CHEVROLET AT CHICAGO
What: 21st JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals
When: Friday, June 1-Sunday, June 3
Where: Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois
TV: FS1 taped qualifications, 7 p.m. ET June 1
FS1 taped eliminations and finals, 5:30 p.m. ET June 3
Chevrolet Drivers Kick Off Four Weekends in a Row of Racing
Team Chevy has accumulated 12 victories through eight of the 24 races
DETROIT (May 31, 2018) – NHRA Funny Car points leader Courtney Force drew inspiration last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while cheering for husband Graham Rahal and fellow Chevrolet driver Will Power, who prevailed in the 102nd Indianapolis 500. The inspiration gleaned from the event has her focused on the big prize in her series.
A week earlier, Force secured her third victory of the season, second in a row, and 11th of her Funny Car career. She will seek to extend the hot streak this weekend in the JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, which marks the start of four weekends in a row of racing.
Chevrolet has accumulated 12 victories in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock through eight of the 24 races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
“I read that Will Power said he got some motivation when he came out to an NHRA race, which I found very humbling,” said Force, driver of the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS. “It’s always great to have a fellow racer out at one of our events especially when we compete in two completely different styles of racing. I took a lot away from watching the Indy 500 and the endurance and the resilience it takes for these men and women to compete in a 500-mile race gets me pumped up to get out there to Chicago and try to make it three wins in a row.”
She has been the No. 1 qualifier the past three races and five times overall this season. Her father — 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force – and Don Prudhomme share the Funny Car record with six consecutive No. 1 qualifier honors. Thirteen in a season is the record, set by John Force in 1996.
“We have had a lot of success from the No. 1 spot this season,” Force said. “I have so much confidence in my crew chiefs Dan Hood and Brian Corradi and my entire Advance Auto Parts team. We’ve had a consistent race car this season and we’re hoping to keep our Advance Auto Parts team in the points lead.”
Reigning Top Fuel champion Brittany Force, who holds the track elapsed time record for Top Fuel cars, will unveil the Advance Auto Parts Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster in qualifications. She will carry the livery through the June races. Force was the No. 1 qualifier at the racetrack in 2017.
Chevrolet has won every Pro Stock race this season, but only Vincent Nobile (Mountain View Tire Chevrolet Camaro SS) is a two-time winner. At Topeka, Deric Kramer (American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro SS) was the No. 1 qualifier and scored his first national event victory. Five-time Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. will be aiming for his 77th career victory in the event sponsored by his family’s six-decade-old business.
The past two Stock Eliminator champions in their Chevrolet COPO Camaros — Justin Lamb of Hendersonville, Nevada, and Jeff Strickland of Red Bay, Alabama — are among the 65 entries in the class.
Also driving their COPO Camaros are Topeka runner-up Marion Stephenson of Williamsport, Indiana; Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Indiana; Jesse Alexandra of West Bend, Wisconsin; Bruno Massel Jr. of Elmhurst, Illinois; Dan Fletcher of Churchville, New York; James Reed of Lincoln, Illinois; Jeffrey Tietz of Spring Grove, Illinois; Tim Lowe of Macy, Indiana; L. Scott Libersher of Wilmington, Illinois; Daniel Condon of Wilmington, Illinois; Al Corda of Elk Mound, Wisconsin; Tommy Gaynor of Vancouver, Washington; and Clarence Harding of Lowell, Indiana.
Competing in Super Stock in his Chevrolet COPO Camaros is Richard Rinke of Oxford, Michigan.
FS1 will telecast qualifications live at 7 p.m. ET June 1. FS1 will telecast taped eliminations and finals at 5:30 p.m. ET June 3.
Fans have the opportunity this weekend to peruse a variety of Chevrolet vehicles at the Chevrolet Performance display at the track, including the Silverado 2500 HD High Country, Camaro ZL1, Colorado ZR2, Equinox Premier, and the Corvette Grand Sport.
CHEVY RACING ENGINEERING PREVIEW
ROGER ALLEN, CHEVY RACING NHRA PROGRAM MANAGER: “The JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals begins four consecutive weekends of racing for Chevrolet teams and drivers, and after one-third of the season complete we’ve seen outstanding performances in all the professional and Sportsman classes from Team Chevy. Courtney Force and her John Force Racing crew have been stellar with three wins and five No. 1 qualifiers, and she is atop the Funny Car standings. Six different drivers of the Chevrolet Camaro SS have swept the eight races, and Stock Eliminator drivers of the Chevrolet COPO Camaro have won four times. We’re looking forward to more exciting on-track action this weekend and throughout this stretch of the season.”
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (reigning class champion; No. 2 qualifier and winner at Houston; No. 1 qualifier at Charlotte; holds track Top Fuel elapsed time record, set in 2016): “We’ve got a good chance to get some work done. Having four in a row, it’s good for the whole team. It keeps us moving forward and in a routine. What I’ve learned from last year, you want to be in the top half and feel your most comfortable going into the (Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship). The races now, you want to bring home wins, keep moving up in points and get everything prepared for the Countdown.”
