CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS FINALS, 2023 NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS QUALIFYING RECAP
BRISTOL DRAGWAY
BRISTOL, TENNESSEE
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
JUNE 10, 2023
JOHN FORCE LEADS TEAM CHEVY IN EPPING FINALS AT BRISTOL WITH 265TH FINAL ROUND APPEARANCE
- John Force takes BlueDef Camaro SS to Final Round in Epping Finals at Bristol
- Robert Hight claimed the No. 1 Qualifier for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, his 2nd of the season and 79th of his career
- Brittany Force posted No. 2 Qualifier in Top Fuel for the Thunder Valley Nationals
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2023) – In a first-ever combined NHRA race weekend to finish the weather-interrupted New England Nationals from New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire while simultaneously running the qualifying rounds for the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tennessee, John Force led the way for Team Chevy in final eliminations for Epping.
After defeating Tim Wilkerson in Elimination Round One, with a 4.063 seconds , 324.36 mph to Wilkerson’s 4.004, 318.99, Force went on to face Alex Laughlin in Round Two. The 16-time champion downed Laughlin with a 4.090. 318.54 to move to the semi-finals.
JR Todd on deck for the Force, the winningest driver in NHRA history. With a little baby holeshot, Force topped Todd with a 4.105, 319.07 to a 4.098, 319.90 to send Force to his 265th final round appearance and his first of the young 2023 NHRA season.
Lining up alongside Bob Tasca III, Force staged his Blue Def Camaro SS Funny Car deep and posted a .045 reaction time to Tasca’s .065 and the race was on with Tasca pulling ahead to post a 4.032, 322.96 for the win to Force’s 4.085. 320.51.
For making it into the semifinals of the New England Nationals Force automatically competed in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and finished runner-up to earn two championship points to be added at the conclusion of the regular season and $3,000.
“It would have been nice to have won the Epping, N.H. NHRA New England Nationals race and the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, but I didn’t get the job done,” Force said. “We had a good race BlueDEF race car which keeps Chevrolet, PEAK, and all our sponsors happy. Cornwell was out at the track with a lot of their customers this weekend too. We’ll get back in the game tomorrow morning. It’s a new day and a new race tomorrow morning.”
Robert Hight behind the wheel of his AAA of New England Camaro SS scored a Round One win over Alexis DeJoria 3.938, 321.35 to 3.999, 322.88. Round Two provided drama with both cars hazing the tires and then Bob Tasca III ultimately blowing an engine near the top-end of the track. Tasca took the W with a 4.418, 267.69 to Hight’s 4.441, 202.00.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve crossed the finish line like that. It happens, you’re out here racing for a round win and it’s greasy. We put four cylinders out on one side so it turned on me in a hurry. Usually, you can catch it pretty quick but that one got me,” Hight said. “Anyways, sorry to the fans, to AAA and Cornwell and Chevy, we could have gotten another round win there.”
Defending Top Fuel Champions Brittany Force, Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel car bested Josh Hart 3.747, 334.48 to 4.201, 202.85 in Round One of Final Eliminations. Round Two was a pedal-fest between B. Force and Justin Ashley, eventual winner of the New England Nationals, with Brit going down with a 4.322, 274.05 to Ashley’s 4.097, 255.92.
“Epping, the New England Nationals was a little bit of a struggle for this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team,” Force said. “We got beat in the second round, but we still had a couple of good laps under our belt that set us up for qualifying for Bristol and hopefully a long race day.”
In Top Fuel Round One Elimination, Austin Prock piloting the Montana Brand Chevrolet Top Fuel car put down a stellar run of 3.787, 326.08. However, he lined up next to Steve Torrence who laid down a 3.753, 329.10 to end Prock’s Epping make-up early.
“It was a tough first-round loss last night for this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. There was a lot on the line that round and we came up short,” Prock said. “It’s frustrating but we will bounce back.”
THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS QUALIFYING:
When track conditions were optimal, Robert Hight drove the Cornwall Tools Camaro SS Funny Car to the No. 1 Qualifier for Sunday’s finals with a pass of 3.938, 321.35 on Friday night under the lights. The run held on Saturday with much warmer air and track temperatures.
John Force ended the four qualifying sessions in 10th spot for Sunday’s Finals at the track they call Thunder Valley in his BlueDef Camaro SS Funny Car with a pass of 4.063, 324.36.
Brittany Force piloted the Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel car to the No. 2 qualifier spot, also maximizing the cooler Friday night conditions with a pass of 3.747, 334.48.
Austin Prock will stage in 8th tomorrow in the cockpit of his Montana Brand Chevrolet Top Fuel car after putting down a run of 3.787, 326.08.
Erica Enders broke through to capture her first No. 1 qualifier of the 2023 NHRA Pro Stock Season. Piloting her familiar red Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Elite Motorsports Camaro SS a run of 6.627, 205.88.
It is the reigning world champion’s 30th No. 1 of her career.
And closing out a very busy day on-track, Aaron Stanfield claimed his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty win piloting his Janac Brothers Chevrolet Camaro, going 6.637, 206.32 to claim the additional prize money and valuable championship points. His win came over fellow Team Chevy driver and three time Pro Stock winner this season, Dallas Glenn.
THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS RACE DAY INFORMATION
Due to the threat of inclement weather late in the day, the NHRA has moved the start time to 10:00 AM ET.
Round 2, Semifinals, and Finals of the New England Nationals makeup event will air Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET on FS1. A recap of Saturday’s Thunder Valley Nationals qualifying airs Sunday, June 11 at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Thunder Valley Nationals Finals will wrap up the stacked weekend, airing on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. Coverage streaming live throughout the weekend can be found through NHRA.tv, available via AppleTV, Android TV and Roku devices.
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