CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY AT GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2018
Chevrolet Records Three Victories at the 49th Gatornationals
• Tanner Gray earns sixth career Pro Stock victory in Chevrolet Camaro SS
• Courtney Force follows Phoenix win with No. 2 Funny Car qualifier
• Stephen Bell drives Chevrolet COPO Camaro to SAM Tech Showdown win
• Jeff Taylor claims Stock Eliminator victory in Chevrolet COPO Camaro
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 18, 2018) – Tanner Gray added to the family’s Wally collection from Gainesville Raceway with a Pro Stock victory in the 49th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
Gray, competing in his 27th National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event, claimed his sixth win in the Valvoline Gray Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS. The 18-year-old from Mooresville, North Carolina, defeated reigning NHRA Pro Stock champion Bo Butner in the final with a pass of 6.588 seconds at 210.18 mph.
Gray’s father, Shane, won the Gatornationals’ Pro Stock class in 2017 in his Chevrolet Camaro SS. His grandfather, Johnny, earned the Funny Car title in 2013.
“It’s definitely pretty cool to win at the same places they have,” said Gray, the No. 11 qualifier who registered his 50th elimination round win in the final. “We’ve been struggling with this car, but I think it’s finally coming around. The crew gave me a solid race car all day long and gave me the opportunity to be consistent and go out there and get round wins.”
Robert Hight, the No. 3 Funny Car qualifier who set the top speed of the event at 233.66 mph in qualifications, also produced the low elapsed time at 3.894 seconds in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS in the first round of eliminations. Hight, a three-time winner of the Gatornationals, lost in the second round. An under-the-hood explosion about three-fourths of the way through the pass blow the body off the race car. Hight, the reigning NHRA Funny Car champion, was uninjured.
“We have a lot of work to do before Vegas,” Hight said. “We have a lot of things to figure out but we have the best people over here. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
John Force Racing teammate Courtney Force, the No. 2 qualifier in the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, defeated No. 15 qualifier John Force (PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS) in the first round. She lost in the quarterfinals.
Brittany Force, the No. 13 qualifier in the Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster, fell in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations. Force, the reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion, earned her first victory in the class in 2016 at Gainesville Raceway.
Gray, who recorded his first pro victory at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – the next stop on the NHRA campaign – in 2017. Butner, the No. 5 qualifier, won the season opener at Pomona, California.
Gray defeated Vincent Nobile (Mountain View Tire Chevrolet Camaro SS) in one semifinal, while Butner ousted Drew Skillman (Bill Skillman Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro SS) in the other.
Val Smeland (DVS Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS) earned his first Pro Stock round victory in 24 races. He fell in the quarterfinals to Nobile. Other first-round winners included No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS) and No. 3 qualifier and Phoenix winner Chris McGaha (Harlow Sammons of Odessa Chevrolet Camaro SS).
Chevrolet COPO Camaros comprised the semifinals of the School of Automotive Machinists & Technology (SAM Tech) NHRA Factory Stock Showdown. Stephen Bell of Shreveport, Louisiana, defeated Leonard Libersher of Wilmington, Illinois, in one semifinal. Aaron Stanfield of Bossier City, Louisiana, defeated Randy Taylor of Artesia, New Mexico, on a holeshot in the other semifinal.
Bell’s 8.176-second pass at 167.47 mph drove to the victory over his teammate in the first race of the seven-event series.
“The class is just so much fun and competitive. At St. Louis (last year) when we wrecked this car, I didn’t want to end it that way. So we worked all winter to bring the car back and now here we are. To have both of my cars in the final was just super.”
David Barton of Robesonia, Pennsylvania, driving a Gary Wolkwitz-owned Chevrolet COPO Camaro, was the No. 1 qualifier. Barton won the Gainesville event in 2017 on the way to earning the series title.
Jeff Taylor of Sellersburg, Indiana, raced to the Stock Eliminator win in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro. Scott Libersher of Wilmington, Illinois, reached the semifinals in his COPO Camaro.
“The car was really good, we got a few breaks along the way and I had a lot of good help,” Taylor said. “My wife was my crew chief this weekend, so I think she’ll stay employed.”
Brandon Bakies, of Alexandria, Louisiana, the No. 14 qualifier in the 59-car Super Stock field, reached the quarterfinals.
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continues April 6-8 with the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. FS1 will telecast qualifications live at 7 p.m. ET April 6 and taped eliminations at 6 p.m. ET April 8.
ROGER ALLEN, CHEVY RACING NHRA PROGRAM MANAGER: “It was another exciting race weekend at the 49th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, with Chevrolet teams and drivers securing wins in Pro Stock, the SAM Tech NHRA Factory Stock Showdown, and Stock Eliminator along with a runner-up finish in Stock Eliminator. Courtney Force followed up her No. 1 qualifier honor and Funny Car victory at Phoenix with a No. 2 qualifier spot, and John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight was the No. 3 qualifier in Funny Car and posted the top speed of the event in the class. After a week to regroup, test and rest, the first DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals are on deck for The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.”
An interview with Pro Stock winner TANNER GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, VALVOLINE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 11 qualifier; earned sixth Pro Stock victory in 27th pro race; picked up 50th round victory; father and grandfather also have won the Gatornationals):
AT THE END OF QUALIFYING, WERE YOU THINKING NOBODY CAN TOUCH MY CAR?
“I was actually thinking about how the traffic would be about 1 ‘o clock to go home. We’ve been struggling pretty bad with this car. (Crew chief) Dave (Connolly) has been beating his head against the wall trying to figure it out. It seems like it’s finally coming around. My grandpa came in yesterday and said you have four rounds to get this car right or we’re going to park it and bring out the back-up car. I really like this car and was hoping it would get going and it did. The crew gave me a solid race car all day long and gave me the opportunity to be consistent and go out there and get round wins.”
EVERYBODY IN ROUND ONE WAS SLOWING DOWN BECAUSE OF CONDITIONS BUT YOU EQUALED YOUR QUALIFYING PACE. DID YOU FIGURE SOMETHING OUT?
“I didn’t figure anything out; it was my crew. They did an awesome job with the car. We let it get away from us in the semifinals against Vincent (Nobile) and got a little lucky. We just regrouped for the final and had a good run. I’m just thankful to be up here.”
IS IT EXTRA SPECIAL BECAUSE YOUR GRANDPA AND FATHER HAVE WON HERE?
“It’s something that’s really cool. My little brother was racing Late Models yesterday, so my dad stayed and watched his first race. It’s definitely pretty cool to win at the same places they have.”
YOU TESTED AT BRADENTON UNDER VERY DIFFERENT (WEATHER) CONDITIONS. DID ANYTHING TRANSLATE TO HERE?
“In my opinion, no. We run 6.49 out there at 213 and come here first round and blow the tires off. It was a waste of three days right there. That’s the frustrating part. Dave (Connolly) knows what it takes; he’s been in my seat. He gave me a good car today to get down the racetrack. It might not have been the fastest, but it was right there.”
YOU’VE BEEN WILLING TO SHOW YOUR EMOTIONS POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE. DO YOU THINK THAT’S CATCHING ON (WITH FANS)?
“It’s just me. Whether I’m mad or happy, since I was little my parents have told me you have to learn how to lose. I’m a perfectionist and I’m always trying to better myself. It’s what I expect out of myself and when I don’t meet those standards … I’m definitely trying to work on it. This year I’ve tried to stay more in the middle. I’m just an emotional guy.”
Photo Credit – Auto Imagery Inc.
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