CHEVROLET AT LAS VEGAS
What: Toyota NHRA Nationals
When: Friday, Oct. 26-Sunday, Oct.28
Where: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: FS1 live qualifications, 6 p.m. ET Oct. 26
FS2 live qualifications, 5 p.m. ET Oct. 27
FS1 taped eliminations and finals, 7 p.m. ET Oct. 28
Chevrolet Drivers Aim to Continue Run to Championships at Las Vegas
Penultimate race of Countdown to the Championship crucial in Funny Car, Pro Stock races
DETROIT (Oct. 24, 2018) – Eyes are fixed on the November finale of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) season, but the penultimate race will be the watershed event in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
For reigning Funny Car champion Robert Hight, driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, the Toyota NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is all about focus. Hight, with two victories in the six-race Countdown and four overall in the 24-race season, holds an 11-point advantage over second-place JR Todd.
“We have the points lead but we need to keep the pressure on the rest of the Funny Cars. No one can afford a mistake,” Hight said. “The key is to just treat this like any other race. You can’t change your routine because there are only two races left. We are going to come out on Friday and start trying to get some of those qualifying bonus points and get that No. 1 qualifier spot. “I need to be at the top of my game, too. This is going to be an exciting weekend and last two races.”
Courtney Force, who was the No. 1 qualifier in the spring event at The Strip in the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, is sixth in the standings. Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force, driver of the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS, is seventh.
The three John Force Racing drivers have contributed nine wins to Chevrolet’s total of 32 victories in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock.
A Chevrolet driver is certain of claiming the Pro Stock title, with Tanner Gray pacing the highly-competitive field. The 2017 NHRA rookie of the year, who drives the Gray Motorsports/Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro SS, leads five-time class champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. by 130 points.
There have been 10 different Chevrolet drivers who have visited the winner’s circle, and Gray leads the way with seven victories in the 22 races. Still, there’s no quit in Coughlin’s lexicon, who has risen nine positions in the standings since the April race at The Strip.
“Until they drop the curtain on the 2018 season at the end of the Pomona race, we’ll be fighting for everything we can get. It’s important for all of us to finish as high as we can, including our goal of finishing No. 1 overall,” said Coughlin, who has three wins this season in the JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS and five in the autumn event at track.
“We’ve had a heckuva run ever since the latter part of spring and it’s continued into the playoffs,” said Coughlin, a 61-time Pro Stock winner. “We just have a team and a driver out front in Tanner Gray and the Gray Motorsports crew that isn’t making any mistakes lately.”
With a No. 1 qualifying honor and runner-up finish in the last race, reigning Top Fuel champion Brittany Force sits sixth in the class standings. She’ll be looking to sustain the momentum in the Advance Auto Parts/Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster this weekend.
“After an awesome weekend in Charlotte, where we raced to the finals and we qualified No. 1, we are ready to get back to the races,” she said. “We made some big improvements to our race car. You saw the improvements with our performance in Charlotte. We have been struggling but I think we have turned this team around in the Countdown.”
Justin Lamb leads the Chevrolet COPO Camaro contingent in Stock Eliminator this weekend. Lamb, of Henderson, Nevada, was the 2017 class champion and is aiming to repeat. Lamb, who won the national event at Las Vegas earlier this year, is one point out of first place.
Also entered are Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Indiana, who is third in the Stock Eliminator standings; Jesse Alexander of West Bend, Wisconsin; Dan Fletcher of Churchville, New York; Marion Stephenson of Williamsport, Indiana; Al Corda of Elk Mound, Wisconsin; Tom Ferruggia of Menifee, California; Lane Goldstein of Calabasas, California; and Tim Seymour of San Dimas, California.
The expansive Chevrolet Performance display in the paddock will feature a variety of Chevrolet production vehicles, including a 2018 Corvette Stingray Coupe, 2018 Camaro Hot Wheels Edition convertible, 2018 Silverado 2WD Short Box Crew Cab, and a 2018 Malibu Redline Edition. Also on display throughout the weekend will be a John Force Racing Funny Car, Chevrolet accessories, and crate engines.
FS1 will telecast taped coverage of eliminations and finals at 7 p.m. ET Oct. 28.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS/MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (reigning class champion; No. 1 qualifier and runner-up in last race; sixth in points): “With just two races left I am excited to get to Las Vegas. We are currently No. 6 in the points after an awesome weekend in Charlotte. I am ready to get on track at The Strip. There are just two races left and we want to get another win this season and get into the winner’s circle. We want to move up from sixth place with this Monster Energy Top Fuel team. Last season we should have won this race and we had a red-light in the final. I definitely want to redeem myself and get back out there and get a win for this team.”
FUNNY CAR:
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner of two races in the Countdown and four overall this season; first in points): “The ‘Don’t drive intoxicated. Don’t drive intexticated.’ program is a great message. I am proud to be working with Auto Club to try and keep all drivers safe behind the wheel. I am taking that lesson with me every time I strap in. Trust me, there are a lot of distractions in a town like Las Vegas. I am staying focused on my job every day which is to get John Force Racing and the Auto Club another championship.”
