CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 GERBER COLLISION AND GLASS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS
ROUTE 66 RACEWAY
JOLIET, ILLINOIS
MAY 19-21, 2023
TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE
DETROIT (May 17, 2023) – Making their return for the first time since 2019 to Route 66 Raceway near Chicago, the Chevrolet Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock drivers and teams look to take on the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals this weekend.
Coming off of a four-series sweep in the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, North Carolina by the Bowtie brand, drivers and teams enter the fifth round of the season carrying strong momentum and keeping their eyes on the Windy City’s Winner’s Circle.
Last finishing runner-up at Route 66 Raceway, John Force Racing’s Robert Hight, driver of the Auto Club/Cornwell Tools Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, reflects on his last run at the Joliet, Illinois track with excitement, saying, “I’m excited to get back to Chicago. I love the facility. It’s close to our shop in Indiana so we have a lot of the crew guys’ families and our Force American Made shop guys come out. There’s an extra layer of excitement for me debuting the Cornwell Tools Chevy. It’s a beautiful car and I’m looking forward to showing it off. I honestly didn’t realize I was getting that close to 600 round wins. That’s really amazing and I’m really proud of that. Hopefully I get well beyond that 600, we’ll see.”
With his win in Top Fuel at zMAX Dragway, the most recent winner Austin Prock of John Force Racing, in his Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, heads to the track this weekend looking for redemption from his 2019 Round 1 elimination. “I’m looking forward to getting back in my Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist hotrod this weekend in Chicago. We are looking to pick up right where we left off in Charlotte,” Prock said. “The team did an outstanding job and I feel like we’re really hitting our strides. With our performance in Pomona, it allows us our first stab at the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and gives us a chance to make some extra cash and gain valuable points. It’s going to be a great weekend of racing being back at a beautiful facility and we’re hoping to pack the stands.”
Seeking his sixth career NHRA Pro Stock win, Sterling, Colorado’s Deric Kramer of KB Titan Racing last raced at Route 66 to the Winner’s Circle, defeating Elite Motorsports’ Erica Enders in the final. “I was already excited that Chicago was back on the schedule this season since I was the last person to win Pro Stock there in 2019 and now coming off our first win in four years a few weeks ago in Charlotte, I couldn’t ask for a better time to get to Chicago. The GetBioFuel.com Camaro tested right after Vegas and I think we found what’s been plaguing us for a few years now. Our performance has picked up and our consistency has too. Our team is excited to get to Chicago to defend our title.”
Defending his win in Charlotte and helping make the Chevrolet sweep complete, Factory Stock Showdown winner Len Lottig joins the rest of the COPO Camaro competitors in seeking the Route 66 Raceway Winner’s Circle. For the first time in series history since its inception in 2016, the Factory Stock Showdown field will compete in Joliet at Route 66 Raceway.
In addition to four rounds of elimination racing Sunday, the Route 66 NHRA Nationals welcome both the Pro Stock All-Star Call Out, as well as the #2Fast2Tasty Mission NHRA Challenge in the Top Fuel and Funny Car nitro ranks throughout the weekend.
Introduced last season, the Pep Boys NHRA All Star Callout takes the top-seeded driver in their respective class and allows for them to “call out” an opponent of choice to face off for the potential of winning big money and bragging rights. This year’s #2Fast2Tasty Mission NHRA Challenge sees semifinalists from the race weekend prior facing off during qualifying sessions, a race within a race, that has cash prizes and bragging rights also on the line.
The 2023 Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals action from Route 66 Raceway airs first with Friday qualifying Friday, May 19, at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Saturday qualifying near Chicago airs Sunday, May 21 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. Sunday’s Finals will also air on FS1, starting at 10 p.m. ET Sunday, May 21. Coverage streaming live throughout the weekend can be found through NHRA.tv, available via AppleTV, Android TV and Roku devices.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:
“I’m excited to be returning to Chicago with the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team this weekend. Route 66 Raceway is going to be a challenging one with an added #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at a track we haven’t competed at in three years. A win this weekend would be huge for this team. We’ve held No. 1 qualifiers at this event and runnered-up so we’re ready to get to the racetrack and back with the Route 66 fans while hunting down our first win of the season.”
