CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT MOTORSPORTS PARK
NORWALK, OHIO
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
JUNE 25, 2023
MATT HARTFORD WINS CHEVROLET’S 374TH NHRA PRO STOCK VICTORY SINCE 1970; THE 255TH PRO STOCK WIN IN THE CAMARO
- Racing from the No. 1 qualifier spot, Matt Hartford earned his sixth NHRA Pro Stock victory, his second of the 2023 season.
- For the fifth time this season in nine events, Dallas Glenn appeared in NHRA’s Pro Stock final round. This was Hartford’s second final round appearance of the year.
- With his win today, this marks Hartford’s sixth straight year capturing a win in NHRA Pro Stock competition.
- Both Austin Prock and Brittany Force represented Chevrolet in the Top Fuel semifinals at Norwalk.
- Chevrolet doubled up in Norwalk this weekend by capturing victories in both NHRA Pro Stock and FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown.
- Qualifying from Norwalk saw interruptions due to weather in Pro Stock, and after only getting two qualifying sessions in, Matt Hartford went No. 1 in his Chevrolet Camaro SS and earning Chevrolet’s seventh of the 2023 NHRA season.
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25, 2023) – Matt Hartford, driver of the Total Seal/CIP1 Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car, earned his sixth career NHRA Pro Stock victory while capturing Team Chevy’s 374th Pro Stock victory since 1970. In his second final round appearance of the year, Hartford faced off against Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car for KB Titan Racing, who has four final round appearances in nine events and three wins so far this year.
“I have no idea what it was in the finals, but I’ll take it. Dallas (Glenn) is as mean as anybody gets out here,” reflects Hartford on the win. “You have no idea how much this means, because everybody kept saying you’ll win again this year, and we came out strong and then we fell off. Guess what? We can.”
“This is the nicest track on the circuit,” continued Hartford. “99 percent of Pro Stock took the left lane today, and we took the right every single time. We raced our own program, not what others were doing. Keep your head down, focus on what’s inside your car, your pits, your trailer, don’t let the noise bother you.”
“Well, the final round is like any other one. You’ve got to prepare knowing with the racetrack, and the bars and all that stuff like that,” noted Hartford’s crew chief Eddie Guarnacci. “We missed a lot of opportunities. Had really good cars so far, the engines have been really good. Matt’s (Hartford) been driving and tuning well, so it feels like we’ve finally got into a position we should be.”
With qualifying interrupted by weather in Pro Stock qualifying on Friday, Hartford and the rest of the Chevrolet contenders in Pro Stock only had two sessions to try and capture the No. 1 qualifier at Norwalk. Hartford, with his best lap of 6.593 ET at 205.91 MPH captured his third No. 1 of his Pro Stock career and this season.
In Top Fuel, Team Chevy raced to the Semifinal round, with Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, and Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, both being eliminated by their opponents. They look to Denver and the Western Swing next to regain momentum to the final round.
With an early Round 1 end to John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, his teammate Robert Hight, driver of the AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, faced off against Matt Hagan in Round 2 and was eliminated by .02 seconds in a close race to the finish line.
In his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Stephen Bell raced to his first FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown victory of the 2023 season after qualifying No. 18, defeating Lee Hartman.
NHRA next heads to Denver to kick off the Western Swing, with Bandimere Speedway hosting the 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals July 14-16, 2023. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sunday, July 16, 2023.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:
“I feel really good about this weekend overall. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team has been working really hard, and our progress is definitely starting to show. We moved up in qualifying to the No. 3 spot this weekend and we had a tough lineup all day. We made it to the semifinals which is huge for this team. We did drop to fourth in the points standings but we’re still in a really good fighting position with a handful of races left before we get into the Countdown to the Championship.”
Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:
“I’m proud of my Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team this weekend. We made another semifinal which keeps us in the points hunt. We made some really nice passes in conditions we don’t have much data in so we were all happy with that. I’m looking forward to the Western Swing. I hope these two weeks off fly by.”
Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:
“Frustrating for this AAA team. That first round, usually if the red light is close, it’s not that bad but it’s hard to just sit there. I feel bad for the AAA team, we could have used that data getting down the track for the second round. I feel bad I couldn’t keep it together and stay in that run. We just didn’t have enough in that race against Hagan. There are a lot of tough cars out here, and they’re one of them. This AAA Chevy, we’ll be good. I’m confident in my team and looking forward to the Western Swing.”
