CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE U.S. NATIONALS
LUCAS OIL RACEWAY IN INDIANAPOLIS
FIRST-DAY QUALIFICATIONS NOTEBOOK
FRIDAY, AUG. 31, 2018
Chevrolet Drivers Start Strong in the 64th Edition of the ‘Big Go’
Tanner Gray Takes Provisional Pro Stock Pole Through First Qualifying Session
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 31, 2018) – The 64th Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway hold a dual purpose for Team Chevy drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock: win the “Big Go” in their respective categories and take momentum into the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Countdown to the Championship.
Tanner Gray, the Pro Stock leader with four victories through 17 races, got off to a quick start by recording low elapsed time in the first of five qualifying sessions with a pass of 6.601 seconds in the Gray Manufacturing Technologies Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force, driving the Chevrolet Performance PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS, posted an elapsed time of 4.003 seconds to place eighth in the initial session. Reigning Funny Car champion Robert Hight (Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS) shut off early and crossed the finish line at 4.010 seconds. Funny Car points leader Courtney Force also shut off the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS early and ran 4.330.
Reigning Top Fuel champion Brittany Force shut off the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet dragster early and crossed the line in 4.393 seconds.
Gray, who entered the regular-season finale 20 points behind front-runner Greg Anderson, picked up a bonus point on the four-time Pro Stock champion, who was second-quick at 6.621 seconds and registered the top speed at 208.75 mph in the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS.
A point-and-a-half system (150 points to win) for the event is being utilized, which adds weight to positioning for the six-race Countdown to the Championship that begins Sept. 13-16. Points will be reset following the Sept. 3 finals, with the No. 1 position in each of the four professional categories receiving a 20-point advantage over the second-place regular-season finisher, 30 points over third, and so on through 10th.
“It felt about as good as you could get. I was able to keep it in the middle while everybody looked like they were getting a little loose,” Gray said. “I think we have a really good car and have a pretty good package for here. If you can pick up the little points here and there, in the end it all adds up.”
Qualifying continues Sept. 1 with two sessions.
Hight recalls congratulatory words from ‘Big Daddy’
Hight said some congratulatory words following the first of his three Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals titles in 2006 have stuck with him.
“I ran into Don Garlits after my first win and he said you can retired now, you won Indy. This race can really make or break your career,” Hight said.
Hight is the president of John Force Racing, whose race shop is a few miles northwest of Lucas Oil Raceway, The team’s administrative offices and museum are in Yorba Linda, California.
“We used to look at Pomona (California) as our home track but really this is our home track. Our teams are based here, and it would be really special for everybody at our shop to celebrate with us this weekend,” said Hight, who entered the weekend third in the Funny Car standings. “We had two wins last year going into the Countdown and that’s where we are now. I’m third in points and want to get up to No. 2. That’s a 10-point difference between No. 3 and No. 2 in the Countdown. I don’t want it to get to the end and say we needed 10 more points to win this championship. We’re really going to hit it hard this weekend and gobble up all the points we can.”
Aiming for third consecutive title in COPO Camaro
Four Chevrolet COPO Camaro drivers are in the top 10 of the standings of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Stock Eliminator class, including 2017 champion Justin Lamb and ’16 title-holder Jeff Strickland.
Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Indiana, is atop the standings and was the No. 7 qualifier of 171 entries at Lucas Oil Raceway in his COPO Camaro. Lamb. who won at Las Vegas, is third in points entering the race weekend and Strickland, who won at Atlanta, is sixth. Thomas Fletcher, the winner at Charlotte, is seventh.
“There are several guys with good chances and will be a dogfight to the end. We’ll keep plugging along,” said Taylor, who earned the national event win at Gainesville. “We have to put one of these COPOs in the winner’s circle.”