CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 DODGE POWER BROKERS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS
LUCAS OIL INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK
CLERMONT, INDIANA
TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE
SEPTEMBER 1-4, 2023
CHEVROLET LOOKS TO GO BIG AT THE BIG GO IN INDIANAPOLIS
DETROIT (August 30, 2023) – The biggest event that’s circled on many calendars in professional drag racing, the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals, returns this weekend with Chevrolet drivers and teams looking to capture glory and the Wally trophy while solidifying their spot in NHRA history.
Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepower Garage Melling Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car for Elite Motorsports, is just one victory away from surpassing Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, Top Alcohol) to become the winningest woman in NHRA history. Currently with 45 Pro Stock wins and one Super Gas victory, Enders stands to further make her mark known as one of the top racers in drag racing on its biggest stage.
“Rolling into ‘The Big Go’ will always feel different,” said Enders. “The significance of the U.S. Nationals will never be lost on me regardless of how many times we race it or win it. The timing of the biggest race of the year couldn’t be better for us right now. Momentum is swinging in our favor, and our climb from 15th in points at the beginning of the season to fifth shows the tenacity of this Elite Motorsports team. We’ve won three U.S. Nationals titles together as a team, and if you ask us, a fourth win at Indy is exactly what the story of our 2023 championship run needs. As always, my money is on us to snag our third Wally of the season with points-and-a-half right before the Countdown points reset. I couldn’t be more excited to be headed to ‘The Big Go’.”
Greg Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car for KB Titan Racing, may be just one of many challengers for Enders she’ll face this weekend, and enters this year’s U.S. Nationals as both defending winner and No. 1 qualifier after topping the leaderboard in 2022 after qualifying and racing to the winner’s circle. Additionally, Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car for KB Titan Racing, is on a hot streak this season, earning his fourth Pro Stock victory most recently at Brainerd International Raceway of his eight total career victories. Additionally leading the NHRA Championship standings heading into the points-and-a-half race weekend at Indianapolis, Glenn stands to kick off his NHRA Countdown to the Championship run with strong momentum his side towards Chevrolet’s potential 28th title as a manufacturer.
For John Force Racing’s Brittany Force, driver of the Flav-R-Pack/Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, looks to not only defend her No. 1 qualifier from 2022 this year and repeat the same feat but also race her way to the winner’s circle for her first time in 2023 after racing to runner-up in Topeka. A momentum shift would benefit B. Force and the team, and with points-and-a-half on the line at Indianapolis ahead of the start of the Countdown, along with a win, could turn her season around as she looks to fight for her fourth championship.
“Heading into the biggest race of the season, the U.S. Nationals in Indy this weekend and we’re sitting fourth in points. We’ve come very close to winning this event with two runner-up finishes but this Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy team is looking to seal the deal and end up in the winner’s circle this year,” B. Force said. “It’s the final race before points reset so our team needs to grab as many points as we can to close the gap as much as possible. It’s points and a half with an extra qualifying session so we’re going to try and really take advantage. Our goals haven’t changed, we want to qualify top five, and have clean and solid passes every run. We’re looking for a winner’s circle finish.”
With five rounds of qualifying before Monday’s eliminations on Labor Day, the Funny Car drivers of John Force Racing of Robert Hight and John Force, look to catapult to the top of the ladder sheets while also seeking sweet victory.
“When you have a crew chief like Jimmy Prock and a team that has won championships, you just believe in them. And I do, I believe in this whole Cornwell Tools team and I’m doing my part, so I know it’s coming. We’re chasing more wins. I know they’re coming, and they’ll be coming at just the right time. We know it’s going to be a fight, but we have the opportunity this weekend to make up some ground and give ourselves the best position possible going into the Countdown,” Hight said. “We tested Monday in Brainerd to get this Cornwell Tools Chevy where it needs to be for the biggest race of the year and into the Countdown. I’m confident, this team is confident. We’re just ready to get out there.”
Returning to competition this weekend, the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown takes the stage, with Chevrolet also seeking a repeat win. David Barton, defending champion and winner of the 2022 U.S. Nationals, looks to race to the win light in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro in Indianapolis.
Finally, NHRA’s new Factory X presented by Holley category takes to the track this weekend, facing off with Greg Stanfield and Jim Cowan representing Chevrolet in their 630-hp Magnuson 2.65-L supercharger-powered COPO Camaros. Four cars are entered in the new and budding category, and Chevrolet stands to potentially pick up it’s first win in competition.