FUNNY CAR:
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning class champion; three-time runner-up this season; holds track Funny Car elapsed time and speed records, set in 2017; No. 1 qualifier at track in 2017): “. We learned a lot in Topeka with that runner-up finish. I am ready to get four in a row going. I like the month of June when we are racing every single weekend. Chicago is on my bucket list for race tracks where I want to get a win. I haven’t been able to check off that box yet. I feel like our Auto Club Camaro is good enough and I have a lot of confidence in my driving. We have been to three finals in eight races. We haven’t gotten a win yet but we have a lot of new parts on this race car and we have a new engine combination. We are learning now and it shows a lot of potential.”
COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier and winner at Phoenix, Atlanta, and Topeka; five-time No. 1 qualifier; class points leader): “I am so excited Brittany and I will both be in red Advance Auto Parts race cars this weekend. We don’t get to race in the same class so this is a fun opportunity for us to do something together. We have been No. 1 qualifiers together and we have had the chance to double up on wins, we can hope we can seal the deal in our matching Advance Auto Parts cars.”
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK COOLANT & MOTOR OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner at track; has 1,291 round wins and 148 class victories): “I got a big win there a few years ago. I won my 87th Funny Car race in 2000, which was the record for most wins by a driver in NHRA history. I love the fans there. I believe my car is starting to turn the corner. We have been working smart to get a good tune up. The whole brain trust was involved a few races ago but now we are moving ahead.”
PRO STOCK:
VINCENT NOBILE, MOUNTAIN VIEW RACING, MOUNTAIN VIEW TIRE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner and runner-up at Charlotte four-wide this season; No. 1 qualifier at opener; class points leader): “We’ve has some success back in 2014 at Route 66 Speedway. Our Chevrolet Camaro has been killer. I’ve never had such a consistent race car, so it’s definitely a confidence booster. I messed up in Topeka and I’m looking forward to Chicago so I can redeem myself.”
BO BUTNER, KB RACING, JIM BUTNER AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning class champion; earned sixth Pro Stock win and second in a row at Auto Club Raceway in season opener): “We want to do really well in our Pro Stock car, and we get wrapped up in our racing any weekend, but in Chicago we always try to rush up there and watch what’s happening with the Sportsman racers, too. I remember being part of the Allstars and hurrying back up there to watch Pro Stock thinking that would be a dream come true. We’re definitely living our dream, but we never forget where we came from. We’ll be cheering for Division 3 to win, our home division, and we know they’ll be cheering for us to win, too. It’s a really special weekend.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (next final round will be 150th in his 20 seasons competing in Pro Stock; No. 1 qualifier four times this season; holds track Pro Stock speed record, set in 2015): “Chicago was the one track we couldn’t crack, and there wasn’t any excuse or any kind of reason. It’s a beautiful racetrack, and we’ve always run well there – we just weren’t able to close the deal. We finally got the monkey off our back there a few years back, and we have no worries going there anymore. We go there positive every year, and we love to race on great racetracks like they have there at Route 66 Raceway. It’s one of the top five in the country, and it’s just a neat, neat feeling when you go to Chicago to race.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up in first two races of season; seeking 50th national event win – 47 in Pro Stock, two in Stock Eliminator; three-time winner at track): “We were certainly pointed in the right direction two weeks ago in Topeka, and we did some work in the race shop since then. We’re figuring things out a little slower than we wanted to, and we still have a ways to go, but Topeka gave us something to build on. Weather can be a big variable in Chicago, and that could be our biggest challenge this weekend, but after Topeka I think we’re prepared for anything. It’s a great facility and a nice racetrack there at Route 66 Raceway, and it would be really good to get a Summit Racing Chevrolet in the winner’s circle.”
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (semifinalist and No. 2 qualifier at Houston; five-time winner at track): “I’m always excited to get behind the wheel of my JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro and this race will be extra special as we’ve taken on title sponsorship of the event itself and of course the JEGS Allstars race as well. It’s a huge occasion for all of us at JEGS. It would be fantastic to break through and get our first win in quite awhile. We’ve been knocking on the door of a race win for our JEGS car lately and we’ve seen lots of our Elite Motorsports teammates winning races. I firmly believe we’ll challenge for the No. 1 qualifier spot and be in contention for the Pro Stock trophy come Sunday.”
TANNER GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE GRAY MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Gainesville; runner-up at Atlanta): “(Tested midweek) We’re trying a new engine combination that we just got back together, hoping that we can get going in the right direction like we were at the end of last year. We kind of went the wrong direction, so we’re going back to what we were doing at the end of last year. On the car side, we’re trying different things with the suspension. (About four races in a row) I’d race all 24 races back to back. I love to race.”
DREW SKILLMAN, RAY SKILLMAN MOTORSPORTS, RAY SKILLMAN AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier and finalist at Charlotte four-wide; won at track in 2017; holds track Pro Stock elapsed time record, set in 2015): “We had a great car last year at Route 66 Raceway in winning the race and we’re looking forward to returning to defend our victory. We’re still trying to figure out a few things from track to track with grip levels, but it’s coming around to be more consistent, which will lead us in the right direction.”