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chevy racing–nhra–houston advance

CHEVROLET AT HOUSTON What: 35th NHRA SpringNationalsWhen: Friday, April 22-Sunday, April 24Where: Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, TexasTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations at 7:30 p.m. ET April 24                                                                       Team Chevy seeks to close out Houston Raceway Park in styleVenue has been the site of notable accomplishments for Chevrolet drivers over the years
DETROIT (April 21, 2022) – Erica Enders literally and figurately grew up at Houston Raceway Park, so the National Hot Rod Association’s swan song at the facility this weekend will be full of emotions for the four-time Pro Stock champion.
After 35 years in operation, the track will close after its 2022 season.
“HRP has meant so much to me my entire life,” the Houston native said. “I literally fell in love with the sport watching my dad (Gregg Enders) race here before I was old enough to drive. When they first announced the junior dragster program, I couldn’t get down here fast enough to start racing myself.”
That was at age 8. Enders won her first NHRA national event at Houston Raceway Park in Super Gas in 2004, and 10 years later claimed the Wally in Pro Stock against Allen Johnson. She also won in 2015 on the way to completing her second successive championship season.
“It’s always been my home track and a place where I want to win more than any other. Winning the last race here would be huge,” she said. “All the steps I had to take to get to Pro Stock came at this track, so all those memories always come flooding back. The track has been good to me in the past and it’s my home turf, so we’re excited to get things underway and see what happens.”
Enders, the most recent winner on the Pro Stock tour in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, is just three points shy of championship leader Aaron Stanfield in the Janac Brothers Camaro SS after four or the scheduled 18 events.
The track has been the site of many special moments in NHRA history, including Texan Lucinda McFarland driving a Chevrolet Lumina to the 14th qualifier spot in Pro Stock in the 1992 event to join Kim LaHaie (Top Fuel) and Paula Martin (Funny Car) as the first time three females qualified in all three pro classes.
Notable accomplishments at Houston by current Chevrolet drivers:
* Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force earned his 100th victory at Houston in 2002. He is a seven-time winner and 10-time No. 1 qualifier at the track, most recently in 2019.* Brittany Force is a two-time winner at the track (2018, 2019) and holds the Top Fuel track records for elapsed time (3.661 seconds) and speed (332.18 mph) set in April 2019 on the way to the No. 1 qualifier.
Road trip: John and Brittany Force pack up their Chevrolet Suburban and head to Las Vegas
* Three-time NHRA Funny Car champion Robert Hight is a four-time Funny Car winner at the track, including the past two races (2021 and 2019) he has competed. Hight earned his initial NHRA Funny Car win in the 2005 race at Houston. He was runner-up in 2018 and ’17 and is a two-time No. 1 qualifier at the track.* Five-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson is a three-time winner (2004, 2008, 2016) at the track and three-time No. 1 qualifier.* Four-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Erica Enders is a two-time winner the track (2014, ’15) and runner-up in 2018. She holds the Pro Stock track speed record (213.37 mph) set in April 2013. She earned her first national event win at the track in Super Gas in 2004.* Pro Stock points leader Aaron Stanfield, who has a win, runner-up finish and a pair of No. 1 qualifiers through four races, earned his inaugural Pro Stock victory at the track in the penultimate race of the shortened 2020 season. Also, Bo Butner picked up his first Pro Stock win in 2017 and Matt Hartford got on the Wally tally sheet in 2018 at Houston.
Brittany Force, the 2017 Top Fuel champion, closed to four points of the championship lead with her victory in last race on the schedule in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster. She defeated past champions Steve Torrence, Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown in the final of the four-wide event in Las Vegas with a 3.718-second pass at a blistering 338.00 mph.
“It’s all about consistency,” crew chief David Grubic said. “We need the performance, but we also need the consistency and we need reliability as well. We’ve had our share of No. 1s. We want race day results now; that’s what it’s all about.”
Hight, driving the Auto Club of Southern California Camaro SS, is aiming to retake the Funny Car championship lead with his third victory of the season. Reigning Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson will seek to join John Force as the only pro class drivers with 100 wins. Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, is sixth in points.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITTOP FUELBRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (winner at Las Vegas; two-time winner at the track; holds both ends of the Top Fuel track records set in 2019; second in points): “We’re coming off a win in Las Vegas and our Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team heads to Houston this weekend still on such a high. There’s this momentum after a win that excites and motivates the entire team to get to the next race and chase down another win. Houston Raceway Park has carried my team to a winner’s circle two times in my career and we’re looking for back-to-back wins at Houston’s final NHRA nationals event. Looking forward to seeing what this team can pull off.”
AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (runner-up at Pomona opener): “I’m really looking forward to Houston, John Force Racing has had a lot of success and made history at this facility. I’d love to add my name to that list, especially with it being the final one. I’ve got two wins as a crew guy at Houston Raceway Park, including my first ever in 2018 when I worked on Brittany Force’s dragster and the second, in 2021, was my first win with my dad on Robert Hight’s team, so it’s got a special place in my heart. I’m excited to get back in the seat, I feel like we’re on the right track to perform with the best. I can’t wait to see how our cards fall.”
FUNNY CARJOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (seven-time winner at the track; will have special throwback look to his Camaro): “Houston Raceway Park has been good to me over the years. I’m looking forward to getting back there. The Angel family put on a great show and NHRA is working hard to make this one special. John Force Racing, not just me, has a lot of history here, a lot of wins here, a lot of success. PEAK, they wanted to do something special for the 20th anniversary of my 100th win and I’m excited to get out and show this Chevy hot rod off. Maybe it will bring me some good luck and get us a win We’re right there, Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi all these young kids, they’re working hard and it’ll pay off. We just have to keep at it and I’ve got to keep doing my job.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner this season; four-time winner at the track, including 2021, 2019 and his first-ever Funny car win in 2005; No. 1 qualifier at Gainesville): “Houston Raceway Park is a special place for me. It’s where I got my first win, it was really unbelievable, going from a crew guy and then, in my rookie season getting a win just four races in. Jimmy Prock, he has some magic at Houston, he has this AAA Texas Chevy dialed in here. We have some momentum already this year, those two wins to start the season, it’s a great start. Hopefully, with our past success, and what we have building already this season, we get this AAA Chevy in the winner’s circle.”
PRO STOCKGREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner of event; seeking to become second pro driver with 100 wins): “Yes, we’ve done well there before, but it’s been a few years since I’ve seen the winner’s circle in Houston. But that distance between wins just makes you that much more hungry for it. Right now, we’re hungry. But we’ll try to be patient, we’ll continue to work on what we have, and hopefully we’ll get to Houston with everything we need to get the job done. Hopefully, we’ll put our name in the record book as the last winner there. We showed flashes of being back to on our game in Vegas and come race day I made a mistake as a driver. I made a couple of mistakes on the starting line and it definitely cost the car some ET. Definitely had a good car; we were the quickest car on both runs on Saturday. We’ve been home working for a couple of weeks here trying to make our engines run better yet, so hopefully we’ll not only run strong in qualifying we’ll race good on Sunday.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner at Gainesville; No. 1 qualifier at Houston in 2021): “We’ve had a few weeks off since Vegas and I’m rested and ready for Houston. I had my first No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock in Houston last year so it’s kind of a special place for my RAD Torque Systems team. Looking forward to this weekend.”
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier at Phoenix; runner-up at Gainesville): “I would love to win any race in general, but definitely the last one in Houston. The guys in the engine shop have gotten ready after Vegas and I’m ready to go racing. I don’t like these long breaks. Our car works well on the hot, greasy tracks so I expect us to compete for the win.”
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up at Phoenix): “It’s the last race ever at Houston Raceway Park and I’d love to get my first-ever win in Pro Stock to mark this really special occasion. My uncle Jeg won his first Pro Stock race here back in 1997 and went on to win 64 more in the class, including a total of five at this track, so this place has definitely been kind to Team JEGS through the years. Plus, my dad (Troy) made his Pro Stock debut there in 1994 and my uncle John won Super Gas here in 1995. There’s lots of history for the sport and for our family at HRP.”
CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, SAND HAULERS OF AMERICA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first season in Pro Stock; quarterfinalist at Arizona and Gainesville): “I have never raced at Houston, so I don’t have any good or bad memories. We have had winning Houston as a goal. We are trying to win every race but getting that first win in Houston would be special for sure. Every race I feel like I am making progress as a driver. The support I am getting from my family and team has been so important.”
BO BUTNER, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JOHNSON’S HORSEPOWERED GARAGE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (2017 champion; earned first Pro Stock win at track same year): “A good friend of mine that’s a retired driver told me that it takes a minute to learn how to win, and once you get it, everything just clicks. That’s true, but you also need the right equipment and to be in the right place at the right time. I’m not 100% sure what it is about Houston Raceway Park, but I can tell you this: The fans there love this class, and it’s a fast racetrack. I’m happy to go back this year.” 
MASON MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time semifinalist in four races; making 30th Pro Stock start; fifth in points): “I’ve gotten more and more runs. I feel comfortable. Last year was like my rookie year with 2020 being a short year with COVID. It allowed us to go into the offseason like a normal year and go into Pomona and not Gainesville like we did the year before. If we keep making good runs and I keep making good lights, at some point we’ve got to get that extra push.”