CHEVROLET AT READING
What: Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil
When: Friday, Sept. 10-Sunday, Sept. 12
Where: Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania
TV: FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 12
Team Chevy expects success in Countdown to the Championship
Chevrolet drivers are either Nos. 1 or 2 seed for playoff opening round
DETROIT (Sept. 9, 2021) – Chevrolet competitors in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock open the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Countdown to the Championship this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Championship contenders would be the more appropriate label as all 13 Chevrolet drivers who qualified for the playoffs across the three NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series categories enter the first round with expectations spiced with dashes of hope and momentum.
The nitro categories will race seven times and Pro Stock has six events on the way to crowning NHRA champions Nov. 16 in Pomona, California. The 2020 event at Maple Grove Raceway was not contested because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Force, driving PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS, enters the Countdown as the No. 2 seed as he seeks his record-extending 17th Funny Car world championship. Force was runner-up in the 2019 race at Maple Grove to open the playoff format.
“It’s the time when you get that fire in your belly, it’s the Countdown, the final stretch,” said Force, who along with teammate Robert Hight is among three Funny Car drivers who have qualified for every Countdown. “I’m proud of what this PEAK Chevy team has done so far. Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, all these young guys, they’ve worked hard and we’re hoping to make it pay off in the end.”
No. 2 Top Fuel seed Brittany Force will aim for her second victory of the season and extend her No. 1 qualifying streak. Her six consecutive top qualifier honors in the category was last accomplished in 2005 by Tony Schumacher, and she has earned the top spot eight times in 13 races.
Force was the No. 1 qualifier (3.623 seconds at 331.61 mph) in the 2019 event at Maple Grove Raceway.
“Indy, the U.S. Nationals and the regular season is behind us and the Countdown to the Championship has officially begun,” Force said. “Now this Flav-R-Pac team really has to step it up. It’s game on. Every point matters, every run matters, everything we do matters and we can’t make mistakes.”
Four-time and reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders also brings momentum into the opening round after winning the U.S. Nationals title for the second consecutive year in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS. Enders, who has posted three wins in the 11 regular-season races, is the No. 2 seed behind Greg Anderson in the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS for KB Racing.
“Momentum is huge in our game and we are hopeful to continue it through,” she said. “The tracks that are in the Countdown are good to my team and I. When it comes down to when it matters, my guys perform flawlessly and I tend to do my job normally as well. It will be a dogfight. I’m going to do my best to put it on top.”
FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 12.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC/MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 2 seed): “We start the Countdown this weekend in Reading. This team is looking to get everything we can out of this weekend. We plan for three solid qualifying runs, another No. 1 qualifier and going rounds on race day. We are chasing down that top spot.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 seed): “I love coming out to Reading and Maple Grove Raceway. The fans, the setting, it’s great. Kicking off the Countdown, being up there in points, No. 2, we’re going after it. I’ve still got a lot of fight in me. I’m ready, my team is ready. I love this, it’s going to be a fun ride and I’m ready to get started.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 6 seed): “This Auto Club team has figured things out at the right time. We need to go A to B, get the car down the track, earn qualifying points and set ourselves up to go rounds on race day. We know we can do that. We’ve either been on or off, we haven’t had any in between. We took advantage of some testing and we’re confident with what we have. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham have a handle on the Chevy and they’ll get us to where we need to be. Maple Grove Raceway is a fast racetrack. Conditions there are always set up to be exciting. It’s why it’s a great place to start the Countdown and gain some confidence, some momentum, to go after another championship.”
PRO STOCK:
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 seed): “I’m feeling good about what we’re going to be able to do in the Countdown. We have a lot of strong cars over here under the umbrella, a lot of chances to win. I’m going to make sure when I get to the track that everything is perfect. I’m feeling good in the driver’s seat, and that’s a big part of the equation. (Three race weekends in a row) I’ve often said the more we can race the better off we are. It’s a high challenge for everyone.”
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 seed): “Ninety percent of this game is mental. Yes, it’s physically draining on your body. On the mental side, you have to stay up; you have to stay positive and dwell on the things you want instead of the negative aspects. The people I have standing behind me are not only working on the car but help keep me up. (Ahead of the Countdown) We started off on the right foot by winning Indy and that was my goal. I knew we couldn’t pass Greg Anderson (for the points lead) but my goal was to go into the Countdown in second place. We accomplished that goal with a win in the process and we’re going to try to carry that U.S. Nationals win to Reading, to Charlotte, to St. Louis.”
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 4 seed): “We’ve got momentum, go into our hometown race with our heads up. That will be chaotic with all my friends coming out to support me. They know it’s all I’ve wanted to do all my life is race Pro Stock. To be No. 1 at the U.S. Nationals is a great honor and to be runner-up is disappointing, but my team has done a great job. We’re here to win races. This Lucas Oil car has been a hot rod all year and if the driver does his job we have a shot to win out here.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CAMARO SS (No. 5 seed): “I feel like we have a great car going into the Countdown and I’m really excited about it. We have a lot of momentum from the last three races we have a win and two semifinals. If I can keep that going throughout the Countdown, then I’ll let the points play out.”
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS MAIL ORDER CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 7 seed): “It’s my first Countdown and I’m extremely proud to be a part of the field and, more importantly, to be headed into the battle with this incredible group. Pro Stock is so tight with so many great drivers, literally the best in the world, and it usually comes down to fractions of a second every race. You have to seek joy in the struggles and the challenges along the way, learn from them, and then put it all behind you and stay locked on to what’s directly ahead. That’s what it takes to win consistently and I have a great example of how to achieve ultimate success right across my pit with Erica (Enders, teammate and four-time world champion).”
About Chevrolet
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