CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS
BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
BRAINERD, MINNESOTA
TEAM CHEVY RACE RECAP
AUGUST 20, 2023
DALLAS GLENN RACES TO BRAINERD VICTORY WITH CHEVROLET; GAINS MOMENTUM HEADING INTO U.S. NATIONALS AND THE NHRA COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP
- Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car, captured his fourth Wally trophy of the 2023 NHRA season and eighth Pro Stock career victory.
- Glenn earned the 375th Pro Stock win for Chevrolet, the 256th in the Chevrolet Camaro.
- With Glenn’s victory, he continues to sit first in the 2023 NHRA Pro Stock points standing heading into the U.S. Nationals.
- Robert Hight, of John Force Racing (Funny Car), and Erica Enders, of Elite Motorsports (Pro Stock), raced to victory during qualifying to take home the Lucas Oil Nationals Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge prize.
- Greg Anderson, of KB Titan Racing, earned his first No. 1 qualifier of the year and 122nd of his Pro Stock career after his 6.597-second run at 205.79 MPH.
BRAINERD, Minnesota (August 20, 2023) – Capturing Chevrolet’s 375th NHRA Pro Stock victory and the 256th in the Chevrolet Camaro, Dallas Glenn, driver of the Rad Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car for KB Titan Racing, captured his eighth career Pro Stock Wally trophy after defeating Kyle Koretsky in the 2023 Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Finals at Brainerd International Raceway.
“I just need to keep this momentum going,” said Glenn. “I’ve been really lucky this season. I feel like I’ve been just good enough, and I’ve got the baddest Jerry Haas race car on the planet right now. It was really ugly in the final, it was shaking pretty good, but we got through it.”
Defeating Jerry Tucker in Round 1, Erica Enders in Round 2, and Aaron Stanfield in Semifinals before winning over Koretsky in the final round, Glenn carries both the points lead and strong momentum with his fourth victory of the season into Labor Day weekend’s U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
In Funny Car, it was a John Force Racing faceoff in in semifinals, with Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car taking on his teammate and team owner John Force, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car. Racing to the finish line with a pass of 3.918 ET at 325.61 MPH to J. Force’s 11.323 ET at 76.73 MPH, Hight ultimately settled for runner-up of the Brainerd event after being defeated by Ron Capps in the finals.
“This is the first final round we’ve been to in the Cornwell Tools Chevy Camaro so hats off to the Cornwell Tools team,” Hight said. “The car has been running well, it’s starting to respond to the decisions Jimmy Prock is making. We had some fun today, had a couple of tough rounds, it was no cakewalk. We really wanted to get the job done, especially with Matt Hagan going out in the first round. We knew it was going to take more to win in the finals, I know Jimmy was shooting for better but we’re chipping away at it. We’re close and knowing that has me excited for the U.S. Nationals. We need another Wally, it’s been a while. So we’ll go out and test tomorrow and work to get one step closer.”
Despite finishing runner-up in the event, Hight was victorious on his birthday weekend by coming out on top of Saturday’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge over Matt Hagan with his run of 3.988-seconds at 315.05 MPH to Hagan’s 4.043 ET at 311.20 MPH. Joining Hight, Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepower Garage Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car, also raced to the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory during Saturday’s qualifying in Brainerd.
Unfortunately for the Chevrolet-backed Top Fuel teams of Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, and Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, it was an early day of elimination competition, with B. Force eliminated after a Round 2 defeat and Prock facing an early exit after Round 1.
“This Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster is close but we haven’t had much luck, and haven’t been able to catch any breaks lately,” said Prock. “I know I also haven’t been doing a great job behind the wheel, I haven’t met my standards. I’ll get it together and be there when it counts and I know my team is working hard to do the same. Indy is next and then it really counts.
The 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, next up for the Chevrolet teams of Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, with action kicking off the Labor Day weekend Sept. 1-4, 2023. Broadcast of Monday’s eliminations air live Sunday, Sept. 4 from noon to 2 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET on FOX.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:
“Leaving Brainerd International Raceway still on a positive note after an unexpected weekend. We were hoping to do better coming out of a runner-up finish in Topeka. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team did qualify No. 4 and earned bonus championship points in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday but unfortunately got beat in the second round today. We made some solid laps, our best in the first round at 3.694 at 334 but we smoked the tires in round two. Our team is aware of our mistakes and we know how to correct them and move on. The U.S. Nationals is next up in two weeks and we will be ready.”
Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:
“It was another tough stop on our NHRA Camping World tour. This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster is close but we haven’t had much luck, and haven’t been able to catch any breaks lately. I know I also haven’t been doing a great job behind the wheel, I haven’t met my standards. I’ll get it together and be there when it counts and I know my team is working hard to do the same. Indy is next and then it really counts.”
John Force, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:
“It was a good day, good race day. We needed this. I raced my race, I stage deep but I do what I have to, I need all the advantage I can get. I know that PEAK Chevrolet, with my crew chiefs Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, I know they give me a good fast race car. I love racing that hot rod. Never want to race your teammate unless it’s in the finals but at least it was in the semifinals and we both will get a chance at the Mission Foods Challenge. One race left before the Countdown, time to buckle up and get the job done.”