John Force, driver of the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:
On rolling in deep to the staging beams against JR Todd and changing thoughts on the start line…
“I never change my thoughts. I just try to do what my race car will do, and I didn’t mean to chuck it in that far. I did, but he always leaves on me, so I try to make some of it up and I didn’t get it done. He got it done. Congratulations to him. I want to think the whole Bader family and what they do. They give the fans a great show, and NHRA coming in here.”
Matt Hartford, driver of the Total Seal/CIP1 Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car – Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Winner’s Press Conference:
ON CHOOSING NOT TO TEST THIS YEAR IN THE OFFSEASON…
“Had we went testing, we may not have had to wait until Q4 in Gainesville to qualify. Look, you need to test. If we would’ve went and tested, we could’ve come out in a little bit better of a position, but we were able to make some big swings, big moves quickly. We’ve had a great car all year long. Terry Haas has built such great tuning, and that thing, it ain’t the newest one out here, I promise you, but it’s one of the best.”
YOU TALK ABOUT HAVING A GREAT CAR ALL YEAR LONG. NOW THAT YOU’VE BROKEN THROUGH, TALK ABOUT YOUR CONFIDENCE MOVING FORWARD…
“Coming into here, we were already looking to Denver, because Denver we ran decent last year. We were thinking of getting through Norwalk, getting to Denver, two qualifying runs here. I’ll tell you what, after Q1, I said we have a car that can run here, so then we had Q2, man look at the four guys we beat today. I am… Dallas Glenn, I mean, he has had my number every time I’ve raced him this year. I’m glad to put a double-0 on him.”
GETTING THROUGH FERNANDO CUADRA, DERIC KRAMER, AND DALLAS GLENN, TALK ABOUT HOW MEANINGFUL IT IS TO GET THROUGH TO A WIN…
“It goes back to having nothing to do with me. It goes back to all the people in the trailer, and all the sponsors that support us, and the engine program and the chassis builder. We have just such a great group of people around us. They’ve always said to surround yourself with people that work harder than you, smarter than you, or more motivated than you, and you can be successful. That’s what I’ve tried to do, to put myself in a position where everybody around me can do so much that I can’t do. I think it’s started showing, just let everybody focus on their job and at the end of the day let the box score be where it may. It’s a team effort, and we’ve had a great car all year long, and to be honest with you, the races we haven’t won is driver error. We’ve given it up to Dallas now… The final in Pomona. We had him covered, and I just couldn’t learn how to drive. We gave that race up, which has still been a thorn in my side and thinking about it before I pre-staged today. It’s so rewarding to be sitting up here.”
WHEN YOU QUALIFIED NO. 1 IN VEGAS FOR THE FIRST TIME, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU UNLOCKED SOMETHING MENTALLY FOR YOU?
“I will say that over the winter, my brother had a pretty milestone birthday, and for his birthday gift, after Gainesville, we sent him to Frank Hawley’s school to get his Super Gas license. Adam had never been down a racetrack in his life in anything, not even a moped. For the two days that he was there, immediately, Frank grabbed me from moment one to sit through his class. Unbelievable what you learn when you sit there and listen to a man like him. How to clear your head, the arrows. I came out of Gainesville going “there are so many things I know I don’t know, but this proves you don’t know.” I think that really helped me as a driver this year. I wasn’t in the class, I was just listening. So I think that that mentally really helped me. I think about it week in and week out with the stuff that I learned there.”
WHAT IS THE GAME PLAN HEADING INTO THESE HOT SUMMER MONTHS AND THE WESTERN SWING IN THESE REALLY TOUGH EVENTS HEADING INTO THE COUNTDOWN…
“We kind of have a liking to Denver. I’m hoping that our streak can continue. In the last eight elimination rounds we’ve had there, we’ve been in all eight of them. So one runner-up, and one win. I’m really hoping that all the parts that we put away, saying don’t touch those until we get to Denver next year, I’m hoping that’s all still there. Denver is such a fun place to go. To us, going up on a mountain, we’re looking forward to it. It’s always a challenge, and I love it up there. It comes down to momentum.”
WITH THE NEW CAR THIS YEAR, AND NOW WINNING AT NORWALK, DOES THIS ADD TO THE CONFIDENCE LEVEL OF THIS TEAM?
“It really does. It builds confidence. Driver confidence, anytime you go up there and struggle as a driver, obviously you start thinking. It goes back to when I was sitting there listening to Frank (at Frank Hawley School), you don’t clear your mind, a negative creates a double-negative. Before you know it, you’re so messed up that a one-hundred light is the best you’re going to get. You have to go up there with a clear mind every time. Today, it gives me a lot of confidence to get in the car. I’m ready to go for another run. It’s surreal to know we’ve won another race.”
