CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
BRISTOL DRAGWAY
BRISTOL, TENNESSEE
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
JUNE 11, 2023
ERICA ENDERS TAKES CHEVROLET TO THE THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS WINNER’S CIRCLE AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY
- Racing to her 44th career NHRA Pro Stock victory, Enders gives Chevrolet their 373rd win in the class and 254th in the Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car.
- Enders now inches closer to becoming the all-time female leader in NHRA victories, earning her 44th behind Angelle Sampey in Pro Stock Motorcycle with 46.
- Enders finished where she started race day, qualifying No. 1 for the Thunder Valley Nationals with her run of 6.627 ET at 206.95 MPH to earn her 30th NHRA career No. 1 qualifier.
- Enders 30th No. 1 qualifier sees her third on the female leaders in No. 1 qualifying positions in pro classes behind Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle with 59) and Brittany Force (Top Fuel with 45).
- Setting low ET of the event as of Q4 with his run of 3.938 ET at 321.35 MPH, Robert Hight qualified No. 1 in Funny Car, his 79th of his career, for the Thunder Valley Nationals.
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 11, 2023) – Concluding a crazy weekend at Bristol Dragway in this weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Erica Enders and her Johnson’s Horsepower Garage SCAG Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock crew and team at Elite Motorsports raced their way to her first win of the 2023 NHRA season, and her 44th of her NHRA career, all with Chevrolet.
Inching closer to becoming the female leader in NHRA victories behind Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, 46 wins), Enders noted this win will hopefully be the spark needed to turn her 2023 season around.
“More than most people will understand,” Enders noted when asked about how liberating the win in Thunder Valley feels after so much success. “I talked about it in the press room Friday when we were No. 1 qualifier, but I don’t think anything will replace that blinking light up on the guardrail wall about this time on Sunday. This is for my guys. I have two new guys on my team, Conner and Declan. Conner won with JR Todd, but Declan is new to drag racing. So these are for my boys. They don’t quit, they don’t give up, and they don’t get down. That’s the biggest, most challenging part of this is to hear all of the negative scuttlebutt, the people saying my career is over. And this goes to show it isn’t. I’m just so proud. This is awesome.”
“I tell you what, it’s been a tough start to the season, noted Elite Motorsports’ Richard Freeman. “We’re not done yet. We struggled at the first of the year, My guys, they don’t quit and they keep going. KB (Titan Racing), those guys are tough. We’re glad.”
Competing in two events this weekend, including Saturday’s conclusion of last weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals that were postponed for weather to this weekend’s event at Bristol Dragway, the Chevrolet Nitro teams at John Force Racing look to shift their sights to Norwalk for redemption. Racing to the semifinals, Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, raced his way to a semifinal appearance before falling to Justin Ashley. Also making a semifinal round appearance, Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, ultimately had to settle for an early end after smoking the tires versus Alexis DeJoria. Kicking off his Thunder Valley Nationals weekend, Hight showed strength by capturing the Thunder Valley Nationals No. 1 qualifier and setting low ET of the event with his run, then resetting the low ET of the event with his race day lap of 3.913 seconds.
In his 2023 Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Aaron Stanfield raced to his first Wally trophy of the 2023 FlexJet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown season, defeating Del Holbrook in the finals. Lenny Lottig, in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, was No. 1 qualifier at Bristol Dragway.
Up next for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sunday, June 25, 2023.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:
“It was a rough weekend in Bristol for the Thunder Valley Nationals, but we still leave here on a positive note. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team qualified number two. We did get beat early but we feel like we learned a lot on this car and tune-up this weekend to set us up for going into Norwalk, Ohio in two weeks. We are leaving tied at third in points, which is a great position to be in and I’m excited to get back to Ohio.”
Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:
“Not the finish we wanted but a heck of a rebound from earlier in the weekend. Just got a little too aggressive in the semifinals. We will continue to progress with this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist hot rod. I’m proud of what we’ve done as a team so far and it’s early in the season. On the bright side, we get a shot back at Justin Ashley in Norwalk for the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.”
Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:
“Obviously not the way we wanted to end the weekend for this Cornwell Tools Chevy. Busy weekend, we had our hands full. We haven’t had a lot of consistency this year and that’s what we’re working on. Was hoping we would have it today,” Hight said. “Once we get that consistency we’ll be back to our usual form. We just have to stay focused. I believe in this team and Jimmy Prock and they believe in me and we’ll get the job done.”