DALLAS GLENN, DRIVER OF THE RAD TORQUE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS PRO STOCK CAR FOR KB TITAN RACING – Brainerd Winner’s Press Conference:
EVERYTIME YOU AND ERICA ENDERS HAVE RACED HEAD-TO-HEAD AND WON THAT RACE, THE WINNER HAS WON THE EVENT.
“There’s a reason (Erica Enders’) is a five-time champion. She’s beat up on me a lot and she’s really, really tough. Last couple of times I’ve beat her, I’ve got a little bit lucky. You know what? To win one of these, you need to be lucky.”
YOU’VE COME HERE OFTEN WORKING WITH THE KB TITAN RACING TEAM. THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME HERE AS A DRIVER, AND NOW A WINNER OF THE EVENT.
“First time down the track was Q1. The last time we were here, I was working on Jason Line’s car and we parked it in the Winner’s Circle that time, too.”
YOU UNDERSTAND HOW SPECIAL IT IS HERE, HOW HARDCORE THESE FANS ARE, ESPECIALLY FOR PRO STOCK. THAT’S GOT TO MAKE THIS EVEN BETTER?
“Brainerd always had a good Pro Stock following between Greg Anderson, Warren Johnson, and Jason Line. The Pro Stock fans run deep here. It’s a great place to win. I’m glad to win here. This is usually a tough one to win.”
THIS IS YOUR FOURTH ONE OF THE YEAR. WE’VE GOT INDY, THEN THE COUNTDOWN. IS YOUR TEAM READY FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP RUN?
“Absolutely. With the momentum we’ve got going, we just need to keep our feet moving and not trip and fall. We’ve got a good points lead, and we were sad to see it go. Other years, we’ve seen it go the other way.”
AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE, AND YOU’VE WON, HOW DOES THE TRUCK AND TRAILER GET BACK HOME?
“I’ve got to drive it. It’s 20 hours back home (to North Carolina) or so. We’ll get started and probably get home sometime Tuesday.”
FOURTH WIN OF THE SEASON, EIGHT OF HIS CAREER, IN HIS FIRST APPEARANCE AT BRAINERD… BEATING JERRY TUCKER, ERICA ENDERS, AARON STANFIELD AND KYLE KORETSKY, TALK A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR RACE DAY…
“I feel the car did most of the work today. It’s running so good today. I was a little worried because it seems to be of late the car works really good when it’s hot and humid out. as much as I hate it being hot and humid out. It showed on Saturday when I picked up four bonus points in qualifying. We went out there eon the first run, and I didn’t think it was a great run, and we were second for the session. It put me third pair out second round, so I felt like we had a really good car. We just went out there and made four really solid laps. It shook a little in the final. The track felt a little sticky to me and I think it was probably just a little too good; maybe we just needed to get after it a little bit more, but it made it through it. I know Kyle (Koretsky) really, really, really wanted to win that one especially here at Lucas Oil (Nationals), but that’s one thing I love about KB (Titan) Racing is that there are never any team orders. We put up the absolute best tune up in each car we can, and we let the drivers figure it out. When I won the semifinals and it was an all-KB (Titan Racing) final, that’s where the real emotion of winning kind of comes out because no matter what, the trophy is coming home with us.”
YOU SEEM TO EBB AND FLOW THIS YEAR. WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR SOMEONE IN THE COUNTDOWN TO TAKE COMMAND AND RUN IT TO THE FINISH LINE?
“I feel like I definitely have the car to do it. If I can just work a little bit more… I felt like I made some gains with my clutch pedal, then that red light in Q3 against Erica (Enders) kind of set me back a little bit. It kind of took some of the confidence away. As long as somebody can settle into the teens of double-0’s with a car that’s working as good as mine, then it’s going to be really, really tough to beat.”
“The conditions this weekend were pretty tricky. We started pretty cool, then it got really hot and humid, and then it went back to even better and (cooler). We put down some good laps on Sunday, but to come here and race and win my first time, it’s an awesome feeling.”
KNOWING WHAT’S COMING WITH INDY AND THE COUNTDOWN, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO GET WINNING BACK ON YOUR SIDE AS ALL THIS APPROACHES?
“It’s funny you mention that. My first season, I got three wins, then I only got one in my second season. I got three wins this season pretty quick, and now I feel like we kept going to the final and coming up short. To get this one, it breaks that kind of three-win wall. I know I can win more than three in a season, so now I feel like the sky is the limit. It definitely builds the confidence that when you have a car this good, you don’t have to be double-0 (on the tree) every hit. I can just calm down, relax, and make good quality and consistent runs.”
