Despite Traxxas Shootout disappointment,
Auto Club’s Robert Hight ready for U.S. Nationals
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Sept. 3) – Even though the Traxxas Shootout slipped through the fingers of Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS driver Robert Hight, the quickest and fastest Funny Car driver in NHRA history is confident heading into the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals on Sunday at Lucas Oil Raceway.
Hight reached the final round of the special, non-points Traxxas Shootout on Sunday for the fourth year in a row. But he smoked the tires just short of the 330-foot mark and came up short again.
And as disappointed as he understandably was at having lost the special race for the fourth consecutive year, Hight knows he has an excellent shot at a fourth U.S. Nationals victory, as he’s qualified No. 2 for The Big Go.
“Normally, when you lose a race or a round you have to wait a week or two to go redeem yourself,” Hight said. “We don’t have to do that. We get right back out here tomorrow.”
Hight piled up 13 bonus points via qualifying, setting the quickest runs in both of Saturday’s sessions. His best run was 3.807 seconds at 333.91 mph in grabbing the No. 2 qualifying spot. He’ll race No. 15 Justin Schriefer in the first round Monday, as Schriefer’s best pass was 4.033 seconds at 313.95 mph.
“I want to win the U.S. Nationals,” Hight said, “and carry some momentum to the Countdown.”
Hight currently sits No. 2 in the Funny Car points standings and needs a solid showing in the U.S. Nationals to carry the No. 2 seed into the Countdown to the Championship, which begins in Charlotte in two weeks.
Hight had the car to beat in the Traxxas Shootout. He beat J.R. Todd in the first round with a pass of 3.889 seconds at 332.34 mph and then took out team owner John Force with a low-of-the-round run of 3.893 seconds at 332.51 mph.
In the final, though, as Jack Beckman sped down the track with a run of 3.952 seconds at 324.67 mph, Hight slowed to a 4.360-second run at 207.11 mph. Hight was ahead early in the run but faded as he began to haze the tires.
“(Crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) knows what this thing will do and he has setups, but it was just a little too fast leaving,” Hight said. “It got the tire hot, couldn’t maintain, and it started slipping. We had six-hundredths advantage at the 330 (-foot mark), and we actually didn’t even make the 330. It was in trouble before that.”
Elimination rounds begin at 11 a.m. Eastern on Monday. Fox Sports 1 will provide two hours of live eliminations at 11 a.m., while Fox will provide three hours of live eliminations at 1 p.m.
4-Second Reads:
Qualifying Round 1 (Left Lane): 3.827 seconds/330.96 mph; straight as an arrow to record second-best pass of session (No. 2 of session and No. 2 overall; three bonus points in session)
Qualifying Round 2 (Left Lane): 3.848 seconds/336.23 mph; straight down the track for a terrific pass in the heat (No. 1 of session and No. 2 overall; four bonus points in session and seven bonus points overall)
Qualifying Round 3 (Right Lane): 3.807 seconds/333.91 mph; another solid performance, straight down the middle (No. 1 of session and No. 2 overall; four bonus points in session and 11 bonus points overall)
Qualifying Round 4 (Left Lane): 3.889 seconds/332.34 mph; strong performance in the midday heat … defeated J.R. Todd in first round of Traxxas Shootout, taking command at the start and never trailing (No. 3 of session and No. 2 overall; two bonus points in session and 13 bonus points overall)
Traxxas Shootout Round 2 (Right Lane): 3.893 seconds/332.51 mph; identical time as teammate John Force but pulled away shortly after the start and never trailed
Qualifying Round 5 (Left Lane): 4.360 seconds/207.11 mph; hazed the tires before halfway down … lost Traxxas Shootout final to Jack Beckman (No. 14 of session and No. 2 overall; no bonus points in session and 13 bonus points overall)
This marks the sixth time this season and 39th time in his career Hight has qualified No. 2. The last time he qualified No. 2 was at Summit Racing Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
Hight is looking for his seventh victory from the No. 2 spot, as well as his 12th final. He holds a 64-32 record in 96 elimination rounds from No. 2.
This is Hight’s fourth career No. 2 at Indianapolis. He has one victory from the No. 2 spot at Indianapolis, in 2006, and another finals appearance in 2015.
Hight’s first-round matchup against Justin Schriefer marks the fourth time the two will compete against each other and the first time since 2014 at Bristol. Hight holds a 3-0 advantage, with all previous matchups coming in the first round. This will mark their first meeting at Indianapolis.