John Force, driver of the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:
“I’m having fun, going a couple of rounds. Obviously don’t love that we didn’t make it further for the Thunder Valley Nationals, but it’s been a busy weekend. It’s been exciting. We’ll be good. We’re doing okay. We’ll head to Norwalk and see if we can get it done in this BlueDEF Chevy.”
Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepower Garage SCAG Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car – Thunder Valley Nationals Winner’s Press Conference:
FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON, 44TH OF YOUR CAREER AND THIRD AT BRISTOL, YOU STARTED THE WEEKEND IN THE MEDIA CENTER TALKING OF FRUSTRATIONS OF THE EARLY PART OF THE SEASON. TO SEE THIS WIN COMING THROUGH, QUALIFYING NO. 1, HOW GRATIFYING IS IT?
“It’s super gratifying and I don’t know if people truly understand what it means. Yes, we’ve won a lot of races but to have finished the year we had last year in the fashion that we did, and then to start the year as horribly as we did, you know, it was a real gut check. It’s just one of those things you have to battle through. My team owner always reminds us that winning races doesn’t define us. That we’re winners off the race track too. Even though we go through these valleys, you just have to put your head down and go to work. I said it in my Top End interview, but I want to reiterate here is how hard my guys work, not just on my JHG Chevy Camaro, but all nine of our cars that we have. We have almost 60 people on the road full time, and that is a little bit of controlled chaos. I wouldn’t take anything for any of the guys we have. They are truly amazing. They are talent, and the two guys working on my car this weekend, Conner has won with JR Todd before, but Declan is new to drag racing. So, it’s his first win and our first win as the new Team Red. I could not be more proud of them and their hard work. They didn’t ever get discouraged or give up, so that’s what it’s all about. It’s just trying to remain as positive as possible, and just go to work and shut the naysayers up.”
TO GO TO THE FINAL ROUND, AND THEN WITH THE REACTION TIME THAT YOU HAD AND TO WIN ON A HOLESHOT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU AS A DRIVER?
“We won on a holeshot? Even better. It means a lot to me. We’ve struggled as a racecar, but I’ve struggled mentally as a driver as well, so it definitely takes a toll on you and you question a lot of things. You lose your confidence and maybe a little bit of your swagger. I talked to my dad right before that final round, and he was like remember who you are. Just put your head down and do it. You’re a five-time champ. So the encouragement from him, the encouragement from my sister who is the ultimate hype girl ever in the history of the world, it’s refreshing to know that so many people believe in me, and I just have to believe in myself. Honestly, I was 21 I think on the tree second round. I had a competition bye when Greg (Anderson) broke in the semis, so I kind of threw that reaction time out. But I sped my pedal up a bit and I thought I could be 12 to 16 on the tree and we were right in there at 15. I finally did my job, and I was able to park our JHG Chevy Camaro in the Winner’s Circle.”
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED DURING THIS DRY SPELL SINCE YOUR LAST ONE?
“The last one was excruciating. This one has just been slightly painful. Knowing what we had every weekend, if there were 16 cars on the property, we weren’t going to qualify. So that was how sucky our 2016 year was. But we were a new program, it was the year that all of the rules changed for Pro Stock, going from carburetors to electronic fuel injection, the rev limiter. And then we switched manufacturers on top of that. It took a toll on our team, and it was a two-year deal. They opted out, we opted out and we went back to our Chevy powerplant and went to work. It took us a couple of years to recover. We really struggled. I only won one race in 2017, but we rallied. So the lesson is you don’t give up. It’s horsepower and win lights are really great deodorant for underlying issues, and it just shows that what would tear most teams apart, makes us stronger. I started in 2014 with Elite Motorsports, and there were eight on our team including myself, and now there are 60. I think it speaks volumes for our leadership, for the kind of work ethic the guys have, and the never give up attitude. It’s easy when things aren’t great to just get down and get negative and want to quit.”
