Chevrolet Adds to Win Total Heading to the ‘Big Go’

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS
BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY IN BRAINERD, MINNESOTA
SUNDAY, AUG. 19, 2018

Chevrolet Adds to Win Total Heading to the ‘Big Go’

• Deric Kramer earns second Pro Stock victory of season
• Courtney Force increases points lead in Funny Car standings
• Team Chevy drivers have combined for 25 regular-season wins
• Next up on schedule is the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 19, 2018) – Two weeks ago, Deric Kramer slid out of the American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro SS and pounded the hood in frustration. The Colorado resident had fouled in the Pro Stock final against Tanner Gray and left Seattle as runner-up for the second consecutive National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event.

Kramer and Gray, a four-time winner already this season, hooked up again in the final round of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota. They both hit .002 of a second on the tree, but Gray was .002 too early to give Kramer his second Pro Stock victory of the season and career.

“Shifting into high gear I looked up and saw the win light was on in my lane and I figured that was pretty good for me, so I can’t complain about that,” said Kramer, whose reaction time combined with a 6.652-second run would have been tough to beat.
Entering the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis, Chevrolet teams/drivers have posted 25 victories combined in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock. Additionally, drivers of the Chevrolet COPO Camaro have recorded four Stock Eliminator wins and two victories in the SAM Tech NHRA Factory Stock Showdown.

The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals – the penultimate race of the 18-event regular season – was also positive for Courtney Force, who increased her Funny Car points lead with a semifinal appearance in the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS. Force has advanced to at least the semifinals in 10 of the 17 regular-season races, including four victories.

“Being able to go a few rounds and pick up more of those points is a big deal for us, especially when we’re heading into the U.S. Nationals,” she said. “We have struggled here in Brainerd so it feels good hat we were able to go some rounds. I think we have a good handle on this car. We’re looking forward to getting to Indy to test and see if we can continue to make fast runs and find that consistency before the Countdown.”

Reigning NHRA Funny Car champion Robert Hight earned his second No. 1 qualifier honor of the season in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS. He fell in the second round of eliminations. While holding a comfortable lead down track, a piston malfunction initiated the NHRA safety shutoff and Hight coasted to the final stripe. Sixteen-time Funny Car champion and 11-time Brainerd winner John Force (PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS), the No. 13 qualifier, fell in the first round.

Reigning Top Fuel champion Brittany Force, the No. 6 qualifier in the Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster, won her first-round matchup and ran low elapsed time of race day (3.746 seconds) but lost on a holeshot by five-thousandths of a second to three-time champion Antron Brown.

Kramer, who was competing in his 80th Pro Stock race, advanced to his fifth final round – all this season in the KB Racing-prepared Chevy Camaro. Gray, who won at Brainerd in 2017, remains second to Greg Anderson in the Pro Stock standings.

“We’re going to the ‘Big Go’ (Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals) on a hot streak. Can’t wait,” Kramer added.

Gray, driving the Gray Motorsports Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro SS, knocked out Anderson (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS) and Kramer eliminated KB Racing teammate Jason Line (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS) in the semifinals.

Erica Enders, a two-time winner at Brainerd International Raceway, recorded her first low qualifier honor since 2015 and won her first-round match in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS. Fernando Cuadra, driving the KB Racing-prepared Corral Chevrolet Camaro SS, picked up his first round victory in 14 years with a holeshot win over reigning Pro Stock champion Bo Butner.

Al Corda of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, drove his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to the third round of eliminations in Stock Eliminator. He was the No. 6 qualifier of 74 competitors.

FS1 will telecast eliminations of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals live at 11 a.m. ET Sept. 3 before FOX picks up the telecast at 1 p.m. The event will feature a point-and-a-half system (150 points to win) for the professional categories. A racer in each category can earn a maximum of 188 points, and points for making a qualifying attempt rise from 10 to 15. Qualifying bonus points will remain 1-2-3 for the five sessions and the standard 1-8 points will be given for qualifying positions.

An interview with Pro Stock winner DERIC KRAMER, KB RACING, AMERICAN ETHANOL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 6 qualifier, second win of season and career; fifth final round of season; competed in 80th Pro Stock race; has 23-13 round record this season; cut .002 light in final):

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD IT?
“Shifting into high gear I looked up and saw the win light was on in my lane and I figured that was pretty good for me, so I can’t complain about that.”

NOBODY WAS CUTTING ANY SLACK IN THAT FINAL. TELL US ABOUT IT
“I don’t think anybody can cut anybody any slack in this category any more. Like Pro Stock bike, every time you go out there you have to be ready.”

ARE YOU PLANNING ON MAKING A CHAMPIONSHIP RUN IN THE COUNTDOWN?
“I’m hoping to. If you win six races in a row, you win (the champoipnship). I’m going to try to do that. We’re kind of a part-time team and our normal season starts for us around Denver. We’ve taken that momentum that we’ve had in the past and built upon it this year. We’re going (to the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals) on a hot streak. Can’t wait.”

YOUR FIRST WIN CAME ON A MONDAY AFTER A RAIN DELAY IN TOPEKA AT AN EMPTY RACETRACK. DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES
“Absolutely. It’s almost like I won for the first time again. The fanfare and everything has been completely different, but it’s been a lot of fun.”

WHAT DID YOUR DAD SAY TO YOU BEFORE THE FINAL ROUND AND AFTERWARD?
“He tries to leave me alone. He kind of knows that I go out there with the attitude of ‘well, all I have to do is not screw up.’ As long as we do that, we do pretty well. Most of the time when we go out there and think real hard it winds up not in our favor. If you go out there and don’t screw up four times you win.”

DID YOU KNOW HOW GOOD YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE TO BE?
“No, but I know how good you have to be to win in this class. You just have to be ready every time you go to the starting line. There’s no free shots. If you’re not competitive on the tree and not competitive on the track, you’re not going to win. We just try to be prepared and hope it works out for us more than it doesn’t.”

HOW COMFORTABLE DO YOU FEEL WITH YOUR CAR AND YOUR OPERATION?
“I’ve been extremely comfortable in these last bunch of races. From Denver on, even in my part-time schedule, I would miss two races. I think our performance over the past few races have shown that we’re getting our stride.”

YOU KNOCKED OUT JASON (LINE) IN THE SEMIS AND RUN THEIR ENGINES.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for those guys. All of the KB crew do a wonderful job. Huge hats off to those guys and all they do.”