GIVE US A PREVIEW OF U.S. NATIONALS, THE NEXT RACE ON THE TOUR, THE BIGGEST SINGLE RACE ON THE SCHEDULE, CONCLUDING THE REGULAR SEASON:
“I came really close last year. I ran Greg (Anderson) in the final, and I felt like I rushed my staging procedure just a little bit. I got in just an extra half-inch and went .002 red. Everybody kind of tightens the belts a little more, bring their a-game, and their best stuff for Indy. It’s like the preview for the Countdown, what’s to come. Everybody wants to win Indy. It’s a tough one. I’m really glad I get to be in another #2Fast2Tasty Challenge because I think there are three or four of us tied for points right now. Whoever gets the most points gets to keep the trophy, which I found out at the last one. So, I really want to bring that trophy back home with me. I get one more chance to do it. It’ll be tough. Indy’s always tough. It’s a long week. You get your one run Friday, two Saturday, two Sunday, and you race Monday. It feels like you’re there forever and you’ve got cars running constantly. It’s definitely a grind and definitely brings out the best in the competitors.”
Round 1 Recap:
Top Fuel:
No. 4 Brittany Force defeated No. 11 Josh Hart with her run of 3.694 ET at 334.15 MPH to Hart’s 3.758 ET at 331.85 MPH.
No. 8 Austin Prock fell to No. 7 Mike Salinas with his run of 3.748 ET at 325.30 MPH to Salinas’s 3.726 ET at 335.32 MPH.
Funny Car:
No. 6 Robert Hight defeated No. 11 Bobby Bode with his pass of 3.881 ET at 330.88 MPH to Bode’s 3.929 ET at 322.50 MPH.
No. 7 John Force defeated No. 10 Chad Green with his run of 3.959 ET at 329.99 MPH to Green’s 325.30 MPH.
Pro Stock:
No. 1 Greg Anderson defeated No. 16 David Cuadra with his run of 6.562 ET at 207.82 MPH to Cuadra’s 6.638 ET at 207.89 MPH.
No. 8 Kyle Koretsky defeated No. 9 Camrie Caruso with his pass of 6.580 ET at 207.21 MPH to Caruso’s 6.584 ET at 208.71 MPH.
No. 11 Chris McGaha defeated No. 4 Christian Cuadra after Cuadra red lit to McGaha’s 6.619 ET at 208.33 MPH.
No. 2 Matt Hartford defeated Fernando Cuadra, Jr. with his run of 6.557 ET at 208.81 MPH to Cuadra, Jr.’s 6.621 ET at 206.76 MPH.
No. 7 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 10 Bo Butner, III with his pass of 6.577 ET at 207.91 MPH to Butner, III’s 6.593 ET at 208.14 MPH.
No. 3 Erica Enders’ defeated No. 14 Mason McGaha with her run 6.574 ET at 209.04 MPH to McGaha’s 6.612 ET at 207.82 MPH.
No. 5 Deric Kramer defeated No. 12 Troy Coughlin, Jr. with his run of 6.546 ET at 208.20 MPH to Coughlin, Jr.’s 6.566 ET at 208.75 MPH.
No. 6 Dallas Glenn defeated No. 11 Jerry Tucker with his pass 6.555 ET at 206.86 MPH to Tucker’s 6.692 ET at 204.94 MPH.
Round 2 Recap:
Top Fuel:
B. Force fell to Leah Pruett with her run of 4.309 ET at 262.49 MPH to Pruett’s 3.750 ET at 333.41 MPH.
Funny Car:
J. Force defeated Dale Creasy, Jr. on a 3.900 ET at 328.94 MPH-run with Creasy, Jr. disqualifying on his pass.
Hight defeated Dave Richards with his run of 3.913 ET at 329.83 MPH.
Pro Stock:
Koretsky defeated Anderson with his pass of 6.587 ET at 208.14 MPH to Anderson’s 6.582 ET at 208.14 MPH.
Kramer defeated C. McGaha with his run of 6.573 ET at 208.01 MPH to McGaha’s 6.626 ET at 207.75 MPH.
Stanfield defeated Hartford with his run of 6.581 ET at 208.49 MPH to Hartford’s 6.556 ET at 209.04 MPH.
Glenn defeated Enders with his pass of 6.561 ET at 208.07 MPH to her 6.648 ET at 206.20 MPH.
Semifinals Recap:
Funny Car:
Hight defeated teammate J. Force with his run of 3.918 ET at 325.61 MPH to Force’s 11.323 ET at 76.73 MPH.
Pro Stock:
Koretsky defeated Kramer with his run of 6.586 ET at 208.30 MPH to Kramer’s 6.574 ET at 208.49 MPH.
Glenn defeated Stanfield with his run of 6.555 ET at 207.62 MPH to Stanfield’s 6.578 ET at 208.42 MPH.
Finals Recap:
Pro Stock:
Glenn defeats Koretsky with his run of 6.566 ET at 207.56 MPH to Koretsky’s shaking of the tires after the start.
Funny Car:
Hight felt to Ron Capps with his run of 3.900 ET at 324.90 MPH to Capps’s run of 3.887 ET at 332.75 MPH.
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