CHEVROLET AT ST. LOUIS

What: AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals
When: Friday, Sept. 21-Sunday, Sept. 23
Where: Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois
TV: FS1 live qualifications, 7 p.m. ET Sept. 21
FS1 live eliminations and finals, 2 p.m. ET Sept. 23

Chevrolet Seeks to Add to Win Total in Second Race of the Countdown
Team Chevy drivers in championship hunt heading to Gateway Motorsports Park

DETROIT (Sept. 19, 2018) – “Pro Stock is a zero-tolerance world.”

The words of five-time National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. ring true entering the second round of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship this weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.

Nine different Chevrolet drivers have swept the 19 Pro Stock races, including Coughlin with three victories in a resurgent season. Three different drivers – points leader Tanner Gray (Gray Motorsports/Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro SS), Deric Kramer (American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro SS), and Vincent Nobile (Mount View Tire Chevrolet Camaro SS) – have prevailed the past three races.

“The preparation during the week, the calls you make during the day, driving down the track — it all has to be perfect,” added Coughlin, driver of the JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS. “There’s no room for error because any one of the 10 cars in the Countdown are capable of winning, and even a few outside the top 10 have a chance to strike.”
Coughlin’s summation applies to the Funny Car and Top Fuel categories entering the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

“I made a prediction before the Countdown for my team that I believe we need to get three wins and have zero first-round losses if we want to win this championship,” said reigning Funny Car champion Robert Hight, who ran his career elimination-round win total to 447 with a semifinal appearance in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS last week at Maple Grove Raceway. “I feel the same way now, but we only have five races to get three wins. There’s a lot of cars bunched up and it’s a lot of good cars. We had an opportunity (last weekend), but we just have to minimize the mistakes, both from the driver and with the car.”

Hight is second in the standings, while John Force Racing teammate Courtney Force is third. Force, driving the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, entered the Countdown as the No. 1 seed and was the No. 1 qualifier at Maple Grove Raceway but fell in the first round of eliminations. Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force (PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS) is ninth in points.

Brittany Force, the reigning Top Fuel champion, looks to get back to her winning ways in the Advance Auto Parts/Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster. She is 10th in the standings.

The race weekend will also feature the sixth round of the School of Automotive Machinists and Technicians (SAM Tech) Factory Stock Showdown. The top 16 qualify for elimination rounds. Driving their Chevrolet COPO Camaros will be 2017 series champion David Barton of Robesonia, Pennsylvania; Daniel Stevenson of Bolingbrook, Illinois; Peter Gasko Jr. of Monroe Township, New Jersey; Stephen Bell of Shreveport, Louisiana; Waldemar Rodriguez of Cidra, Puerto Rico; Doug Hamp of York, Pennsylvania; David Janac of Caldwell, Texas; Aaron Stanfield of Bossier City, Louisiana; Arthur Kohn of Richmond, Texas; and Randy Taylor of Artesia, New Mexico.

Entered in their Chevrolet COPO Camaros are James Reed of Lincoln, Illinois; Jeff Strickland of Red Bay, Alabama; Brett Candies of Thibodaux, Louisiana; Jeff Lopez of Irving, Texas; Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Indiana; and Marion Stephenson of Williamsport, Indiana.

Competing in Super Stock in their COPO Camaros will be Greg Stanfield of Bossier City, Louisiana; and Bruno Massel of Elmhurst, Illinois.

FS1 will telecast live coverage of eliminations and finals at 2 p.m. ET Sept. 23.

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT

TOP FUEL
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (reigning class champion; No. 2 qualifier and winner at Houston; 10th in points): “This season has definitely been a roller-coaster but, if anything, it’s taught me how tough this group is. We don’t let anything hold us back and we fight for what we want. We learned that last season going after the championship. When the pressure was on, we got good. This season, we got off to a rough start in Pomona wrecking the car, but watching us come back from that, it really showed how close this team is. I’m very impressed with my entire team and together we’re going after another championship.”

FUNNY CAR:
COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (11-time No. 1 qualifier and winner at Phoenix, Atlanta, Topeka and Richmond; 2014 winner at track; third in points): “I am looking forward to being back in St Louis for the AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals this weekend. We have won at this track a few years ago. I feel pretty good about how our race car is performing. I know that we will still need to step it up when we get to Gateway Motorsports Park so we can get back into the points lead. We are looking for a fresh start in St. Louis. We lost some ground in the points, but we are still right in the mix in the top three. We are going to go after those bonus points in qualifying and hopefully get the win on Sunday so we can get that No. 1 position back.”

ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning class champion; two-time winner and three-time runner-up; holds track Funny Car elapsed time and speed records, set in 2017; second in points): “This is a big race for the AAA Funny Car team. We love racing in St Louis and this is the first of three sponsor races in the Countdown for us. We would love to sweep the Auto Club races, which I think would put us in a great position to win the championship. It won’t be easy but I learned a lot about myself racing for the championship last season. I am a much better driver and I want to show that this weekend at Gateway.”

JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, CHEVROLET ACCESSORIES PEAK CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (has 1,306 round wins and 149 class victories; three-time winner at track; ninth in points): “What I have to look at is the consistency. Even when I got beat by (Tim) Wilkerson (in the second round of eliminations at Reading), my car still went A to B, and that made it six (competitive runs) in a row. Plus, we had top speed (of the entire race at 331.12 mph) so we’ve got good power. It’s been a long year but, bottom line, I ain’t dead yet. We’ve had some good days at St. Louie. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

PRO STOCK:
TANNER GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE GRAY MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (five-time winner this season; No. 1 qualifier the past two races; first in points): “We didn’t have a complete weekend at Reading in the Countdown opener. We qualified No. 1, which we had been struggling to throughout the regular season, and picked up some points there. But we didn’t come through on race day, where we really could have put some distance between ourselves and the field. As I learned last year, every race in the Countdown is different. You just have to give it your all every pass.”

VINCENT NOBILE, MOUNTAIN VIEW RACING, MOUNTAIN VIEW TIRE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner and runner-up at Charlotte four-wide; second in points): “My crew gave me a great car at Reading on race day and we were able to capitalize. It’s important to get off to a fast start in the Countdown and we moved up to second in points. There’s still a long way to go, but if we can remain consistent over the next five races we’ll be right there for the title.”

GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier nine times this season and 102 in career, tying Bob Glidden for third all time; won at Denver; won at track in 2017; holds track Pro Stock elapsed time record, set in 2015; third in points): “We left Reading just a few days ago knowing that we had some thinking to do before St. Louis. We needed to nail down what went wrong in Reading, and we certainly hope that the progress we’ve made in that area is going to show. It’s a tight turnaround when you have back-to-back races like this, but we have a very capable team, and our Summit Racing Chevy Camaros know how to rise to the challenge, just like we do. Last year in St. Louis, we qualified No. 1, won the race, and took over the points lead. I have every reason to believe that we’ll have our ducks in a row and be up for the challenge of repeating what we did there last year. We’re going to rebound from Reading, and I’m looking forward to it.”

JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner this season; runner-up at Indianapolis; five-time winner at track; sixth in points): “St. Louis, like many of the tracks on tour, is a place where we’ve had great success in the past. That always pumps you up because those memories are all positive. It’s performance time, plain and simple, and we plan to just continue what we did in Reading and just win more rounds on Sunday.”

DREW SKILLMAN, RAY SKILLMAN MOTORSPORTS, RAY SKILLMAN AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up at Reading; No. 1 qualifier at Charlotte four-wide; earned 100th round win at Richmond; fifth in points): “We had a good opening race of the Countdown with four solid qualifying runs and a great race car on race day to make it to the finals and gain a couple spots in the standings. Consistency through the six races of the playoffs, plus a few wins, is what it’s about in totaling points. We’re looking forward to running at St. Louis this weekend. It’s a short turnaround time, but I want to get back on the track after the positive first round of the Countdown.”

JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time runner-up; seeking 50th national event win – 47 in Pro Stock, two in Stock Eliminator; has 100 final-round appearances in Pro Stock and Sportsman classes; holds track Pro Stock speed record, set in 2012; seventh in points): “I left Reading with a good car, one that got progressively better throughout the weekend. That’s good news for us, and I’m happy that we get to race this weekend and don’t have to wait too much longer. Hopefully, we’ll get right back into the swing of things. Last year, we had a pretty good weekend in St. Louis. I’d like to repeat that, and there’s no time like the present to get a win for Team Summit and KB Racing. There’s more on the line with every race in the Countdown, and this means a lot to us.”

BO BUTNER, KB RACING, JIM BUTNER AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning class champion; winner at season opener; runner-up at Gainesville; ninth in points): “I think we’ve been to a final or two there. St. Louis is close to home, and I have a few of my kids going. As I’m getting older, I want to spend more time with my family, and this is going to be a good race. It’s going to be very tough for the rest of the Countdown – I kind of thought we’d have to get to the semis or finals at every race. But you never know what’s going to happen. If you’re lucky enough to get tied up with one of the higher up guys and beat them early, it just makes up rounds. Heck, I was happy to go one round last week and just gain a little bit of distance from the guy at the bottom. But we still have a shot, and I’m not giving up.”