Chevrolet Off to Fast Start in the Desert

· Force sets elapsed time Funny Car record at Wild Horse Pass
· Butner leads Chevrolet drivers to top four in Pro Stock
· Drivers look for more success in second-day qualifying

DETROIT (Feb. 26, 2016) – Courtney Force set a track record for elapsed time in her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car with a run of 3.930 seconds in the first round of qualifications for the 32nd CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona.

The John Force Racing driver is the provisional No. 1 qualifier for the second event of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. The first round time held on to the top spot for her at the conclusion of round two.

FOX Sports 1 will telecast taped qualifications at 10 p.m. ET Feb. 27 and present live coverage of eliminations and finals at 5 p.m. ET Feb. 28.

“It’s definitely what we hoped for. When we came out here and tested a few weeks back, we were running pretty consistently,” said Force, who was the No. 2 qualifier in Funny Car at Wild Horse Pass last February. “We made good runs and the track heated up quite a bit, but it was definitely a run we were looking for so I’m very excited.”

Her run eclipsed the record of 3.975 seconds set in February 2015 by Matt Hagan, who also holds the track record for speed at 324.83 mph. Force’s speed was 323.97 mph.

John Force (PEAK/Republic Services Chevrolet Camaro SS) was fifth on the first day and John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight (Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS) was sixth. Force has a record eight Funny Car victories at the facility near Phoenix.

The semifinalists from the Pro Stock season opener at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California, led the Chevrolet charge on the first day. Bo Butner (Butner Auto Sales Chevrolet Camaro SS) was the provisional No. 1 qualifier with a 6.618-second run at 208.88 mph in the first round. Greg Anderson (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS), the winner at Pomona, was second (6.624/207.72) and KB Racing teammate Jason Line was third (6.649/207.85). Drew Skillman (Ray Skillman Chevrolet Camaro SS), who qualified third and lost in the semifinals last year at Wild Horse Pass, was fourth overall (6.650/207.94).

Joey Grose (Skyler Electric/Big Chief Chevrolet Camaro SS) was eighth on the chart, while Chris McGaha (Harlow Sammons of Odessa Chevrolet Camaro SS) was ninth and Alex Laughlin (Gas Monkey Garage/360 Wraps Chevrolet Camaro SS) was 11th.

In Top Fuel, Brittany Force (Monster Energy Chevrolet Dragster) was third quick after the first round in her John Force Racing entry and enters the third round of qualifying in fifth (3.800/320.05).

CHEVROLET RACING DRIVER QUOTES:

COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, TRAXXAS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “It’s definitely what we hoped for. When we came out here and tested a few weeks back, we were running pretty consistently. We stumbled a little bit at first and then kind of got the car figured out and started running pretty consistent 3.0s, so I was excited to come back to this track. I was hoping we could carry it over to Pomona, but I was really excited to get back here because we felt comfortable here. We made good runs and the track heated up quite a bit, but it was definitely a run we were looking for so I’m very excited. Our game plan (for second-day qualifying) is stepping our own Chevy up and getting it in the top even after those guys run good numbers.”

BO BUTNER, JIM BUTNER AUTO, BUTNER AUTO SALES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “It was almost a carbon copy of Pomona. We’re all pretty close – one, two and three. I think every team has advanced fastest that what we thought, especially with the short amount of time we had getting on the track. Our team might be a little ahead of everybody, but I’m sure they’ll catch up. It is supposed to be a little warmer (for third and fourth rounds), so I don’t know if there’s room for improvement. As long as (Chevrolet) stays one, two and three we’ll be happy.”

BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET: “The first run it went right down there and put us No. 3. It was great to run 3.80, especially in the heat. We wanted to step it up on that second run but unfortunately we went up into tire smoke. We get two more runs tomorrow and we are I the top half of the field, which is important. It always feels good to have that option to be aggressive on that last run. You don’t want to be in a situation where you have to make a good run to get into the show. It feels good to start out near the top and be able to be aggressive.”