CHEVROLET AT DALLAS What: AAA Texas NHRA FallnationalsWhen: Saturday, Oct. 17th – Sunday, Oct. 18thWhere: Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TexasTV: FS1 will telecast Saturday qualifying from 7:30-8:30 pm ET and eliminations starting at 2:00 pm ET
Pro Stock title tight between three Chevrolet Camaro driversThree multiple-time champions separated by 34 points, with complicated finish left
DETROIT (Oct. 16, 2020) – Because of deteriorating track conditions late in the final day at St. Louis two weeks ago, the NHRA was forced to postpone the Pro Stock eliminations after one round of the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals.
The finals of that event will be settled this weekend and that means the battle in Dallas is even more important with just 34 points separating the top three drivers in the Pro Stock division. Chevrolet Camaro driver Jason Line leads defending Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders by a mere two points. Jeg Couglin Jr., a two-time winner this year, trails Line by 34 points with four events left.
All three drivers are multi-time champions with a unique eye on the 2020 title. Enders will seek to become the first female in NHRA history with four championships. Enders, tied with Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey, has won titles in 2019, 2014 and ’15.
Enders in 2019 also recorded the 150th victory by a female in the professional categories and posted the 200th victory for the Camaro brand in Pro Stock competition at the fall Las Vegas event last year.
Line and Coughlin Jr. both look to go out on top as both revealed earlier this year that they will retire from full time competition in Pro Stock at the end of the 2020 season.
“The points are tight and it is going to be a dog fight to the end, just like I stated earlier in the year,” said Enders. “As we are trying to secure our fourth world championship, the two guys I have to beat (Line and Jeg Coughlin Jr.) are retiring at the end of the year, so I know they are going to give it their all as well.”
FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 2:00 p.m. ET Oct. 18th. CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
PRO STOCK:
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS “It’s a good feeling anytime you’re leading the points, but the truth is that it isn’t by much, and we’ll have to be better than anyone else if we want to keep that lead. But if we do what we’re supposed to do and my Summit Racing Chevrolet cooperates, the points will take care of themselves.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “I’m looking forward to getting to Dallas this weekend to defend the title. That was a really special win, a really fun win, and that’s exactly what I need right now – another one just like that. This racetrack has been great for us in the past. We’ll have two opportunities to get a trophy at Texas Motorpolex, and the KB Racing team would like nothing more than to bring both of them back to the shop for team owner Ken Black and Summit Racing. It was disappointing to have to stop the show and leave St. Louis in the middle of eliminations, but that’s in the past. We’ve reset our frame of mind, our Summit Racing Chevys ready, and we expect great things from this weekend.”
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “The result that’s come out of the St. Louis situation is unfortunate. Erica (Enders), Jason (Line) and our group were neck-in-neck in the points and now it appears we may not end up being a part of it all, depending on what happens here. We are scheduled to have three more races — in Dallas, Houston and Las Vegas — so there’s still a chance for others to stumble and for us to pull off some wins down the stretch. I certainly don’t see us completely out of the game at this point. It’s been quite a run since last year’s Dallas race, where we were runner-up. We’ve been to plenty of finals and had a good share of success. The last few races have been challenging, for sure, but the worm can turn at any time. We’re optimistic it’ll come back to us this weekend. St. Louis was a bad deal but at this point we can only control what we do. I know I’ll do all I can to get these 1,500 horses down the track as best I can every run”
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “The points are tight and it is going to be a dog fight to the end, just like I stated earlier in the year. As we are trying to secure our fourth world championship, the two guys I have to beat (Line and Jeg Coughlin Jr.) are retiring at the end of the year, so I know they are going to give it their all as well. We will fight to the end and execute the best we can. I put my money on my team. They are the baddest dudes in Pro Stock and I’m lucky to have them. I’m looking forward to these races down the stretch.”
BO BUTNER, KB RACING, JIM BUTNER AUTO GROUPCHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “Dallas was my very first national event win, in Super Stock in 1999 over my good friend, Jimmy DeFrank. I’m looking forward to this one and then the next, too, because we go to Houston – and that’s where I got my first Pro Stock win. Texas has a lot of firsts for us, so I look for it to be good again. We only have a few races left, and we sure want another one or two of those Pro Stock trophies. Our Strutmasters.com/Jim Butner Auto Group Chevy Camaro is so good. It’s coming around, and I’m not giving up.”