CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS
MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY IN MOHNTON, PENNSYLVANIA
SEPT. 18, 2022
Chevrolet sweeps Countdown to the Championship opener
• Top qualifier Robert Hight extends Funny Car points lead with 60th career victory
• Austin Prock picks up second career Top Fuel victory, the first since 2019 at Seattle
• Erica Enders pads Pro Stock points advantage with seventh victory of the season
• No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force sets Top Fuel track speed record at 337.66 mph
• David Barton wins all-COPO Camaro Factory Stock Showdown final, closes in on title
MOHNTON, Pa. (Sept. 18, 2022) — Chevrolet drivers made big statements in the opening round of the six-race National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Countdown to the Championship at Maple Grove Raceway.
Robert Hight, who entered the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals as the top seed in Funny Car, entered race day as the No. 1 qualifier in the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS and swept aside his four challengers. Hight recorded his field-high seventh victory of the season and 60th of his career with a 3.937-second pass in the final.
Hight delivered the 154th Funny Car win for Chevrolet since 1967, including 74 with the Camaro body.
John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock claimed his second career Top Fuel victory, driving the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster to the win over points leader Justin Ashley. Prock also defeated reigning class champion Steve Torrence and U.S. Nationals winner Antron Brown.
Erica Enders extended her Pro Stock points lead with her seventh win of the season in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, edging teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. in a rematch of the Seattle final.
No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier Brittany Force reset her year-old track speed record by more than 2 mph (337.66 mph) in her opening-round matchup. Force, who recorded her eighth top qualifier honor in 17 races this season and 40th of her career, looked to have a clean run in the second round, but the Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster sustained an explosion that cut short her day. She is nine points out of the top spot.
In an all-Chevrolet COPO Camaro final for the second consecutive race in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown, David Barton won his home race by defeating reigning series champion Aaron Stanfield of Bossier City, Louisiana, with a pass of 7.752 seconds at 177.44 mph.
“I finally got Stanfield covered; he’s been kicking my butt for two years,” said Barton, who also won two weeks ago at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and at Bristol earlier in the season.
Barton will seek to wrap up his second Factory Stock Showdown championship in the eighth and final event of the season Oct. 16 at Texas Motorplex.
Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force, making his 800th career race day appearance, was the No. 3 qualifier in the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS. He advanced to the semifinals.
Hight extended his points lead in the Countdown, picking up his 25th Funny Car win with Chevrolet.
“It’s been a dream come true,” he said. “We worked hard all winter and this Auto Club team remained focused and there was never any doubt. Sixty wins is a big number and there’s one common denominator and that’s the Auto Club. They’ve been here for every single one of them, can’t do it without ’em, Chevrolet most of them.”
Prock, who was runner-up to Ashley in the season opener at Pomona, won for the first time since Seattle in 2019. He did not compete in a JFR car in 2021 and drove a limited schedule in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is awesome. It was just one of those days where everything was kind of going our way and I’m so proud of this team,” he said. “Joe Barlam, Rahn Tobler, the whole Montana Brand team and thank you John Force for giving me this opportunity. Thank you to the brain trust for fixing my race car.”
Enders spoiled an otherwise perfect weekend for track co-owner Kyle Koretsky, driver of the Lucas Oil Camaro SS, with a semifinal victory. Coughlin, driving the JEGS.com Camaro SS, defeated Greg Anderson, who moved to second in the standings in the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, in the other semifinal.
“I’ve had a race car that most Pro Stock drivers dream about all year long,” said Enders, who is seeking her fifth Pro Stock world title. “That’s thanks to my guys back at the shop and we prepare to win races before the rigs ever pull out of Elite Motorsports.”
Chevrolet teams and drivers are back at it again Sept. 23-25 at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. On May 1 at the racetrack, No. 1 qualifier John Force prevailed in the Funny Car four-wide event. FS1 will telecast eliminations at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 25.
An interview with Funny Car winner ROBERT HIGHT, AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:
HOW MOTIVATING HAS THAT FEELING LAST YEAR – NOT WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP – BEEN FOR YOU THIS YEAR?
“It’s been a dream come true. We worked hard all winter and this Auto Club team remained focused and there was never any doubt. Sixty wins is a big number and there’s one common denominator and that’s the Auto Club. They’ve been here for every single one of them, can’t do it without ’em, Chevrolet most of them.”
TAKE US THROUGH YOUR RACE DAY.
“This is exactly how we scripted it. The only difference is it’s really easy to script something but it’s a lot harder to get out here and get the job done. It’s amazing what we accomplished this weekend. No. 1 qualifier, we got points every single run in qualifying, and then get the win. There were some big mountains we had to climb to get this win. It’s exactly how we scripted it, but it doesn’t usually go that way. One down, five to go. I’m so proud of this team. Sixty wins, I can’t even believe that. I never thought I’d get one. Very, very fortunate.”
