chevy racing–nhra–carolina nationals qualifying

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION DEWALT NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS ZMAX DRAGWAY, CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA QUALIFYING RECAPSEPT. 18, 2021
Chevrolet again sweeps No. 1 qualifiers at zMAX Dragway • Brittany Force records eighth consecutive Top Fuel top qualifier• Funny Car points leader John Force earns 163rd No. 1 of career• Aaron Stanfield scores first career Pro Stock top spot
CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 18, 2021) – For the second time in four National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) events and fourth time this season, Chevrolet drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock swept the No. 1 qualifier spots.
Team Chevy will aim to continue momentum on race day Sunday, Sept. 19, at the DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals – the second race in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship — at zMAX Dragway. Chevrolet also swept the professional car categories at the venue in May.
Brittany Force earned her eighth consecutive NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel top qualifier honor in the Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster, extending her single-season record. Force, entering eliminations only four points out of first place, paced the field with a blistering 3.662-second pass at 331.85 mph.
She registered the same elapsed time in qualifying No. 1 in the spring race at zMAX Dragway.
“It’s incredible that this team has been able to carry that for eight races straight. That’s incredible,” said Force, who is one top qualifier off the Top Fuel consecutive record set by Gary Beck in the 1982-83 seasons. “It’s picking up bonus points and we’re stashing away those No. 1 qualifier hats, but again, we’re looking for race day tune, that’s our focus.”
Funny Car points leader John Force, driving the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS, scored his second consecutive No. 1 qualifier at zMAX Dragway and 163rd of his illustrious career with a run of 3.860 seconds at 332.18 mph. Teammate Robert Hight was second for the second event in a row, posting a 3.878-second run mph in the Automobile Club of Southern California Camaro SS.
“It was a good way to start the weekend. We’re just trying to stay in the game, this PEAK Chevy team,” said Force, who will seek his second consecutive win at zMAX Dragway and fourth of the season in the drive to his 17th Funny Car title. “Daniel Hood, Tim Fabrisi and Joe Barlam, they give me a race car and we go right down the racetrack. I’m really excited about that. I’d like to at least be in the hunt and I’m in the hunt.”
Aaron Stanfield, a three-time winner this season in the Janac Brother’s Camaro SS, recorded his first Pro Stock No. 1 qualifier with a 6.575-second pass.
“Now is the time to be mistake-free and we’ll see what happens,” said Stanfield, the 2020 Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown champion in the Janac Brother’s Chevrolet COPO Camaro.
Reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders was second in the tightly bunched pack in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS, and Greg Anderson was third in the HendrickCars.comCamaro SS.
Anderson, the points leader, will aim to record his 98th career Pro Stock victory, which would pass Warren Johnson for most all time in the class and be second to John Force’s 154 wins.
FOX will telecast eliminations live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 19.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 1 qualifier): “Right now, it’s gaining as many points as we can. That’s the way I look at the Countdown. It can get overwhelming; there’s a lot on the line. Right now, it’s focusing on one run at a time. The cool thing is my whole team is involved (in the streak). They’ve got us here. I’m very proud of all my guys. (Crew chief) David Grubnic wants to put the best number we can on the board every single time we run. We want to get the job done in these last six races.”
FUNNY CAR:JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE & COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier): “Every qualifying will give you a few points. I just want to race with these kids. I want to beat everybody and I want to lose to everybody. A race car doesn’t know how old you are; the driving is the easy part.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier): “That was a good run. We wanted more and we can see that there’s more out there. You know we picked up some extra qualifying points and we put a good number on the board. We’ll get after it. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham, they’ll get us set up and then have us going rounds on race day.”
PRO STOCK:AARON STANFIELD, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JANC BROTHER’S CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier): “We’ve made some really good runs and been pretty close (to qualifying No. 1) a couple of times, but it’s not an easy thing to accomplish. Our guys have been working really hard. They got me a really good hot rod and I’m just the lucky one to be behind the wheel. My first No. 1, it’s a cool feeling. I think we’re getting back on the right track where we were the last couple of races. Definitely have to bounce back (after early exit in Countdown opener) and go some rounds.”
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier): “Today is by no indications of what we’re capable of. After the first qualifying session today we had to swing motors in the car, so we’ll get a tune-up for tomorrow and my guy continue to work really hard. I just have to do my job. It’s a little bit frustrating to not accumulate any baby points today, but we’ve been in far worse positions than we are right now. I’m ready to dig deep.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier): “We left a few points on the table last night; we were a little too conservative and that cost us the pole. We still got the majority of the (qualifying) points. The bottom line is the conditions today were more like what we’re going to see tomorrow on race day. My car was fast on both runs today so that’s a good sign. I feel good about and we’re ready to race.”
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 4 qualifier): “That final run felt really good for the KB Lucas Oil Chevy Camaro. We struggled a little bit at the beginning of the weekend but I think we have it figured out. Greg (Anderson) and the guys have a tune-up on it. We’ll go first round (against Christian Cuadra) and see what we get, but the Lucas Oil Chevy Camaro is ready to run.”