CHEVROLET AT INDIANAPOLIS
What: Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals
When: Friday, Sept. 2-Monday, Sept. 5
Where: Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis
TV: FS1 will telecast eliminations live at noon ET Monday, Sept. 5
FOX will telecast eliminations live at 2 p.m.Chevrolet heads into U.S. Nationals with momentum
Team Chevy drivers looking to secure No. 1 seeds in the six-race Countdown
DETROIT (Aug. 31, 2022) – What’s better than a win at the National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) U.S. Nationals? Two wins, of course.
That is the goal of Chevrolet Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers this weekend at the 68th “Big Go” at Lucas Oil Raceway Indianapolis.
In addition to aiming for a Wally in the 16th of 22 races in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, Brittany Force in Top Fuel and teammates John Force and Robert Hight in Funny Car will compete in the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout.
Brittany Force won her first-round matchup in the specialty race concurrent with qualifying at Gainesville in March with a track-record 337.75 mph run in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster and will “call out” her semifinal opponent as the Top Fuel points leader seeks to claim the $80,000-to-win prize.
“This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team made it to the finals of the U.S. Nationals last year and our goal is to go all the way this year and bring home an Indy win,” Force said.
Team Chevypoints leaders
Top Fuel – Brittany Force (4 wins; 1 runner-up finish; 6 top qualifiers)
Funny Car – Robert Hight (6 wins; 2 runner-up finishes; 3 top qualifiers)
Pro Stock – Erica Enders (6 wins; 2 runner-up finishes; 3 top qualifiers)
Funny Car points leader Hight, who has six wins in 2022 in the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, is the No. 1 seed in the Funny Car All-Star Callout and will select his first-round opponent from the other seven drivers. John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Camaro SS and a five-time U.S. Nationals winner, is the No. 5 seed.
Top seeds on the line
Brittany Force, Hight and Erica Enders, the Pro Stock points leader driving the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, will look to lock up the No. 1 seeds for the six-race Countdown to the Championship that begins Sept. 18.
A special points system will be used at this event in which drivers in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series categories will earn points based on a point-and-a-half system (150 points to win). A racer in each category can earn a maximum of 188 points.
With a career high-matching four wins, six No. 1 qualifier honors and a 29-11 elimination round record, Force will attempt to grab the points advantage of the top seed for the Countdown. She entered the playoffs in the sixth spot on her way to winning the 2017 Top Fuel title.
Force holds the Top Fuel track records of 3.645 seconds set in 2019 and 334.57 mph set in 2021.
Hight, a three-time Funny Car world champion, has a comfortable lead in the standings but wants to be peaking entering the Countdown. His 60th career Funny Car win has also been a goal.
“You’ve got to stay focused and humble and not get sidetracked,” Hight said. ”Unfortunately, you can have an unbelievable regular season and win all the races. But if you don’t do it in the last six, it means nothing.”
Enders has recorded six wins and two runner-up finishes – with a 32-6 round record — in 12 races as she seeks her fifth Pro Stock world title. She defeated Kyle Koretsky, driving the Lucas Oil Camaro SS, in the final last year and also won in 2020. Teammate Aaron Stanfield, who has two wins and four second-place finishes in the Janac Brothers Camaro SS, is a distant second in the standings. Troy Coughlin Jr., fifth in the standings, has won the past two races in the JEGS.com Camaro SS.
The U.S. Nationals would be a special event for Greg Anderson to register his 100th career Pro Stock victory to become the second professional driver to cross the century mark. John Force (155) is the other. Anderson, who has reached the final in two of the past three races in the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, could also surpass 900 career round wins – second only to Force’s 1,410 and counting in NHRA history.
“If I could find a way to win that race, it would be a cool story,” said Anderson, a six-time winner at the U.S. Nationals. “I’ll just tell everyone I was waiting for Indy if I get it done this weekend.”
Austin Prock, driving the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, is tied for 11th in the Top Fuel standings – one position out of securing his second Countdown berth. Prock, competing in a full season for the first time since 2019, placed eighth in the final standings in his rookie season.
One qualifying session is scheduled for Friday night, with two each Saturday and Sunday for the three professional categories.
The event also includes the sixth round of the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown and competition in the Stock Eliminator and Super Stock classes – all featuring the Chevrolet COPO Camaro. More than 900 cars are entered across all professional and Sportsman categories.
