CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
NGK SPARK PLUGS NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
ZMAX DRAGWAY IN CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
POST-RACE RECAP AND WINNER TRANSCRIPTS
SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2019
Chevrolet Funny Car champions place second and third
Points leader Robert Hight, the No. 1 qualifier, is runner-up in final quad
No. 3 qualifier John Force places third, just misses recording 150th win
David Barton advances to Factory Stock Showdown semis in COPO Camaro
CONCORD, North Carolina (April 28, 2019) – Robert Hight has recorded four Funny Car low-qualifier honors and three victories in the first quarter of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
“Not too shabby,” said the driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Hight added a runner-up finish in the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, missing out on his 49th career Funny Car win by a fender (4.12 seconds to his 4.15). Hight, the No. 1 qualifier, increased his Funny Car championship points lead.
“We’ll take the runner-up points; we’ve got an even bigger lead now than we came in with and that’s what’s most important,” Hight said.
Teammate John Force, the 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion, also advanced to the final quad at zMAX Dragway, where he was seeking his record-extending 150th career Funny Car win. Force, the No. 3 qualifier in the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil/Blue Def Chevrolet Camaro SS, placed third after winning both previous rounds.
Brittany Force, who entered the race weekend off a No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier and victory at Houston in the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet dragster, lost in the first quad. Force, who was competing in her 150th career Top Fuel race, was the No. 7 qualifier.
Teammate Austin Prock, the No. 8 qualifier in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, also did not advance out of the first quad.
David Barton of Robesonia, Pennsylvania, driving the Gary Wolkowitz Chevrolet COPO Camaro, advanced to the semifinals of the SAM Tech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown. Barton was the 2017 champion of the series.
Vic Cagnazzi of New York City, driving his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, advanced to the quarterfinals of Stock Eliminator.
The Arby’s NHRA Southern Nationals on May 3-5 at Atlanta Dragway is up next on the schedule. FS1 will telecast eliminations and finals at 6 p.m. ET May 5.
John Force is a seven-time Funny Car winner at the track. Teammate Robert Hight holds the track Funny Car elapsed time record of 3.880 seconds set in May 2017.
Chevrolet Pro Stock drivers, who have visited the winner’s circle in all four of their NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races, are off until the May 17-19 Virginia NHRA Nationals.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 7 qualifier; fell in first round): “Tough weekend for this Advance Auto Parts team out here at the Charlotte four-wide. We only really got down there once in qualifying and we lost a run due to weather conditions, and today we were on a good run but just one in a million, it was the fuel pump. It shut the car off on the run and I just had no power probably 500 feet on. We got beat, but overall this is Advance Auto Parts home track and all the Advance family was out here today. We worked with Building Homes for Heroes yesterday and gave a home away to a U.S. veteran. It was a good weekend and we pack up and go right to the next one in Atlanta.”
AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 8 qualifier; fell in first round): “I was excited this morning going into race day. I had a good feeling, made a good pass last night and conditions were really similar to our last qualifying session yesterday as this morning. Put it all back the same and we just didn’t repeat. I got out right at about the 330-foot mark and let the tires loose, pedaled it to run a 4.22 and just got beat. I had a good light and we’ll move onto Atlanta.”
FUNNY CAR:
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier for fourth time in six races; runner-up): “Obviously not the result we wanted. It spun the tires hard out there and shut off. We would have won it. With the car we have, the way Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham have it running, all we had to do was take staright out there. I was so far ahead we could have gotten it done. We’ll take the runner-up points; we’ve got an even bigger lead now than we came in with and that’s what’s most important.”
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK COOLANT & MOTOR OIL/BLUE DEF CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier; finished third in final quad): “I was close to getting 150 (wins), but I can’t think about that. I have the rest of my life to make 150. We were close but things happen. I’m learning how to drive again, going through a whole change. (There are) a lot of things I’m learning. It’s time to get back to where I used to be.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
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