell, and Tim Lowe of Macy.
Also entered with their Chevrolet COPO Camaros are Vic Cagnazzi of New York City; Robin Lawrence of Rockfield, Kentucky; Richard Rinke of Oxford, Michigan; Brian Massingill of Houston; Aaron Stanfield of Bossier City, Louisiana; John Kunsak of Wexford, Pennsylvania; Jim Boburka of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania; Dan Fletcher of Churchville New York; Darren Poole-Adams of Shelby, North Carolina; James Reed of Lincoln, Illinois, Joey Wilkes of Zanesville, Ohio; Jeffrey Tietz of Spring Grove, Illinois; Daniel Condon of Wilmington, Illinois; Jeff Lopez of Irving, Texas; Phil Lankford of Langhorne, Pennsylvania; and Al Corda of Elk Mound, Wisconsin.
Wilkes also will be driving his Chevrolet COPO Camaro in Super Stock, along with Stephen Bell of Shreveport, Louisiana; Joseph Welch of Plymouth, Michigan; Brett Candies of Thibodaux, Louisiana; Scott Libersher of Wilmington, Illinois; and Arthur Kohn of Richmond, Texas.
FS1 will telecast qualifications live from noon-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. ET Sept. 3. FS1 also will telecast eliminations live from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET Sept. 4 before FOX takes over at 1 p.m.
Fans will have the opportunity to visit the expansive Chevrolet Performance display, which includes multiple vehicles, engines and interactive exhibits.
CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PREVIEW
ROGER ALLEN, CHEVROLET RACING NHRA PROGRAM MANAGER: “Chevrolet teams and drivers have been pointing toward the ‘Big Go’ for a couple of weeks, and rightly so. In addition to the storied history of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, the competition in the regular-season finale is exceptionally keen in all the professional classes, the lucrative Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Top Fuel and Funny Car competitors always is a fan favorite, and the Indianapolis event draws large Sportsman class fields in addition to sellout crowds. Chevrolet drivers have produced 21 victories across Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock competition, and we’re looking to increase that total this weekend.”
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER (won at New Hampshire and runner-up at Phoenix; semifinalist in three of past six events; No. 1 or 2 qualifier in four of past six events; fifth in points): “Lots of memories coming here. We’ve been coming since we were kids. Being in the winner’s circle with my dad, my dad winning the Big Bud Shootout and celebrating in the winner’s circle with him. It’s pretty surreal that I’m here with the Monster team, and we get to compete in the Traxxas Shootout and come out here for the U.S. Nationals. It’s the biggest race of the year, and we’re hoping that we kick ass and end up in that winner’s circle and take home the Wally. We’re also focused on the end of the year. We’re focused on the Countdown, moving up in points. We want to keep moving up that ladder and gain as many points as we can.”
FUNNY CAR:
COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 or 2 qualifier in nine of the 17 races; two-time runner-up and four-time semifinalist; has 149 round wins; won Funny Car Traxxas Nitro Shootout in 2016; sixth in points): “To be able to tell people that you’ve won the U.S. Nationals takes you to a whole new level. And that’s what we hope to do this weekend. We hope to get that job done, and walk away with the U.S. Nationals victory for the first time. I want to do it because I’ve seen my dad do it multiple times, my sister Ashley, other teammates. I hope we can do it. We’ve got a great hot rod. We haven’t gotten a win yet, but to get the first one of the year here, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK COOLANT & MOTOR OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Gainesville and three-time semifinalist; will be competing in 726th career event; has 1,280 round wins; among 148 career victories, four have come at the track; 11-time No. 1 qualifier in event; seventh in points): “We’ve rounded the corner. We had a good test session (last week). We changed a lot of motor stuff and the clutch. And it’s starting to show – we’re running some good numbers. We ran an .86, and that was shutting it off at about 700 feet. Big picture – I said we’d be ready for Indy, and we’re ready for Indy. We’re ready to go racing.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (has won two of past four races; two-time runner-up; set Funny Car national speed record at Sonoma and elapsed time record at Brainerd; three-time winner of event; has 401 round wins; second in points): “What makes Indy special this year is points-and-a-half event. After this, you’re into the Countdown. What you want to do is win this race and roll that momentum right into the Countdown and not look back. All the who’s who of drag racing will be here. You’re going to see all the big names, the legends of the sport. They’ll be here. There’s a lot of energy and excitement.”
PRO STOCK:
BO BUTNER, JIM BUTNER AUTO, BUTNER AUTO SALES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner and five-time runner-up, including three of past four events; three-time No. 1 qualifier; has 41-14 round record; No. 1 qualifier in event in 2016; sits atop point standings): “We’re excited. This is a home track for me, so it’s kind of crazy that I get to go there leading the points and try to get that Pro Stock trophy. It’s going to be fun. I’ve won a lot of division races at Lucas Oil Raceway, but I’ve never won the U.S. Nationals. I’ve been fortunate to have won at a lot of racetracks, but this is the one that’s got me – and it’s the biggest. I’ll definitely do better than I did last year, but it would be really nice to check this one off the list.”