COURTNEY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (11-time No. 1 qualifier, including spring event at track, and winner at Phoenix, Atlanta, Topeka and Richmond; sixth in points): “Our Advance Auto Parts team has had a lot of success at the Las Vegas race track. Not only just the two-wide race but also the four-wide race in the spring. We are looking forward to getting back on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with only two races left in the season and the Countdown to the Championship. We know that we still have a shot at the championship and we just have to perform at our best these last two races. Our goal is to finish out this season strong. We are looking forward to getting on track in Las Vegas. It has been a great track for my team and we have been to multiple final rounds and we are hoping to seal the deal this weekend.”
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, CHEVROLET ACCESSORIES PEAK CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (has 1,310 round wins and 149 class victories; six-time winner of fall event at track; seventh in points): “This PEAK Camaro has gotten better every week. It has consistency now. (At the last race at Charlotte) it went down the racetrack every run in qualifying and every run (on race day). Overall, as a team, we’re doing good. It’s a long way to that championship and we are running out of races but I never give up as long as there’s a chance. Things happen. It’s drag racing. I know we’ve got our work cut out for us but if we go out and win Vegas, we’ll see where it goes?”
PRO STOCK:
TANNER GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE GRAY MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (seven-time winner this season, including the past two events; first in points): “We want to finish this season strong, with consistent runs in qualifying and on race day. That includes me not making any mistakes. Nothing is guaranteed with the championship, so it’s going to be business as usual this weekend at The Strip. Plus, Las Vegas was the site of my first win in Pro Stock last year, so it’s a special place.”
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (five-time winner at track; second in points): “There’s lots to do and fun to be had before we’re done. I think it’s been well-documented how cohesive this team is across all four race cars and if you look how everyone is doing this year, it’s obvious to see the caliber of the professionals in this pit and back at the engine shop in Oklahoma. It’s interesting to be in this position where we’re hoping for a miracle but as a kid watching my dad compete at National Trail Raceway I remember walking under the crosswalk there and seeing ‘Only the Strong Survive’ painted on that thing. It’s something that really stuck out in my mind then and later I learned how true that is in this sport. This is a strong group and whether we finish on top or not, we’re survivors and we will remain in the fight.”
VINCENT NOBILE, MOUNTAIN VIEW RACING, MOUNTAIN VIEW TIRE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner, including spring event at track; third in points): “We lost points at Charlotte with a disappointing outing, but we’re looking to finish strong in the final two races of the Countdown. We have a fast hot rod and have shown in the second half of the season that we’re a contender for the championship. I won at The Strip in the spring in the four-wide event and there’s nothing I’d like better than to sweep the Vegas races.”
DREW SKILLMAN, RAY SKILLMAN MOTORSPORTS, RAY SKILLMAN AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up in two of past three races; fourth in points): “We’ve had some good results in the Countdown but have yet to grab ourselves a Wally. That’s our primary goal this weekend at Vegas.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier nine times this season, including spring event at track; seven-time winner in fall event at track, including 2017; sixth in points): “After Jason’s win in Charlotte, our team got a morale boost. That was great, and it had been awhile since we’d all been able to smile like that. The championship might be out of reach for us now, but we know we can win, and that’s what we’ll be working hard for these last two races. If we can win one or two more, we’ll feel like we salvaged what was a very tough season for us. We’ve had our share of disappointments this year, but we showed in Charlotte that we remember how to win. A lot of effort has come from every single person on the team this year, and hopefully, we’ll see that rewarded with a Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the winner’s circle.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Charlotte in last race; has 99 Pro Stock final-round appearances; seventh in points): “I was appreciative to be back in the winner’s circle in Charlotte, and I’d sure like to get back there again with my Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro before the season is over. I think good things create more good things, so who knows what will happen. Pro Stock has changed, for sure, and we’re working in a small box so it’s very difficult to separate yourself from everyone else. This year has been about whoever does the best job, both engine and chassis tune-up-wise, and possibly even more importantly, with the left foot. I will say that I feel much better going into these last two races than I did two races ago, and I have a chance to win. I just have to do my job.”
BO BUTNER, KB RACING, JIM BUTNER AUTO GROUP CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning class champion; winner at season opener; eighth in points): “We always have a lot of fun at the Vegas race, and this time we’re expecting that this is going to be another one of those really fun, enjoyable races. My oldest son and his wife will be there, and my mom, so no matter what we’re going to have a good time. One of the things that I’ve learned through this deal is that winning isn’t everything. It sounds strange to say that as a Pro Stock racer, but I think it’s true. You have to enjoy what you’re doing. That’s what we’re going to do this weekend. If we win, great, but no matter what, we’re going to really enjoy these last couple of races.”