CHEVROLET AT ST. LOUIS What: Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by PennzoilWhen: Friday, Oct. 2-Sunday, Oct. 4Where: World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, IllinoisTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 2:30 p.m. ET Oct. 4
Chevrolet drivers seek to make gains in drive to Pro Stock title
Three multiple-time champions separated by 34 points with four races left
DETROIT (Oct. 1, 2020) – Early exits by three Pro Stock title contenders at Gainesville, Florida, last weekend did little to clarify the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series points picture with four races remaining.
Will any of the multiple-time champions be able to create separation from their rivals this weekend at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Pennzoil in Madison, Illinois?
Separated by 11 points entering the 51st Gatornationals, Jason Line advanced the furthest with a semifinal appearance. The driver of the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS moved to the top of the standings by two points over reigning class champion Erica Enders. Jeg Coughlin Jr., who has five victories at World Wide Technology Raceway, is 34 points back after a first-round exit in his JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Enders, driving the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro, won at the track in September 2019 from the No. 1 qualifying spot in her drive to her third Pro Stock title. Line, who has 51 career Pro Stock victories, is looking to pick up his first Wally at the facility in suburban St. Louis.
Last weekend at Gainesville, Alex Laughlin drove his stout Havoline Chevrolet Camaro SS to his fourth victory in eight final-round career appearances.The victory was the 325th for Chevrolet in Pro Stock, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary season, and the 207th with the Camaro brand.
Laughlin defeated fellow Chevrolet Camaro driver Aaron Stanfield, who was making his initial Pro Stock final-round appearance. Three weeks earlier at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Stanfield drove a Janac Bros. COPO Camaro to his first victory in the SAM Tech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown.
This weekend, Stanfield, of Bossier City, Louisiana, will aim to add to his championship-leading points total when he faces his car owner, David Janac, in the SAM Tech.edu final postponed by rain Sept. 27. Both will then attempt to qualify for the 16-car field in the scheduled event at World Wide Technology Raceway.
FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 2:30 p.m. ET Oct. 4.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
PRO STOCK:
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS “This season is starting to almost feel normal with this last string of races. There is no Countdown, so every single Round counts and we plan on capitalizing in St. Louis. We always do well here and last year, this is where my whole season changed. We won and went on a stampede to the championship. Coming off of a U.S. Nationals win two races ago and a Team Elite win with Alex (Laughlin) last week at the Gatornationals, we are more than confident we will be a heavy player in the races to come. Starting in St. Louis.
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (points leader; won at Indianapolis in July; announced that 2020 would be his final season behind the wheel): “This is one of those tracks that I’ll never forget, no matter what happens there this weekend. It’s the only track where I’ve ever DNQd, so I kind of feel like that place owes me one. It’s also one of the only places I haven’t won, and if we could change that, I think I’d feel a little better about it.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (will set NHRA career qualifying record of 396 events; earned 105th career No. 1 qualifier in U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis; sixth in points): “I like that racetrack. St. Louis is a very fast racetrack, and the weather is going to be real good – completely different from what we had last weekend in Gainesville with the big humidity and heat. I was out early last week purely based on a rookie mistake and driver error, but the good news is my Summit Racing Chevy was a good car. We’ve got a chance to win, but so do a lot of other cars. We’ll just have to execute better this weekend, and maybe it will be my day come Sunday.”
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITEPERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner this season; five-time winner at track; third in points): “We’re assuming we still have four races left on the schedule but our mindset is that this weekend’s race could be the World Finals so we won’t be holding anything back. After a pretty decent qualifying session last weekend in Gainesville, we had an ECU crap out on us in Round 1. It was an untimely event, for sure, but we’ll test as much as necessary to make sure everything is firing like it has been the last 12 months, where we’ve really enjoyed some great momentum.”
ALEX LAUGHLIN, LAUGHLIN MOTORSPORTS, HAVOLINE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won at Gainesville on Sept. 27 for fourth career victory; fourth in points): “More than anything, I just needed that this year with how awful a year it’s been. We had a completely brand new crew (over the weekend) and we were just trying to find a routine. Everything just paid off.”