FS1 will telecast eliminations live at noon ET Monday, Sept. 5, with FOX picking up the telecast at 2 p.m.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC/MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (four-time winner this season; points leader; 2021 No. 1 qualifier and runner-up at track): “The U.S. Nationals is such a historic race and prestigious event. This race holds so much excitement for the fans as we run two races in one weekend. After qualifying Friday night, which is always awesome to see, we get to really kick things off with the Pep Boys All-Star Callout where I’ll get to call out my opponent heading into the next round. It all takes place Saturday while we’re qualifying for the race day on Monday. It’s going to be a long weekend and we hope an even longer Monday. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team made it to the finals of the U.S. Nationals last year and our goal is to go all the way this year and bring home an Indy win.”
AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (runner-up at Pomona): “I’m excited for the Big Go.. I feel like this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team is on the right track for success this weekend. We’ve made good progress on our program and think it’s going to pay off. I will be ready, I’m hungrier than ever and focused on the task at hand. We need a big weekend to have some momentum going into the playoffs.”
FUNNY CAR
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Charlotte four-wide winner; runner-up at Sonoma and Topeka; fifth in points; No. 1 qualifier and runner-up in 2021): “Indy is the grandaddy and everybody wants to win it. It’s always the same for me. It’s exciting. My love for the sport never changes. Then they have a show within a show with the Callout. It’s exciting and we’ll see where it goes. I’m going to enjoy it.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (six-time winner this season; points leader; three-time winner of event): “The U.S. Nationals are a big deal, there’s a lot going on this weekend with the five qualifying runs and the Callout. Most importantly, it’s the final race before the Countdown begins. This Auto Club Chevy team has worked hard all season, that’s what’s gotten us to the points lead. Doing well at the Big Go will carry over to the Countdown, where the points reset and we really have to be on it. It’s going to be a long weekend, hopefully we can make it worth is and come out with a win or even two.”
PRO STOCK
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (six-time winner this season; points leader; 2020 and ’21 winner of event): “It’s hard to explain the meaning of Indy to some on the outside. But it is everything. The U.S. Nationals is the last regular-season race and it’s worth points and a half. Team Elite heads north in a great position. We are the current points leader by a hefty amount. We are the defending champions x2 with a chance to go to our fourth consecutive final and win our third U.S. Nationals in a row. We are locked and loaded and I’m more ready than ever.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning Pro Stock champion; seeking to become second pro driver with 100 wins; fourth in standings; six-time winner of the event): “If I was to write the perfect place (to get No. 100) it would be Indy. I’ve always considered that to be the most important race of the year all the way back to the years I worked with Warren Johnson as a crew member and crew chief. The wins that I’ve had there are absolutely some of the most special. If I could do it again this weekend – and we have some momentum so I feel good going there – it would be fabulous. We’re definitely starting to peak at the right time with the playoffs right around the corner.”
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner this season): “Indy is a race we dream about winning and winning at Indy in Pro Stock would be an absolute honor. The guys have been working hard at the shop on the dyno. We’re going to stick to the process and be the best we can be.”
CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, TEQUILA COMISARIO CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first season in Pro Stock; No. 1 qualifier and runner-up at Houston): “We have qualified for every race this season and we want to take advantage of all five qualifying runs this weekend. I have a lot of confidence in this Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro team. We are making good consistent and quick runs and I feel really good in the seat. I have to thank my crew chief Jim Yates for putting me in a great position at this point of the season.”
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier at Phoenix; runner-up at Gainesville; third in standings; No. 1 qualifier and runner-up in 2021 at track): “We were top qualifier and nearly won the U.S. Nationals last year, which makes me more determined this year to win the biggest race of the year. The key is to execute on race day. The five qualifying sessions will bunch up the field, so the driver and car have to be on point on race day.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner at Gainesville; No. 1 qualifier at Epping; sixth in standings): “”It’s hard not to get excited about the U.S. Nationals, no matter how many years you’ve been coming to the event. This will be my second one in Pro Stock but I’ve been coming for the last 10 years with KB Racing and Jason Line. Our RAD Torque Systems/KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro is coming into this weekend No. 6 in points and with points and a half on the table on race day, we can really set ourselves up nicely going into the Countdown if we can win this thing. That’s the goal.”
About Chevrolet
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