CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS
NEW ENGLAND DRAGWAY IN EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE
JUNE 5, 2022
Chevrolet picks up important points in New Hampshire
• Erica Enders earns third Pro Stock victory in a row, fourth of the season
• No. 3 qualifier Robert Hight races to Funny Car runner-up finish
• Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force sets track speed record
EPPING, N.H. (June 5, 2022) — Erica Enders said at the beginning of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) season that she was on a mission to return the No. 1 to the side of the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Through six of 18 rounds of the Pro Stock campaign, Enders is on target in pursuit of her fifth world championship.
Enders earned her third consecutive victory and fourth of the season, strengthening her points lead over Elite Motorsports teammate and runner-up Aaron Stanfield in the NHRA New England Nationals.
Enders, who also defeated Stanfield in the final of the season-opening race at Pomona, California, claimed her 37th career Pro Stock victory and 400th round win with a 6.547-second pass to Stanfield’s 6.553 in the Janac Brothers Camaro SS.
“This is the best way we’ve ever started off any year in my Pro Stock driving career, even ’15 when we completely dominated and won nine races and were in 11 finals. Team Elite has won five of six and we’ve won four of the six. It just goes to show that hard work and determination are second to none,” said Enders, who finished 61 points behind champion Greg Anderson in 2021.
Robert Hight was also looking for his fourth win of the season in the AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. The No. 3 Funny Car qualifier faced off against points leader Matt Hagan in the final for the second time this season, with Hight’s car rattling the tires and crossing the line with his second runner-up finish of the season. Hight defeated Hagan in Phoenix.
John Force, the No. 2 qualifier in the PEAK BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS, fell in the second round in the 144th Funny Car matchup with Ron Capps.
Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force, the No. 2 qualifier in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, lost to John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock in the second round. Force reset the Top Fuel track speed record in qualifications at 334.32 mph.
Prock, the No. 3 qualifier in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, was ousted in the semifinals by eventual event winner Mike Salinas.
The NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on June 17-19 in Bristol, Tennessee, is next on the schedule for Chevrolet teams.
An interview with Pro Stock winner Erica Enders (No. 3 qualifier in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS):
THIS IS THE BEST START OF YOUR CAREER. WHAT MAKES THIS YEAR DIFFERENT?
“After the way that we lost last year, just losing by a couple of rounds to Greg Anderson and him being able to sport the No. 1 on his car instead of that Melling Performance hot rod, it just gives us a little extra motivation. I have to give a huge shoutout to the race car shop. They are the ones who dig deep and make this happen. I was thinking on my way to get buckled in the car, how special is this. You see this house packed with people, and I’m just a little kid living my dream.”
EVEN YOU COULDN’T HAVE IMAGINED YOUR SUCCESS THIS SEASON.
“This is the best way we’ve ever started off any year in my Pro Stock driving career, even ’15 when we completely dominated and won nine races and were in 11 finals. Team Elite has won five of six and we’ve won four of the six. It just goes to show that hard work and determination are second to none. The guys who stand behind me are the ones who make it happen. I said no more nice Erica because of the way we lost the championship last year, coming down to the wire even with Greg (Anderson) dominating all year. It’s our mission this year to put that No. 1 back on the Melling Performance hot rod.”
IN THE SEMIFINALS WHEN YOUR CAR STARTED SHAKING, WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR HEAD BEFORE YOUR SAW THE WIN LIGHT?
“It started to rattle and then went full-blown shake. When it shook and I pulled second gear and it wasn’t having it, I looked over and Mason (McGaha) wasn’t ahead of me, so I just jammed it in third, pedaled it and tried to roll on. I never look at the scoreboard ever because you have to shift. I shut it down. I go back to 8-year-old Erica. This is all I ever wanted. I can’t be more proud of my team.”
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 2 qualifier; fell in second round): “It was a tough weekend for our Monster Energy team. We made some good runs, but we got beat in round two over a holeshot. We’ll pack up and head to the next one. Still in the points lead and we still have great confidence for the rest of the season.”
AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRANDS/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 3 qualifier; fell in semifinals): “Another good showing on Sunday for this Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist team. Really proud of my guys after this weekend. We were not easy on them in qualifying and they kept a good attitude and their heads down to prepare the car each round. We made some solid passes as a team today and know our time is coming. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier; fell in second round): “We ended up qualifying pretty well and we got a couple win lights. Not a bad weekend for this PEAK Chevy. Not great, but not bad. Everyone did pretty well. Brittany with Monster and Prock having to race against each other. Prock making it to the semis with Montana Brand. And then Robert with AAA getting to another final. They’re keeping up the fight. And we’re still in it. Sitting fourth in points, you know, we’ll be OK.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AAA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier; runner-up): “Tough way to end the day. You know, this AAA Chevy got a little lucky in the first round. Had to pedal it and was able to pull it off, but then we really stepped it up and were running well. We just couldn’t get the job done in the final. It’s another fina round though, and it’s points on the board. We just have to keep it up. Keep running well, pick ourselves up if we stumble and that’s what this team does. They don’t give up. We’ll just head to the next one and look to get the job done in Bristol.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