The 2023 Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals from Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park airs first with Friday’s qualifying broadcasting Sunday, Sept. 3 at 11:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Saturday’s qualifying from Indianapolis airs also Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The Pep Boys NHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout airs Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on FOX. Finals from the U.S. Nationals air Monday at 12 p.m. ET on FS1, and 2 p.m. ET on FOX. Coverage streaming live throughout the weekend can be found through NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
Austin Prock, driver of the Rocky Mountain Twist / Montana Brands Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:
“I’m excited for the biggest race of the year. This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team is putting in the work to make sure we can battle with the rest of them. We will have a few new faces on our team this weekend, but we are not new to battling adversity. These small setbacks only make us stronger as a team. I believe we have a strong chance at leaving here with the hardware.”
John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:
“Busy weekend for the U.S. Nationals, always is, as it should be. Biggest race of the year, biggest drag race in the world. We have to act like it too. There’s a lot of opportunities to celebrate with the Mission Foods Challenge and the Pep Boys Callout. That’s before we even get to race day. This PEAK Chevy, we’ll be looking to get the job done for all our sponsors. A lot of them in town for our sponsor summit earlier in the week. It’s going to be exciting, a great show for the fans. I’m looking forward to it.”
Camrie Caruso, driver of the Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock car for KB Titan Racing:
“The U.S. Nationals is the biggest race of the year, and it leads right into the Countdown, so you want to build some positive momentum. The competition has been so tough this year we really want to make some good runs in qualifying so we can give ourselves the best chance on race day. I am excited about getting five qualifying sessions because I think we can get a lot of good data for this Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro team.”
Do you look at Indianapolis differently with it being the U.S. Nationals, or is this a “run your race” type of event?
“You try and think of every race as being the same, but Indy definitely has a different feel. Last year during my rookie year we had a lot going on and honestly Indy was a long race. I feel a lot more confident this year. I am with KB Titan Racing which has been great. I have a better idea of what to expect from a longer race weekend. I really feel good about our chances. We had a good race in Brainerd and just lost a close race to Kyle (Koretsky) in the second round.”
On the points reset after Indianapolis in the Countdown, and how she feels about racing for her first potential NHRA Pro Stock Championship…
“After Indy when the points are reset, we would love to be just a few rounds out of first place. We’ll have six races in the playoffs to get some more wins and race for our first championship. I don’t want to think about that too much because really getting the win at the U.S. Nationals is my focus right now. I feel very comfortable in my race car and I can’t wait to get to the track.”
Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepower Garage Melling Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car for Elite Motorsports:
“Rolling into ‘The Big Go’ will always feel different. The significance of the U.S. Nationals will never be lost on me regardless of how many times we race it or win it. The timing of the biggest race of the year couldn’t be better for us right now. Momentum is swinging in our favor, and our climb from 15th in points at the beginning of the season to fifth shows the tenacity of this Elite Motorsports team. We’ve won three U.S. Nationals titles together as a team, and if you ask us, a fourth win at Indy is exactly what the story of our 2023 championship run needs. As always, my money is on us to snag our third Wally of the season with points-and-a-half right before the Countdown points reset. I couldn’t be more excited to be headed to ‘The Big Go’.”
TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS:
1,436: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time).
611: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 622.
375: Number of wins in Pro Stock since 1970; 256 won in the Chevrolet Camaro body.
166: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time).
157: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967.
80: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time).
77: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro body.
47: 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.
UPCOMING NHRA MILESTONES:
950: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) is second all-time with 925 elimination round wins. He could reach 950 round wins with a decent run in the 18-race schedule.
621: Robert Hight achieved 611 Funny Car elimination wins in Chicago to rank 13th on the all-time NHRA list; Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car) sits 12th with 622.
447: By qualifying for his next race, Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) will extend his NHRA record from 446 to 447 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 122 No. 1 qualifiers. He will tie Warren Johnson (Pro Stock, 138) for second to John Force (165) on the list.
272: By qualifying for his next race, Robert Hight will extend his NHRA record to 272 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 281).
65: Robert Hight moved into the top-10 in 10th 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.
47: Erica Enders has 46 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) and Enders are tied as 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, 46) 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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