THE FINAL ROUND AT INDY (RUNNER-UP), WAS THAT MOTIVATION?
“We were a little bummed at how Indy went. We had a great car and we spun the tires in the semifinals and Jimmy (Prock) and Chris (Cunningham) they backed it off for the final and it actually shook weak, we backed it off too much. So, maybe that taught us something, we learned. This has been a great racetrack all weekend.”
NO TIME OFF; YOU GO STRAIGHT BACK TO WORK AT CHARLOTTE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS.
“NHRA did an amazing job with the schedule. There’s nothing better than getting three of them knocked out, and this Auto Club Chevy team is carrying momentum into Charlotte. Can’t wait to get there and start again.”
An interview with Top Fuel winner AUSTIN PROCK, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER:
WHAT SENSE OF RELIEF ARE YOU FEELING?
“This is awesome. It was just one of those days where everything was kind of going our way and I’m so proud of this team. Joe Barlam, Rahn Tobler, the whole Montana Brand team and thank you John Force for giving me this opportunity. Thank you to the brain trust for fixing my race car.”
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING FOR?
“I had to get my ride back first and we started off real strong and went through a little bit of a lull, but nobody ever gave up. We just believed in ourselves and it all paid off today. Little bit of hard work and determination you can do just about anything.”
JUSTIN (ASHLEY) HAS BEEN A REAL THORN IN YOUR SIDE THIS YEAR AND YOU GOT SOME REVENGE ON HIM IN THE FINAL.
“I don’t think we beat him all year long until today, so that was huge. I was .58 on the tree and got left on by two-hundredths. That’s unbelievable, but my crew chiefs gave me a great race car today and we won as a team.”
YOU GOT INTO THE COUNTDOWN BUT YOU HAVE A LOT OF GROUND TO MAKE UP. YOU COULDN’T HAVE HAD A BETTER DAY THAN THIS.
“This is exactly what we needed to do. We could only go up. We were sitting 12th and now we’re sitting seventh, so we’re definitely right back in the mix of things. We got get another win next weekend and get on a hot streak and we could leave with the gold.”
THE MORALE FOR YOUR TEAM MUST BE AS BIG AS ANYTHING.
“It’s unbelievable how hard everyone works and when you get in a lull like that it’s definitely mentally straining because you’re putting in the same amount of work and not getting any satisfaction out of it. I can’t wait to go back and watch the race and see how excited everybody was. I got a win with my brother; I haven’t won with him since 2016 racing circle track out at Tony Stewart Racing. Doubled up with my dad and this week was my grandfather, Tom Prock’s birthday, so this is for him.”
An interview with Pro Stock winner ERICA ENDERS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:
WHY IS THE STRIVE FOR FIVE MORE ALIVE THAN EVER FOR YOU?
“In the fashion in which we lost last year it just gave us all that extra motivation – not that we didn’t want to win before that – but these boys know how to rally. When their backs are against the wall, they performed flawlessly and I’m lucky to be their driver. I’m really proud of my team. I had a goal to win at the tracks I hadn’t won at and so far we’ve accomplished three of those and I think there’s only four left, so I’m really proud and give God all the glory. This just goes to show that if you’re mentally tough you can do anything with the right people in your corner.”
YOU HAD A RACE CAR TODAY THAT MOST PRO STOCK DRIVERS DREAM ABOUT.
“I’ve had a race car that most Pro Stock drivers dream about all year long. That’s thanks to my guys back at the shop and we prepare to win races before the rigs ever pull out of Elite Motorsports, so I could not be more proud of them for their hard work and sacrifice. I do have a really fast hot rod.”
IT’S IMPORTANT IN THE COUNTDOWN TO GET OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT AND YOU DID THAT TODAY.
“We definitely got off on the right foot. We came in here with the lead, though it was a little bit of a struggle to give up over 200 points and then 300 and 400, so my guys have just done an excellent job all season long and it’s my job behind the wheel to execute perfectly and make them shine. We did that today and I could not be more proud. A huge thank you to the Koretsky family. This racetrack is phenomenal. The racing surface is flawless. The upgrades that they’ve done is unbelievable, so hats off to those guys and we’re really proud to be here.”
IN THE FINAL ROUND, YOU HAD TO PULL UP AND THINK I REMEMBER THAT GUY.
“I remember that guy because he waxed my butt in Seattle and then he got me in Topeka. My guys were yelling in my ear redemption, redemption. To have two Elite Motorsports cars in the final round, we win either way. Bring on the next race.”
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.
