CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
MOPAR EXPRESS LANE NHRA NATIONALS
MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY, READING, PENNSYLVANIA
SEPT. 12, 2021
Chevrolet makes big moves in Countdown to Championship opener
• Greg Anderson ties Warren Johnson’s Pro Stock wins record at 97
• John Force takes Funny Car points lead with runner-up finish
• Brittany Force sets Top Fuel record with seventh No. 1 qualifier in a row
READING, Pa. (Sept. 12, 2021) – Greg Anderson had heard “When are you going to get the monkey off your back?” ad infinitum since hoisting the Pro Stock Wally on May 2 at Atlanta Dragway.
The four-time National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock champion answered that question at Maple Grove Raceway, winning the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals to tie his former boss for the most career victories in the class at 97.
Now Anderson, driver of the HendrickCar.com Chevrolet Camaro SS, will be asked “When are you going to win the big one?” He has a succinct answer.
“It’s coming,” said Anderson, who defeated fellow champion Erica Enders in the final.
“It feels pretty cool to make some history today. After the Atlanta race we were on a roll and I kind of dropped the ball and couldn’t find a way to the winner’s circle,” said Anderson, who claimed victory No. 97 in his 164th final. “It just feels fantastic. To tie Warren Johnson for the wins record, that’s saying a lot.”
The opening round of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship also saw John Force move to the top of the Funny Car standings with a runner-up finish in the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Camaro SS. Force, the No. 11 qualifier, defeated teammate Robert Hight, the No. 2 qualifier in the Automobile Club of Southern California Camaro SS, in the semifinals.
Brittany Force set a NHRA Top Fuel season record with her seventh consecutive No. 1 qualifier – and ninth in 14 races – with a 3.660-second pass in the Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster. She also set the track speed record at 335.57 mph.
Force, who was the No. 1 qualifier the last time NHRA competed at Maple Grove Raceway in 2019, was tied with Tony Schumacher (2005) for the most top qualifiers in a row in one season. Gary Beck holds the most Top Fuel No. 1s in a row with nine, set in the 1982-83 seasons.
Force, second in the playoff standings, fell in the semifinals when the dragster lost power with a cylinder out.
Enders, the winner at the U.S. Nationals a week earlier and the No. 1 qualifier in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS, defeated Rookie of the Year candidate Dallas Glenn, driving the RAD Torque Systems Camaro SS. Anderson, the No. 2 qualifier, beat Troy Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Camaro SS on a holeshot in the semifinals.
Anderson, who expanded his championship points lead over Enders with the win, had recorded three runner-up finishes after the Atlanta victory in pursuit of Johnson’s mark. Anderson started in drag racing as a crew member and later crew chief for Johnson during four of his six Pro Stock championship seasons. John Force is the all-time NHRA leader with 154 victories.
“Great day to get the Hendrick Automotive Group their first win and more importantly Rick Hendrick; I don’t think he’s ever won a drag race Wally. Well, now he has,” Anderson said.
Round 2 of the Countdown to the Championship will be contested Sept. 17-19 at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina. FOX will telecast eliminations from the DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals live at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19.
An interview with Pro Stock winner GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier, 97th career victory in 164th final, surpassed 1,400 career elimination rounds, third win of season, points leader):
BECAUSE ERICA WAS IN THE OTHER LANE WAS IT MORE SPECIAL?
“It’s always special. She’s awesome; she does a great job behind the wheel of that race car, and she wins so many races on a holeshot. You’ve got to run your own game up there. You just have to forget who is in that other lane and you’re racing that Christmas Tree and that racetrack. If you do anything other than that, you’re just going to screw up. I was able to focus on that and do a good job in the final. It was my turn today. I guess it hadn’t been my turn. It’s been a tough run the last few races, but I haven’t been that far off. I just had to stick to my game and keep doing what I was doing. It feels pretty cool to make some history today. Obviously, I respect Warren Johnson; I learned a ton from him. That was my other life, this is a new life and we’re tied. It just feels fantastic.”
YOU GUYS OBVIOUSLY MADE ADJUSTMENTS AND MADE THE RIGHT ONES FOR THE FINAL ROUND.
“We made a great run first round and then slipped a little second round. Third round we got a little worse yet, so the boys had to make some big changes for the final round. We hit it on the nose. It’s so hard to win out here and the competition is so great, you just can’t make mistakes. We did not make one in the final and neither did the driver and that’s what it takes. I have a great new sponsor on the side of my race car. I believe this is his (Rick Hendrick) first drag race Wally. Pretty good day for me and the Hendrick Automotive Group.”
WHAT DID YOU FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU SAW THE WIN LIGHT?
“I was shocked. I was absolutely shocked. So many races in a row that that light did not come on. You think you’ve got everything going for you and everything is going swimmingly and the light just come on in the final round. There’s nothing better than when that light comes on in the final round of an NHRA national event. That’s what we look forward to; that’s why we do this. It’s everything to us. Huge day. To tie Warren Johnson for the wins record, that’s saying a lot. I have a lot of history with him. It’s a cool story. I’m going to my home track of Charlotte and I can’t think of a better place to break the record. You can’t break the record until you tie it and I just finally got it done today. Starting the playoffs on a high note. There are a lot of great cars in the class and anybody can win, but I think deep down we all know that Erica is going to be the one to beat, that you’re going to have to get around if you’re going to win the championship. She doesn’t make mistakes. I’m so proud of this team that I race for and I’m having a blast. I’m 60 years old and I’m having more fun than I’ve ever had in a race car.”
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT:
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 1 qualifier, fell in semifinals): “The first race of the Countdown is behind us and our Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy team is in a better position than we were coming into this race. We picked up bonus points and made a semifinal round appearance. We kept our number two position and plan to step it up in Charlotte.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK/BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 11 qualifier, fell final): “Well, we got the points lead. That’s important. Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, they figured this PEAK Chevy our and really gave me a heck of a car today. The whole PEAK team, they worked hard, put things together and all I had to do was drive the car. It was fun today, the crowd, Maple Grove Raceway up here in Pennsylvania. Great way to start the Countdown. Now we get to do it all over again next weekend.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier, fell semifinals to John Force): “It’s tough out there in Funny Car. I knew it was going to be. This Countdown is going to be a fight to the end. Not a bad weekend for this Auto Club Chevy team. We gained some points, went some rounds and made some consistent runs. That’s what we need – to be consistent, to be aggressive and make good runs. Luckily, we get a chance to keep up the momentum right away with the race in Charlotte next weekend.”
PRO STOCK:
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 6 qualifier; fell in semifinals): “It turned out to be a great weekend. The guys had the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro running very strong and they certainly made the right adjustments for race day. The car was very fast. It’s a fun time of year with the Countdown underway and it always a good feeling when you’re able to move up the standings. My crew chief, Mark Ingersoll, along with Kyle Bates, Eric Luzinski, Kelly Murphy and Steven Hurley, they know what needs to be done to put us in a position to make a run at the title. This Elite team has been doing exactly that for years.”
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 5 qualifier; fell in quarterfinals): “It just shows that the KB guys give equal power to everybody out here that rents from there and they make some serious power. Everything felt good going down the track. I go to every single race looking to win, but I’m going to take every round one by one. It’s great to be home; I’ve got lots of friends and family here.”
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