CHEVROLET AT LAS VEGAS
What: Dodge NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil
When: Friday, Nov. 1-Sunday, Nov. 3
Where: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: FS1 will telecast eliminations and finals live at 3 p.m. ET November 3
Chevrolet drivers continue push to titles at Vegas
Penultimate race of the Countdown critical for points
DETROIT (October 30, 2019) – Driver titles will be determined at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship finale, and this weekend’s Dodge NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil will set the stage.
“When you leave Las Vegas, you have to be within 80 to 100 points of the lead, and that number is only because it’s points and a half at Pomona,” said four-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson, who enters the penultimate race of the Countdown off a win in the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS. “It’s still realistic, if you’re within 80 to 100 points, because anybody can beat anybody in this class.”
That’s true for all the professional categories, in which Team Chevy drivers hold the top spot in Funny Car and Pro Stock. Additionally, 2017 Top Fuel champion Brittany Force, driver of the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet dragster, is among the title hunters. Chevrolet drivers in the standings:
Top Fuel
Brittany Force: -13 points to second, -46 to first
Austin Prock: -12 to fifth
Funny Car
Robert Hight: Points leader by 70
John Force: -4 to second, -74 to first
Pro Stock
Erica Enders: Points leader
Matt Hartford: -28
Jeg Coughlin Jr.: -65
Jason Line: -68
Deric Kramer: -72
Bo Butner: -74
Greg Anderson: -99
Other Chevrolet drivers in Countdown are 100-plus points out of first.
“This team is heading to Vegas this weekend and we’re 13 points behind the No. 2 position and 46 from No. 1, so we’re looking to do some damage,” said Force, who was 57 points out of first when entering the Vegas fall race in her ‘17 championship season. “The plan is to stay focused and go after a win. Earlier this year at The Strip we had a runner-up finish, so I’d like to come out and get in that winner’s circle this time around.”
Hight, who has sat atop the Funny Car standings after all but one of the 22 races in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, has collected five victories and seven No. 1 qualifiers in the spring and fall races at The Strip. Teammate John Force, driving the PEAK Lighting Chevrolet Camaro SS, has also been solid in the Countdown as he seeks to secure his 17th Funny Car title.
“I’ve been saying it all season long but I think we’re going to need seven or eight wins to really put a gap in the points lead,” said Hight, who has 12 career Countdown wins, the most by any Funny Car driver, and a career-high six victories this season.
“This race is important but so is the next one. I really believe this championship is going to come down to the Auto Club Finals. It could be the last day, the last pass, that determines the title and we’re ready for it.”
Bo Butner, driving the Jim Butner Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro SS, won the fall 2018 Pro Stock race at the track, and the 2017 class champion will nee a victory to remain in the title hunt. Enders, a two-time Pro Stock champion, jumped to the lead with a victory at St. Louis in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS.
The next win will be the 200th for the Camaro brand in Pro Stock competition.
Entered in Super Stock competition in their Chevrolet COPO Camaros are Ray Martin of Anchorage, Alaska; Tim Lowe of Macy, Indiana; Tom Ferruggia of Menifee, California; Tim Seymour of San Dimas, California; and Brian Brossart of Williston, North Dakota.
Competing in their COPO Camaros in Stock Eliminator are 2017 class champion Justin Lamb of Henderson, Nevada; Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Indiana; Daria Kramer of Sterling, Colorado; L. Scott Libersher of Wilmington, Illinois; Jerry Cramer of Bluffdale, Utah; Bobby Brannon of Bossier City, Louisiana; and Al Corda of Elk Mound, Wisconsin.
FS1 will telecast eliminations and finals live at 3 p.m. ET November 3.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (2017 class champion; eight-time No. 1 qualifier; won at Houston; runner-up at Las Vegas and Atlanta; third in points): “We had a successful weekend in Dallas. We made some serious ground, moved closer to that No. 1 spot and with two races left in this Countdown, the Advance Auto Parts team is in a very good position. David Grubnic, Mac Savage and all the Advance Auto Parts boys, I’m proud of them and where this season has taken us. It’s almost over but we’re not done chasing this championship yet.”
AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (won first Top Fuel race at Seattle; sixth in points): “This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team had a solid race day in Texas and after a performance like that, I’m excited to see what we can do at the next one. We barely missed it in the semifinal, but we have good momentum. We’ve had a week off, everyone is working hard but this Countdown is still tight. Our focus is to go win these next two and see how the points shake out. We definitely have the car to do it. I’m really excited for Vegas. It’s where I got my start in a nitro Funny Car, so it has a special place in my heart.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK LIGHTING CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (recorded 150th class win at Seattle and 151st at Indianapolis; five-time No. 1 qualifier; third in points): “This PEAK Lighting Chevy team has given me a great hot rod all season. We didn’t get a win in Dallas like we were hoping for but we’re 79 points from first and there’s points and half in Pomona in a couple weeks, so we’ll see what we can get done at this next one in Vegas. Brian Corradi, Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi and every one of the PEAK guys, they’ve worked really hard and now I have to do my job out there, but I love being in the car, in front of the fans. It just makes you feel alive. I’m ready for the next one.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF TEXAS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (has won six races and has eight No. 1 qualifier honors; first in points): “We had a great race car in Dallas and unfortunately driver error cost us the final, but we left with an even bigger points lead than when we entered the event so our focus is to continue to maintain that and keep ahead of everyone. This Funny Car field is so competitive this season. The points battle is so tight, the level of performance has been incredible from everyone, so we’ve really got to stay focused and keep up the hard work this team has been putting in all season long.”
PRO STOCK:
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Phoenix; two-time No. 1 qualifier; third in points): “Four races down and two to go, or two and a half, if you like, with Pomona being points and a half, and we find ourselves third in the points, really wanting to have top finishes in these final two races to give ourselves a chance. There are only two in front of us we need to catch and pass, but there’s also a wolf pack behind us we need to stay ahead of so it’s going to be very tense. We’ve completed some very extensive testing in Tulsa since the last race and the Elite cars are all running extremely well, as they have been throughout the Countdown. Our confidence is sky high and I’m not surprised at all that three Elite cars are at the top of the fight.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner at Brainerd and Reading; fourth in points): “They say that good things create more good things, and Team Summit had a pretty good weekend in Dallas. You never know what will happen, but I feel good about our Summit Racing Chevy Camaros right now. We know we have a chance to win with any of the KB Racing cars. It’s important to do well this weekend, and nobody is taking that lightly.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner this season; seventh in points): “We love Las Vegas – that is such a great racetrack, and we love racing there in (team owner) Ken Black Country. He can’t wait for us to get there, and that feeling is certainly mutual. We know there are a lot of teams that love that racetrack just as much as we do, and it’s going to be a titanic duel.”