CHEVROLET AT ST. LOUIS

What:
Sixth AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals
When:
Friday, Sept. 29-Sunday, Oct. 1
Where:
Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois
TV:
FS1: Qualifications live – 6 p.m. ET Friday
FS1: Eliminations and finals live – 2 p.m. ET Sunday

Chevrolet Takes Aim at More Success in Third Round of Countdown
Consistency Paying Off for Team Chevy Drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock

DETROIT (Sept. 27, 2017) – Big points paydays for John Force Racing teammates Brittany Force, Courtney Force, and Robert Hight last weekend have bolstered their championship aspirations entering the midpoint of the six-race National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

The three Chevrolet drivers, in addition to eight Team Chevy drivers competing for the Pro Stock title, will attempt to gain additional ground this weekend in the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.

Consistency leads to maximum points accrued in each of the six events, which paves the path to championships. The Force sisters lead their respective classes with points earned (196 for Brittany, 194 for Courtney) to jump three positions in the standings through the first two rounds of the Countdown.

With her Top Fuel victory in the Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster last week at Maple Grove Raceway, Brittany Force moved to third place (one point out of second and 23 points behind the front-runner). Courtney Force, driving the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, was the Funny Car runner-up for the second consecutive race in the Countdown and is only 31 points behind Hight for second and 39 points shy of the leader. She won at Gateway Motorsports Park in 2014.

Hight, who won the opener of the Countdown in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, was the No. 1 qualifier at Maple Grove Raceway – the 55th career low qualifier honor coming in his 300th Funny Car race – and added 10 crucial bonus points to his total. He won at Gateway in 2010.

“In the Countdown, there are only six races, and they’re all important,” said Brittany Force, who has two victories and a runner-up finish to her credit this season. “But St. Louis is the halfway point, so you’ve got to make sure you’re still on your game, still fighting and hanging in there to the final few.

“At this point, it’s anyone’s game. Each weekend, you go up, you go down. By the end of a weekend, everyone could swap places. It’s really important to hang in there, gain as many points as you can and perform well on race day. That’s what it’s all about. That’s our plan in St. Louis.”

Chevrolet has won all 20 Pro Stock events, featuring nine different drivers visiting the winner’s stage. With his victory at Maple Grove Raceway in the Jim Butner Auto Chevrolet Camaro SS, Bo Butner reclaimed the points lead and race runner-up Greg Anderson (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS) moved into second by one point over Tanner Gray (Gray Motorsports/Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro SS). Anderson will be competing in his 425th Pro Stock race.

It was at the track in 2004 that Erica Enders announced that she would be making the move to Pro Stock competition. Two world championships and 22 victories in 242 races later, Enders returns to the track.
“It was a moment I’ll never forget. Finally getting to that point in my career was so huge,” said Enders, a two-time winner at Gateway who is sixth in the Countdown. “To go from a kid in the garage with my dad handing him wrenches to racing Juniors, to running a bunch of different sportsman cars, and then finally turning pro, it was a dream come true. It’s never been easy and we had plenty of struggles along the way but we persevered and reached the top of the sport in 2014 and 2015. Now our focus is on getting back to the top of the mountain and we won’t give up until we do.”

Eleven drivers of the Chevrolet COPO Camaro are entered in the fifth and final School of Automotive Mechanics (SAM Tech) Factory Stock Showdown races this season, led by David Barton of Robesonia, Pennsylvania. Barton clinched the title with a victory at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend.

Also entered are Enders, Charlotte winner Peter Gasko Jr., Stephen Bell, L. Scott Libersher, Randy Taylor, Scott Patterson, Richard Bierie, Leonard Libersher, Arthur Kohn, and Waldermar Rodriguez.

“It’s such an awesome car,” Enders, who competes in Pro Stock in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, said of the COPO Camaro. “My team owner, Richard Freeman, and I actually bought one with the intention to race it in Stock. We’re getting a handle on it. I have a lot of respect for getting that much horsepower down the racetrack with a small tire.

“It’s an awesome program; the COPOs are beautiful cars and fun to drive.”