YOU HAD SAID THIS YEAR EARLIER WHEN YOU WERE HAVING THOSE CHALLENGES YOU’VE WON CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM NINTH. WE’RE PAST HALFWAY IN THE REGULAR SEASON OF PRO STOCK, AND YOU KNOW A CHAMPIONSHIP CAN COME DOWN TO JUST A COUPLE OF POINTS. SO A RUSH TO THE FRONT WOULD BE A VERY WELL ADVISED. WHAT DO YOU SEE AHEAD GOING AHEAD TO NORWALK?
“It’s definitely crucial now that we’re closing in on Indy. It’s hard to believe that we’re already in the month of June, let alone getting close to the Countdown. We’ve got to go to work. I think we entered Bristol in either 14th or 15th which is the lowest ever since I drove a Ford. So it’s been challenging. But all you have to do is be there when it counts and that’s something that my guys are tremendous at. When our backs are against a wall, they perform and I perform. We get things done. I’m not worried. I said it on Friday when we qualified for the pole that it doesn’t matter until the countdown. We’re solid. We’ll be just fine. I wouldn’t want to go to battle without the guys I have behind me.”
Round 1 Recap:
Top Fuel:
No. 2 Brittany Force fell to No. 15 Brown with his run of 3.767 ET, 328.78 MPH to Force’s 3.749 ET at 327.51 MPH.
No. 8 Austin Prock defeated No. 9 Ferre with his run of 3.777 ET at 327.66 MPH.
Funny Car:
No. 1 Robert Hight defeated No. 16 Alex Laughlin with his run of 3.962 ET, 324.36 MPH.
No. 10 John Force defeated No. 7 JR Todd with his run of 3.999 ET at 326.95 MPH.
Pro Stock:
No. 8 Kyle Koretsky defeated No. 9 Shane Tucker with his run of 6.652 ET at 205.29 MPH.
No. 7 Deric Kramer defeated No. 10 Troy Coughlin with his run of 6.656 ET at 204.35 MPH, to Coughlin’s 6.690 ET at 205.13 MPH.
No. 6 Camrie Caruso defeated No. 11 Bo Butner III with her run of 6.653 ET at 205.38 MPH, to Butner’s 8.531 ET at 98.53 MPH.
No. 5 Dallas Glenn defeated No. 12 Matt Hartford with his run of 6.665 ET at 205.19 MPH, to Hartford’s 6.694 ET at 203.68 MPH.
No. 4 Greg Anderson defeated No. 13 Jerry Tucker with his run of 6.652 ET at 204.39 MPH to Tucker’s red light.
No. 2 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 15 Fernando Cuadra, Jr. with his run of 6.646 ET at 206.10 MPH.
No. 1 Erica Enders defeated No. 16 Mason McGaha with her run of 6.659 ET at 206.04 MPH, to McGaha’s 6.723 ET at 203.235 MPH.
Round 2 Recap:
Top Fuel:
A. Prock defeated Massey with his run of 3.732 ET at 328.94 MPH.
Funny Car:
J. Force fell to Capps during his Round 2 run, facing issues on track early during his run.
Hight defeated Hagan with his run 3.913 ET at 324.20 MPH and resetting low ET of the event during the run.
Pro Stock:
Enders defeated Koretsky with her run of 6.667 ET at 205.26 MPH, to Koretsky’s at 6.671 ET at 203.95 MPH.
Anderson defeated Glenn with his run of 6.856 ET at 175.71 MPH, to Glenn’s 6.926 ET at 156.08 MPH.
Kramer defeated Stanfield with his run of 6.678 ET at 204.23 MPH while Stanfield’s car shut off on the start line.
Caruso fell to C. Cuadra after a chaotic run that showed veteran prowess in the rookie driver, deploying her parachutes early to prevent further issue during the run.
Semifinals Recap:
Top Fuel:
A. Prock fell to Ashley after smoking the tires early on the semifinal run.
Funny Car:
Hight falls to DeJoria on the semifinal run after smoking the tires early in the run.
Pro Stock:
Kramer defeated C. Cuadra on his run of 6.680 ET at 204.39 MPH to Cuadra’s smoking of the tires early in the run.
Enders defeated Anderson on her solo run of 6.722 ET at 204.51 MPH after Anderson was shut off on the starting line.
Finals:
Pro Stock:
Enders defeated Kramer with her run of 6.680 ET at 204.08 MPH to Kramer’s 6.727 ET at 197.05 MPH.
About Chevrolet
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