CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
MENARDS NHRA NATIONALS PRESENTED BY PETARMOR
HEARTLAND MOTORSPORTS PARK IN TOPEKA, KANSAS
AUG. 14, 2022
Chevrolet adds to victory total at Heartland Motorsports Park
• Troy Coughlin Jr. earns second consecutive Pro Stock victory
• No. 3 qualifier John Force is runner-up in Funny Car in 264th career final round
• Tyler Cassil drives Chevrolet COPO Camaro to Stock, Super Stock wins
TOPEKA, Kan. (Aug. 14, 2022) — Troy Coughlin Jr.’s resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock competition.
Coughlin, the No. 2 qualifier for the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor in the JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro SS, earned his second consecutive Wally by dispatching No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson in the final round at Heartland Motorsports Park.
With one Pro Stock race remaining before the Countdown to the Championship, Coughlin has climbed to fourth in the standings.
“Everyone at Elite Motorsports is working their tails off making this car work. Just an exciting day and we can’t wait to keep it going at Indy,” said Coughlin, who had registered three runner-up finishes in 52 career Pro Stock races before breaking through for his inaugural victory two weeks ago at Seattle.
In a rematch of the Funny Car final last month at Sonoma Raceway, John Force fell to Bob Tasca III. Force, the No. 3 qualifier in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS, advanced to the 264th final round of his illustrious career and closed to six points of third place Ron Capps in the standings with two regular-season races left.
“We look good heading into the Countdown in a couple weeks, think we are just a few points out of the top three,” Force said. “Loved racing here in Topeka. I appreciate all the fans that came out and braved the heat. They make it all worth it.”
Force, a 10-time winner at the racetrack, slipped past teammate, No. 2 qualifier and Funny Car points leader Robert Hight, driving the Automobile Club of Southern California Camaro SS, in the semifinals on the way to his 264th career final round.
Brittany Force, the No. 6 qualifier in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, lost in the first round for only the second time in 14 races this season. Force, who won at Topeka as the top qualifier in 2021, retained the Top Fuel points lead. Teammate Austin Prock, driving the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, also fell in the first round.
Coughlin got the best of points leader Erica Enders and her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS for the second race in a row in one semifinal. Anderson defeated KB Racing teammate Kyle Koretsky, driving the Lucas Oil Camaro SS, in the other semifinal en route to his 169th career Pro Stock final round.
“With a team like Elite Motorsports, it’s hard to know what’s next,” Coughlin said. “They are so passionate; everybody works on all the cars. It’s contagious.”
Anderson, driving the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, is seeking to join John Force (155 career Funny Car wins) as the only drivers in NHRA professional classes with 100 victories.
“I know it’s going to happen in good time,” said the five-time Pro Stock champion, whose round win total stands at 897. “I remember trying to get No. 50, I remember trying to get No. 75. It was a struggle for both of those, and No. 100 should certainly be a struggle, just as it’s proving to be. It’s a little like chasing a snake, but I’m going to catch that snake.”
Tyler Cassil of Belton, Missouri, became the 29th driver in NHRA history to win in two different classes in the same event. Cassil drove his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to the victory in Stock Eliminator and Super Stock. COPO Camaro drivers have claimed seven national event Stock Eliminator wins this season.
Team Chevy Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers are back in action Aug. 19-21 at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. FOX will telecast eliminations at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 14. Chevrolet Pro Stock teams will join the nitro cars at the U.S. Nationals — the final event of the regular season — on Sept. 2-5 in Indianapolis.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVOLET DRAGSTER: “Disappointing way for this Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team to end our weekend here in Topeka. For the first time since Gainesville, Florida, we were out in the first round. The heat and humidity made running a challenge. First round we had a cylinder out from the step and there was no way to recover and catch Brown before the stripe. To find the positive in the weekend, we remained in the points lead and we are locked into the Countdown to the Championship. We are all looking forward to Brainerd next weekend and getting back to our normal routine.”
AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER: “I’m lucky to have good teachers in my corner. My dad definitely gives me the right attitude. He told me before the run, I have to believe in myself and he told me to go up there and run a .040 light and that’s what I did. Unfortunately, I have a lot of practice riding these things out when it’s blown up and spilled oil out of it but I tried to get stopped as soon as possible. Really want to apologize to the fans sitting up there in the stands, thanks for coming out in this heat. I hope you enjoy the show, sorry we couldn’t put on a very good one for you.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “It was a good day for this PEAK Chevy. My guys, they worked hard, gave me a good race car, had a little luck in the first round, but had some good racing throughout the day. We look good heading into the Countdown in a couple weeks. I think we are just a few points out of the top three. Loved racing here in Topeka, appreciate all the fans that came out and braved the heat. They make it all worth it.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTOMOTIVE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “Not a bad weekend for this Auto Club Chevy. Whenever you’re meeting a teammate you always hope it’s in the final round, but if we’re going to come up short we hope it’s to John, guarantees a JFR car is moving on. We’re still in the points lead, still running consistent, just need to make sure all of this carries over into the Countdown in a couple races.”
PRO STOCK
CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, TEQUILA COMISARIO CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “This was a good weekend for us and we are moving in the right direction,. We have points-and-a-half (available) in Indy and we will be looking to get our first win at the U.S. Nationals and move up in the points. We are going to take the next couple of weeks and get ready for the next race and (to prepare) for a run at the championship. We have put ourselves in a good position and there is room for us to move up. We held our own for another race, but I want to do more than that the rest of the season.”
About Chevrolet
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