Jeff Strickland, the 2016 Stock Eliminator champion from Red Bay, Alabama, will lead the Chevrolet COPO Camaro contingent in the 56-entry Stock Eliminator class. Also entered in a COPO Camaro are James Reed of Lincoln, Illinois, Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Indiana, and Jeff Lopez of Irving, Texas.

Daniel Condon of Wilmington, Illinois, Brett Candies of Thibodaux, Louisiana, Arthur Kohn of Richmond, Texas, and Greg Stanfield of Bossier City, Louisiana, will drive their Chevrolet COPO Camaros in Super Stock competition this weekend.

FS1 will telecast qualifications live at 6 p.m. ET Friday and will telecast eliminations and finals live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday.

CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PREVIEW
ROGER ALLEN, CHEVROLET RACING NHRA PROGRAM MANAGER: “With more than a half dozen Chevrolet drivers in the running for championships, Round 3 of the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship at Gateway Motorsports Park will be intense competition and exciting for fans. Chevrolet had exceptional results last weekend at Maple Grove Raceway, which traditionally lends itself to big speeds and low elapsed times. The event was no exception, with Robert Hight resetting both ends of the Funny Car track record and nearly becoming the first person to surpass 340 mph in a Funny Car on the way to earning his 55th No. 1 qualifier honor in his 300th career race. Brittany Force earned her second Top Fuel win of the season, and Bo Butner claimed his fourth Pro Stock victory and reclaimed the points lead. Also, Courtney Force is showing remarkable consistency with her second consecutive final round in Funny Car. We’re all looking forward to continued success this weekend.”

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:

BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER (two-time winner this season, including Reading last week; has qualified in top half of field in 19 of 20 events; third in points): “I’m so lucky to be teamed up with Alan Johnson, Brian Husen and the entire Monster Energy team. I have to give it up to my entire team. With Alan and Brian and our team, we’re a one-car team out here, and it’s not easy, especially when you’re going up against multiple players.”
FUNNY CAR:
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner this season, including Countdown opener; earned sixth No. 1 qualifier honor of season and 55th of career at Reading; has competed in 300 races; won at track in 2010; second in points): “You’ve got to go up there and make perfect runs. You want to win a championship? That’s what you’ve got to do. We are all up to the task. It’s pretty cool when (crew chief) Jimmy Prock can up there and tell you within a hundredth or two what the thing’s going to run. That’s not easy to do especially when you’re trying to run that hard. If you’re being conservative, that’s one thing to go up there and be consistent. But to do it and be quick – it’s an art.”

COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up in past two races and four overall during season; has 155 career round wins; will be competing in her 140th career event; won at track in 2014; third in points): “Our Advance Auto Parts team is excited to be back in St. Louis. This is a race we’ve won at in the past, and it definitely can turn things around if we can get a win in the middle of the Countdown. We were able to do it before – we’ve won at this track in the past – and at this point, being that we’ve moved up to third in the points standings, it would be huge if we could get a win. We’re looking for it. We’ve come close so many times this season, and we’ haven’t been able to get the job done, but hopefully we can make it happen this weekend.”

JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK COOLANT & MOTOR OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Gainesville and three-time semifinalist; has 1,281 career round wins; three-time winner and three-time runner-up at track; eighth in points): “It’s not just about me; it’s about teamwork. We may have lost the lead in Funny Car, but we’re second and third (Robert Hight and Courtney Force), and Brittany (Force) moved up to third in the (Top Fuel) Countdown. You don’t know if you’re going to win a championship, but it gives you the dream. I’m trying to find that dream, and I will.”

PRO STOCK:
BO BUTNER, JIM BUTNER AUTO, BUTNER AUTO SALES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (four-time winner, including last week at Maple Grove Raceway, and five-time runner-up; four-time No. 1 qualifier; sits atop standings): “Last week at Maple Grove I felt complete. We qualified No. 1 and we won the race. We were low [elapsed time] most of the rounds, and we just had a good race day. I can’t see our Chevy Camaro changing a lot, and I’m very happy about that. St. Louis is a race that I’ve been to a bunch, especially at the division level, and I was runner-up here last year in Pro Stock. I really enjoy racing at this track, and I have a lot of good memories from racing here. It’s a cool area, and it’s close to home. It’ll be a fun race with family there and cooler weather. We might see some good runs, and hopefully we’ll have a lot of Pro Stock fans there excited about how great the class is right now.”

GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Englishtown for second victory of season and 88th of career; seven-time runner-up, including past three races; has 754 career round wins; holds track elapsed time record, set in 2015; will be competing in 425th career event; second in points): “I guess getting to the last three finals in a row is great points-wise, but it’s frustrating to not get the job done. I’ve been fortunate to win a lot in my career, and when you go through a period of time where you can’t seem to make that win light come on in the final round, you start to doubt yourself and wonder if you’ll ever win again. Man, they’re hard to win, but you have to keep trying. Three runner-ups in a row – I’d like to beat my head against the wall, but you can’t do that. You have to race tough and keep going, and we’re racing as tough as we possibly can.”

TANNER GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Las Vegas to become youngest winner in NHRA history; also won at Topeka, Sonoma, Brainerd, and Charlotte; third in points): “The Countdown keeps everyone on their ‘A’ game. Each qualifying pass we are fighting for points, round wins fighting for points, all to come out on top at the end of Sunday’s race day. I think it keeps it interesting for the fans, and gives our team an opportunity to win the championship. I am not worried about being in third. We are right where we want to be – one point out of second and a little over two rounds out of first. We have four races left and can still see a lot of movement in the Countdown. My guys have the experience that we need to secure a championship and I am confident in that experience.”

JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning Pro Stock champion; won season opener at Pomona; has 553 career round wins; holds track speed record, set in 2012; fourth in points): “St. Louis is a fast place and with a high barometer, it’ll be very fast there. It’s always fun to go fast, no matter what. That’s a very cool part about racing. My Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro was great some of the time in Reading last week, but we still aren’t quite where we need to be. With the conditions in St. Louis expected to be a lot cooler than they were in Reading, we’re excited to get there – but it probably isn’t the kind of racetrack I want to head to at the moment for the way my car is behaving. If we’re able to test this week, that should help. If we want a shot at winning, we have to get a better handle on it.”

DREW SKILLMAN, RAY SKILLMAN MOTORSPORTS, RAY SKILLMAN AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (four-time winner this season, including three of past seven events; fifth in points): “We didn’t go as many rounds as I thought we would in Reading, but we are getting a handle on this new motor and look forward to the third round of the Countdown at Gateway. We’re fifth in points, so there are many opportunities to move up and still challenge for the championship.”

ERICA ENDERS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at New Hampshire and three-time runner-up this season; two-time winner at track and 2015 runner-up; sixth in points): “We’re feeling like we’re on a bit of an uptick after posting two good runs Sunday in Reading (Pa.) and then you add in the fact we’re going to St. Louis, one of my all-time favorite tracks, and I can sense a little excitement in the pit. We’re being realistic about where we are and what we need to do, and we’re still fighting hard. We’ve had a great string of successes at Gateway. We won there in back-to-back years in 2012 and 2013. Then we earned the pole in 2014. We went back to the finals in 2015 and finished as runner-up, so yeah, it’s a great track for us.”

JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time runner-up; three-time No. 1 qualifier; competing in 402nd career event; two-time winner and three-time runner-up at track; eighth in points): “We’ve got four races left to see if ‘old yeller’ can climb its way to the top of the Pro Stock class. We are probably going to have to win all four of those races for that to happen. I say that with a chuckle and a smile on my face because although we’ve been able to do that in our past lives and this Elite Motorsports team has been able to do that as well, the reality is the other teams out here are really running well. It’s a tall order, but we won’t quit until they tell us it’s over.”

ALEX LAUGHLIN, GAS MONKEY RACING, GAS MONKEY GARAGE/360 WRAPS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (competing in eighth race of season; won at Bristol and semifinalist at Indianapolis): “We’re looking forward to racing at Gateway and continuing the recent success we’ve had. The weather forecast is for cooler temperatures than we’ve had the past two weekends, so that could lead to some big speeds and record-setting ETs. The car, with the Elite Motorsports engine, is running good and I’m hopeful of going rounds.”