John Force, driver of the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:
“I’m really looking forward to racing back in Chicago. We’ve already had a busy week. This being PEAK and Old World Industries’ hometown race, they had a hand in getting this race back. Just like they’ve kept me around, they’re helping keep our sport around too. Hurvis, he’s almost as old as me, we have a lot in common. He’s proud of what he’s built, brought his family in and I’m the same. He’s keeping me out here racing, I owe a lot of this to him, to PEAK, BlueDEF and all the Old World companies, they trust me, have faith in me, and that means a lot to me. It’s going to be a fun weekend with all their employees out at the race. We’re going to do our best to get them in the winner’s circle.”
Len Lottig, driver of the ITI Trailer and Truck Bodies Chevrolet COPO Camaro in Factory Stock Showdown:
“We had a great weekend in Charlotte. Really from start to finish. Low qualifier and getting the win is what every racer hopes for, especially in a competitive class like Factory Stock Showdown. The whole team was on it, we had to hustle with the weather, it was impressive. I’m lucky to be surrounded by great people. We’ve got a great team and we’re having fun and we all just want it to continue. Our new crew members, Tomi Laine and Dave Yedney, have been a huge part of our success this season, both myself and Jesse (Alexandra). We have a great team around us. So, we’re looking forward to Chicago. First time for us being at Route 66 Raceway in Factory Stock, should be a good show.”
TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS
1,426: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time)
599: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 618.
371: Number of wins in Pro Stock since 1970; 252 won in the Chevrolet Camaro body
165: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time)
157: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967
77: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time)
76: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro body
45: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Brittany Force
27: Number of NHRA championships Chevrolet holds as a manufacturer since entering the first in 1966. No other manufacturer has won it more than Chevrolet.
24: Wins by John Force in a Chevrolet-bodied Funny Car
18: Number of Pro Stock championships
20: Chevrolet career Top Fuel wins in NHRA
16: Number of Chevrolet career wins by Brittany Force
7: Number of Funny Car driver championships
2: Number of Top Fuel driver championships
MOST RECENT WIN IN NHRA BY CHEVROLET
Charlotte 1 (Four-Wide)
Austin Prock (Top Fuel)
Robert Hight (Funny Car)
Deric Kramer (Pro Stock)
Len Lottig (Factory Stock Showdown)
2019 NHRA CHICAGO WINS BY CHEVROLET
Deric Kramer, Pro Stock
2019 NHRA CHICAGO NO. 1 QUALIFIERS BY CHEVROLET
Robert Hight, Funny Car
Greg Anderson, Pro Stock
MOST RECENT DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NHRA BY CHEVROLET
2022: Brittany Force, Top Fuel
2022: Erica Enders, Pro Stock
2022: David Barton, Factory Stock Showdown
2019: Robert Hight, Funny Car
UPCOMING NHRA MILESTONES
950: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) is second all-time with 916 elimination round wins. He could reach 950 round wins with a decent run in the 18-race schedule.
600: Robert Hight has 599 Funny Car elimination wins to rank 13th on the all-time NHRA list; Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car) sits 12th with 615.
441: By qualifying for his next race, Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) will extend his NHRA record to 440 consecutive race day appearances. His first appearance came in 2002 at Pomona 2, and he holds the longest career qualifying streak in NHRA.
138: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) ranks third on the NHRA all-time list with 121 No. 1 qualifiers. He will tie Warren Johnson (Pro Stock, 138) for second to John Force (165) on the list.
263: By qualifying for his next race, Robert Hight will extend his NHRA record to 262 consecutive race day appearances. His first appearance came in 2010 at Pomona 2, and he currently sits seventh in career qualifying streaks in NHRA (Doug Kalitta is sixth at 272).
65: Robert Hight moved into the top 10 on the all-time NHRA victory list with his win in Pomona 1 with 63. Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock, retired) is next ninth on list with 65.
46: Erica Enders has 43 career Pro Stock victories (all with Chevrolet, first win coming at Chicago, 2012 and last win at Las Vegas 2, 2022). Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) is the all-time NHRA female leader with 46.
18: Brittany Force (16 Top Fuel career wins) will move past Shirley Muldowney (18 wins) into third on the NHRA all-time victory list for females. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, 43) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, 46) are ahead.
6: Erica Enders (Pro Stock) could tie Warren Johnson (6 Pro Stock championships) for second on the class list. The same holds for Greg Anderson. Bob Glidden is the leader with 10.
3: Brittany Force (Top Fuel, 2 championships) would tie Shirley Muldowney (Top Fuel) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) for second on the NHRA all-time championship list by females with another title in 2023. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, 5) is the leader.
About Chevrolet
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