TANNER GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Las Vegas to become youngest winner in NHRA history; also won at Topeka, Sonoma and Brainerd; runner-up at New Hampshire; second in points; leading candidate for rookie of year): “If you told me I’d have four wins at this point of the season, I’d have told you you were crazy. I’m just enjoying myself and having a real fun time – and hopefully, we can keep it up. My guys really have this car dialed in. (Crew chief) Dave (Connolly) has it figured out. We have some great equipment. I am very blessed to be in this position. I have done a small part and have to give all of the glory to my guys.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Englishtown for second victory of season and 88th of career; four-time runner-up; has 745 round wins; six-time winner and four-time No. 1 qualifier in event; third in points): “We’ve done some testing, and that’s been good. We needed it. But the bottom line is that we know we aren’t the only ones testing before Indy and before the Countdown. A lot of people have had just as much opportunity as we have to make their operations better, and we certainly hope that we’ve learned enough to have a little bit of an advantage. We wanted to make up some ground with our Indy test, and hopefully that’s what will show when we roll through the gates at the biggest race on the schedule. Without a doubt, you’ve got to make sure your car is operating at full song when you get to the Countdown. You can’t wait until Charlotte and hope to pick everything up. We’re going to Indy with the intention of operating at the highest level. That’s the goal.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning Pro Stock champion; won season opener at Pomona; six-time semifinalist; four-time No. 1 qualifier; has 548 round wins; two-time No. 1 qualifier in event; holds track elapsed time record set in 2011): “I think we have a good shot of winning Indy; I have as good a shot as I’ve ever had before – it’s just a matter of being perfect, and that’s hard to do. But that’s the goal, and somebody is going to win the race. We’re all working hard to make sure it’s us. I’ve had the opportunity to do it before, but it hasn’t happened yet. It’s certainly something I would like to do, and this would be a great time to get it done.”
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time runner-up and four-time semifinalist; three-time No. 1 qualifier; competing in 399th career event): “Indy’s been a great place for us over the years and we’ve made a lot of fun memories there. It would be a real Cinderella story to see us pull off a win this time through with the year we’ve had. I’d love nothing more than to shake off the remaining cobwebs we have in the JEGS.com/Elite Camaro and make a big move in Indy. It’s been a season of peaks and valleys, with a lot of time in the valley of late, but everyone has been working around the clock since Brainerd to get these cars sorted out.”
VINCENT NOBILE, MOUNTAIN VIEW RACING, MOUNTAIN VIEW TIRE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up at Topeka; has 198 round wins; competing in 163rd career event): “It’s no secret that we’re behind the eight ball. The only way to have a shot at the championship is to get off on the right foot. The Countdown is fast paced and a little mistake can put you behind. I’m confident we will get this Chevrolet Camaro pointed in the right direction.”
SHANE GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (competing in limited schedule — this is ninth race of season and 172nd of career; won at Gainesville early this season): “I’ve chosen to run a limited schedule this season. Racing alongside my dad and Tanner at Indy with each of us carrying the Valvoline logos from different eras will be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to it.”
DREW SKILLMAN, RAY SKILLMAN MOTORSPORTS, RAY SKILLMAN AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner this season, including two of past four events; No 1 qualifier in two of past four events): “At the beginning of the season we definitely had better equipment than a driver. I was struggling at the beginning of the year while the team was doing a great job. We were a little lost in the car. When the car came together, I finally started driving good. We’ve always had the stuff to do it. We were just a little off. We have a decent set-up now. We’re definitely in the chase to win the championship. We could probably end up fourth after Indy, and that’s our goal to finish as high as we can and go into the Countdown. You have to come out swinging at Charlotte.”
ERICA ENDERS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time Pro Stock champion; won at New Hampshire; three-time runner-up; has 251 career round wins; competing in 240th career event): “Indy is the biggest race of every season. We were fortunate enough to win it in 2015, which helped us towards our second championship. It would be great to get our groove back at this year’s race and win it again. (Two weeks ago at Brainerd) we made some gains in regards to getting the car up and moving off the starting line. But we’re still not running as well as we should. This team is used to winning championships. This team is used to contending for every race win. Anything less than that just doesn’t measure up for us.”
CHRIS MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Charlotte and semifinalist at Gainesville; competing in 13th event of season and 111th of career; won the event in 2016): “Winning Indy last season was a huge confidence booster to our Harlow Sammons Chevrolet Camaro team and I’m hoping this year is the same. We haven’t run a full season this year but it’s nice to know our performance while we were out there has been good enough to keep us in the top ten going into this weekend.”
KENNY DELCO, JCM RACING, JCM RACING CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (competing in limited schedule – this is eighth race of season and first since Chicago in June; event will mark his 157th Pro Stock start): “We’re a little down on power, so hopefully our testing this week will provide what we need. We haven’t race the last few races so we’re a little behind, too, with the new tire. To win there is an accomplishment.”
SHANE TUCKER, TUCKER RACING, AUZMET ARCHITECTURAL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (the Aussie is competing in his fifth event of the season and first since Chicago in early July): “The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is obviously one of the most prestigious races in North America. When you’re someone that isn’t from the States, you look to North America to be the pinnacle and this race is always a big deal for us. We’re very fortunate to be able to race the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals again this year.”