CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 IN-N-OUT BURGER NHRA FINALS
IN-N-OUT BURGER POMONA DRAGSTRIP
POMONA, CALIFORNIA
TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE
NOVEMBER 10-12, 2023
CHEVROLET LOOKS TO CAP OFF 2023 NHRA SEASON WITH TWO POTENTIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN POMONA
Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders, and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) Will Vie for Top Countdown to the Championship Honors at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals
DETROIT (November 9, 2023) – The last race of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, and the Countdown to the Championship, sees Robert Hight of John Force Racing, as well as Erica Enders of Elite Motorsports and KB Titan Racing, battling it out down to the final weekend in their respective championship hunts.
For Hight, driver of the AAA/Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, and his John Force Racing team, they stand to help claim Hight’s fourth career Funny Car championship. With 17 points separating the top-three frontrunners, including Matt Hagan in first, Bob Tasca, III in second, and Hight in third, it’s anyone’s championship to earn and likely could come down to the final round in Pomona.
“This is amazing and exactly what NHRA wants is for the championship to come down to the last race of the year the NHRA Finals, and for it to go clear down to the final round,” said Hight. “That’s a very real possibility of going to the final round and having to win the race to win the championship. There’s no more excitement than that. It’s points and a half in Pomona, but if it wasn’t points and a half, I think it would be more exciting this year because of how close we are. The way these three cars run, I don’t think anybody can gain a round with points and a half if we run to our potential. No one is running away with this deal. I’m just glad to be a part of it, and it’s going to be exciting. Probably a lot of sleepless nights between now and Sunday.”
With a 2023 season that’s seen Hight and his team earn four wins this year, in addition to two runner-ups and six No. 1 qualifiers, they look to cap off their championship run with a fifth victory. With finishing runner-up to the championship in 2022, Hight and his team look to Pomona for redemption and a World Championship.
If Hight were to achieve top honors, he would not only claim a fourth-career championship in addition to his 2009, 2017, and 2019 titles, but Chevrolet’s eighth drivers’ world championship in Funny Car as well as aiding in the 28th Manufacturers Cup claimed by the Bowtie brand since 1966.
Heading into the NHRA Finals, Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling/SCAG Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock, has the advantage of 114 points over fellow Chevrolet competitor Greg Anderson, of KB Titan Racing. With her season picking up steam after capturing her first victory of the year in Bristol, she additionally captured Wally trophies in Topeka, Dallas, and Las Vegas 2 when it mattered during the Countdown to the Championship. Additionally becoming the winningest female in NHRA history this season, Enders stands to collect her sixth Pro Stock World Championship this weekend and further solidify herself in motorsports history.
Her biggest threat, five-time Pro Stock champion, legend, and veteran racer Greg Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS machine, is also seeking to add to his 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2021 titles. Additionally a three-time winning crew chief with Warren Johnson in 1992, 1993, and 1995, Anderson enters Pomona second in the championship standings behind Enders while looking for his 104th NHRA victory.
“I probably need a bit of a miracle to happen in Pomona, but it’s not over until it’s over,” said Anderson. “We are going there with all of the confidence in the world that we can win the race. You never wish bad fortune on anybody else, but if the other team happens to stumble, we will have a chance. I’m not going to Pomona acting defeated already, I’m going like I still have a chance until they tell me I don’t.”
With great thanks for the hard work and dedication of Chevrolet’s Funny Car, Pro Stock, Factory Stock Showdown, Super Stock, and Stock Eliminator classes, a 28th Manufacturers Cup is on the horizon for the Bowtie brand, the seventh consecutive award as well as ninth in the past 11 seasons. The Manufacturers Cup award will be presented to Chevrolet, along with champions being crowned, at NHRA’s annual Camping World Drag Racing Series Awards Ceremony Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.
The 2023 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Nationals at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip kicks off Friday, Nov. 10 in Pomona, Calif., with the weekend’s qualifying sessions airing Sunday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will follow, airing Sunday also at 4 p.m. ET of FS1. Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is 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 can’t believe we’re heading into the final race of the season at my home track in Pomona already. This track has a lot of memories and a lot of history for me personally and for John Force Racing. In-N-Out Burger Raceway at Pomona is a track I grew up at as a kid with my sisters watching our dad and since then I’ve won championships, won the event, gone No. 1, and set the national speed record on that property. We spent Monday testing in Vegas to really narrow in on issues we had over the weekend. We feel confident coming into Pomona that we’ll qualify top 5 and go rounds on race day. After all the history I’ve had here this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is really going to push to end this season on a strong note.”
Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:
“I’m excited to get back to a racetrack. I’d love to be in a racecar every day of the week, so these off weekends are rough for me. I feel like this Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist team has had a really good dragster the past two events in Dallas and Las Vegas. Hopefully, we can put it all together this weekend for the Finals and my favorite stop of the year.”
John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:
“Pomona, the fairgrounds, that’s home. There’s a lot of history, and not just for me, for all of NHRA. I’m looking forward to getting back out there. It’s a difficult track but it’s exciting. I know we aren’t in it for the championship, but Robert and that AAA Cornwell Tools team is and maybe we can do some good to help them out. This PEAK team goes out every weekend to win, that’s no different now. End this season with a win for PEAK, Chevy and all our partners, that’s what we want to do.”
Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling/SCAG Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock for Elite Motorsports:
“It’s hard to believe that we are back in Pomona again. I would have never guessed, after our challenging start, that we would be contending for our sixth world title. It goes to show you what is possible when you never give up. I am fortunate to work with some of the most brilliant men in motorsports and they continue to show me why they are champions. We will attempt to make this another dream weekend. Eight possible runs, one more race, to show the world that we are Elite for a reason.”
Aaron Stanfield, driver of the Janac Brothers/Melling Engine Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock for Elite Motorsports:
“While consistency is good and it’s helped us maintain a solid position in the points, this team is bound and determined to get a win this weekend! My guys have worked tirelessly and I know we’ve got a car that can get the job done. It would be awesome to shake up the standings in a big way in a city that does everything big. Can’t wait to hit the track!”
Greg Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock for KB Titan Racing:
On racing for the potential of a sixth championship this weekend…
“It’s awesome. Anytime you’re in the running for a championship going to Pomona, you have to consider that a good season. That’s what you ask for, that’s what you build for all year long: to make it to Pomona with a chance to win, and we have that. We have a chance to win – it may be a small one, but it’s a chance – and you have to consider that a success.”
Camrie Caruso, driver of the Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock for KB Titan Racing:
“This season has flown by and I am looking forward to having a great weekend with my Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro team in Pomona. Last year when we rolled into Pomona, I felt like we were in the final mile of a marathon with not much left in the tank. This year we have a whole new attitude. We have been going rounds in the Countdown and I think we can step up our performance with our KB Titan Racing power and be in the mix to win this last race.”
On winning in Arizona and being the second female in the Pro Stock Winner’s Circle…
“Winning in Arizona was a big deal but following it up with a No. 1 qualifier and semifinal finish in Pomona showed we had a consistent team that could compete at the highest level. This season we have improved a ton and we are just getting stronger I think. I want to come into Pomona this weekend and secure our spot in the Top Ten and move up in the standings.”
On tricky track conditions, and honing race craft with each run…
“We had an awesome car at Maple Grove and I was pulling away for the win when we got a little out of the groove and I had to lift. Two weeks ago in Vegas I lifted because we got a little sideways and I knew there was a chance of ruining the race car. I will always put safety first but those are two tough loses for sure. I am getting better in the car with every run and this season we have been making progress as a team. I want to finish strong at the NHRA Finals and then go after the championship again in 2024.”
On finishing the season strong…
“I want to finish as high as possible in the points and show improvement year over year. I learned a ton in my rookie season and I have learned even more this year as part of KB Titan Racing. We have big plans for 2024 but first we need to get after it in Pomona this weekend.”
TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS:
1,441: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time).
625: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 626.
381: Number of wins in Pro Stock since 1970; 262 won in the Chevrolet Camaro body.
166: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time).
159: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967.
83: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time). Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) is fifth with 88.
79: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro SS body.
46: 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 937 elimination round wins. He could reach 950 round wins with a decent run in 2024.
626: Robert Hight achieved 625 Funny Car elimination wins at Las Vegas 2 to rank 13th on the all-time NHRA list; Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car) sits 12th with 626.
453: By qualifying for his next race, Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) will extend his NHRA record from 452 to 453 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 (Funny Car, 166) on the list.
279: By qualifying for his next race, Robert Hight will extend his NHRA record to 279 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 287).
65: Robert Hight moved into the top-10 in 10th on the all-time NHRA victory list with his win in Reading with 64. Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock, retired) is next ninth on list with 65.
50: Erica Enders has 48 career NHRA victories (47 Pro Stock, one Super Gas; all with Chevrolet). Her first win in Pro Stock came at Chicago, 2012, and her last win at Topeka, 2023 in Pro Stock. With her win in Dallas this season, Enders surpassed Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, Top Alcohol Dragster) to become the all-time NHRA female leader with 47.
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. Enders currently holds five Pro Stock championships, the most of any female in NHRA.
3: Brittany Force (Top Fuel, two 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, five) is the leader.
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