Round 1 Recap:
Top Fuel:
No. 5 Austin Prock defeated No. 12 Tony Schumacher after Schumacher smoked the tires; Prock ran a 3.740 ET at 319.45 MPH.
No. 3 Brittany Force defeated No. 14 Shawn Langdon with her run of 3.711 ET at 332.18 MPH to Langdon/s 3.910 ET at 255.85 MPH.
Funny Car:
No. 6 Robert Hight defeated No. 11 Mike McIntire Jr. after McIntire Jr. double-stepped and red-lit with Hight also double-stepping but making a winning pass of 8.139 at 85.21 MPH.
No. 10 John Force fell to No. 6 JR Todd after a close race seeing J. Force running 4.001 ET at 322.42 MPH to Todd’s 3.972 ET at 326.16 MPH.
Pro Stock:
No. 1 Matt Hartford defeated No. 16 Fernando Cuadra with his run of 6.615 ET at 206.45 MPH to Cuadra’s 8.257 ET at 120.17 MPH.
No. 8 Deric Kramer defeated No. 9 Camrie Caruso after Caruso red lit on the starting line.
No. 4 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 13 Chris McGaha with his run of 6.628 ET at 206.23 MPH to McGaha’s 11.226 ET at 79.87 MPH, shaking the tires on his run.
No. 5 Greg Anderson defeated No. 12 Kyle Koretsky with his run of 6.619 ET at 206.67 MPH to Koretsky’s 6.642 at 206.57 MPH.
No. 2 Erica Enders defeated No. 15 Eric Latino on her run of 6.641 ET at 207.08 MPH to Latino’s 10.028 ET at 91.03 MPH and facing issues on his run.
No. 7 Dallas Glenn defeated No. 10 Bo Butner, III with his run of 6.610 ET at 206.61 MPH to Butner’s 6.648 ET at 204.66, a reaction time difference of .002.
No. 3 Troy Coughlin, Jr. defeated No. 14 Mason McGaha with his run of 6.607 ET at 207.95 MPH to McGaha’s 10.719 ET at 85.77 MPH, shaking the tires early on his run.
No. 11 Jerry Tucker defeated No. Christian Cuadra with his run of 6.553 at 203.83 MPH to Cuadra’s 6.631 ET at 204.85 MPH.
Round 2 Recap:
Top Fuel:
Prock defeated Mercier with his run of 3.763 ET at 318.84 MPH to Mercier’s 3.846 ET at 302.21 MPH.
B. Force defeated Hart with her run of 3.729 ET at 333.58 MPH, setting top speed of the event with her Round 2 run, to Hart’s 3.774 ET at 328.54 MPH.
Funny Car:
Hight fell to Hagan after his 3.931 ET at 322.81 MPH wasn’t enough for Hagan’s 3.912 ET at 329.18 MPH.
Pro Stock:
Stanfield defeated Anderson with his run of 6.638 ET at 206.04 MPH to Anderson’s 6.709 ET at 205.85 MPH.
Glenn defeated Enders with his run of 6.632 ET at 206.39 MPH to Enders’ 7.046 ET at 157.41 MPH.
Hartford defeated Kramer with his run of 6.601 ET at 206.89 to Kramer’s 6.647 ET at 205.04 MPH.
Coughlin, Jr. defeated Tucker with his run of 6.619 ET at 207.30 MPH to Tucker’s 6.661 ET at 204.11 MPH.
Semifinals Recap:
Top Fuel:
Prock fell to Pruett after hazing the tires, with Pruett running 3.771 ET at 331.12 MPH to Prock’s 4.194 ET at 297.75 MPH.
B. Force fell to Ashley with her run of 3.713 ET at 333.16 MPH to Ashley’s 3.711 ET at 331.94 MPH.
Pro Stock:
Hartford defeated Stanfield with his run of 6.624 ET at 206.57 MPH to Stanfield’s 6.666 ET at 206.80 MPH.
Glenn defeated Coughlin, Jr. after Coughlin, Jr. hazes the tires, Glenn running a 6.635 ET lap at 206.45 MPH.
Finals:
Pro Stock:
Hartford defeated Glenn with his run of 6.624 ET at 207.02 MPH to Glenn hazing his tires early in the run.
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
About Chevrolet
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