FUNNY CAR STAR ROBERT HIGHT READY FOR ADDED PRESSURE THAT

INDIANAPOLIS – RIS - Robert Hight fondly remembers the first time it hit him that he was on the verge of something special at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

The memory is clear for the 2009 Funny Car world champion because his nerves started to race before taking part in the final round of the world’s most prestigious drag race.

“Indy isn’t like any other race,” Hight said. “In 2006 when I was in the final I kept trying to tell myself it was just another race but when I rolled through the water box my knees were knocking. This is the biggest race of the year with the most history. You have more fans that come to this race and you want to give them time for autographs and photos. I just try and get as much rest as possible and just enjoy the race.”

It’s proven to be a sound theory for Hight, who followed the 2006 victory with two more in 2008 and 2013, and now has him searching for an impressive fourth victory at this weekend’s 61st annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at venerable Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Alexis DeJoria (Funny Car), Shane Gray (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners. Once again, ESPN and ESPN2 will provide national television coverage of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. The event, which has provided drag racing’s biggest stage for six decades, is the final race of the NHRA regular season, giving drivers one last chance to qualify for the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Hight cemented his spot in the Countdown thanks to a massive performance in Brainerd, winning his first event of the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season in his 10,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro. That gave Hight an automatic spot in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout, which will take place on Sunday for the eight Funny Car competitors.

The Brainerd victory also gave Hight plenty of momentum heading into a Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals event that has been very kind to John Force Racing in recent years. Before DeJoria’s win last season, JFR had won at Indy for six consecutive years and seven of the past eight – incredible feats at the biggest drag race of the year.

“We have had a lot of success at Indy and I think that has something to do with how much support we get from all our John Force Racing employees,” said Hight, who jumped to eighth in points after the Brainerd win. “We have a lot of the people from the shop plus family members so I think that is what makes that race so special. The best way to approach Indy is to try and take it one day at a time. You have to just stay focused on each qualifying run and then also manage your time around the Traxxas Shootout.”

But Hight feels much better about the chance to do well in Indy after running as quick as 3.928 in Brainerd to get his first victory of the season and 35th of his career. It was only his second final round appearance of the season, but Hight feels as though his Camaro and his team, led by standout crew chief Mike Neff, are coming together at the perfect time.

“Getting that win in Brainerd was huge for my Auto Club team,” Hight said. “Getting that win does give you some momentum but we have been confident that a win was right around the corner. You want to go into the Chevrolet Performance Nationals with a win under your belt and we did that in Brainerd.

“The momentum from a Brainerd win and then strong showing in Indy just gives us more confidence. We never lost our confidence even when we were struggling a little. I think our success will also help all our teams. The goal is to get all three of these Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Cars into the Countdown and also have them running at the top of the pack. You have seen that performance recently in qualifying but we also want to have team success on Sunday or Monday for the U.S. Nationals.”

Getting the third JFR Funny Car into the Countdown will be a difficult task, as reigning Indy champion DeJoria sits 73 points ahead of Courtney Force, the winningest female driver in Funny Car history, in the race for the final spot in the Countdown. But it can be done at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals as Indy is a points-and-a-half race, meaning 30 points are up for grabs each round and winning the race means 150 points instead of the typical 100. A max total of 208 points are available for a single driver in each category, meaning Force could jump into the top 10 and Hight, who is just seven points behind seventh-place Tim Wilkerson, could make a major move as well.

The rest of the field is headed by points leader Jack Beckman and also features reigning world champion Matt Hagan, John Force, Ron Capps, Cruz Pedregon, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Del Worsham.

“The goal is to try and win the Traxxas Shootout and the race,” Hight said. “That starts with a good run on Friday and then we move into Saturday and Sunday. You definitely want to get as high in the points for the Countdown for sure. The best thing you can do is just stay focused and try and get as many points as possible. Once the points reset after Indy it is a whole new ball game.”

In Top Fuel there are a host of stars, including reigning world champion, current points leader and nine-time Indy winner Tony Schumacher. Others include four-time season winners Richie Crampton and Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta, J.R. Todd, three-time world champion Larry Dixon, Brittany Force and Shawn Langdon. Clay Millican and Dave Connolly are both trying to sneak into the final spot, as they sit 124 and 134 points out of the 10th spot. Steve Torrence is just three points ahead in ninth as the stage is set for an epic weekend of competition in the class.

Gray would love to get back-to-back Pro Stock wins at Indy, but four-time world champion Greg Anderson, who has won four races in 2015, is primed for a seventh Pro Stock win at the Big Go. Others to watch include reigning world champion and points leader Erica Enders, who also has four wins this season, Jason Line, Allen Johnson, Jonathan Gray, Chris McGaha, who won back-to-back races on the Western Swing to jump firmly into the championship picture, Vincent Nobile, rookie and local favorite Drew Skillman and two-time season winner Larry Morgan. V. Gaines is 176 points back of 10th-place Skillman.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, another Indy victory would add to Krawiec’s impressive season and secure the No. 1 spot heading into the Countdown to the Championship. He will face off against top challengers like reigning world champion Andrew Hines, Hector Arana Jr., Karen Stoffer, Jim Underdahl, two-time world champ and past Indy winner Matt Smith, 2009 Indy winner Hector Arana and alligator farmer Jerry Savoie.

As far as the race for 10th-place, L.E. Tonglet, who trails ninth-place Scott Pollacheck by only 21 points, is 26 points ahead of Chip Ellis and 51 points ahead of multi-time Indy winner Angelle Sampey. Chaz Kennedy and Angie Smith are both 68 points back of Ellis, while Steve Johnson has a shot at 78 points behind.

Bonus bucks and bragging rights will be on the line for qualified drivers in Top Fuel and Funny Car as they battle in the lucrative Traxxas Nitro Shootout. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Top Fuel will be held on Saturday evening, while the Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Car is contested Sunday afternoon. The winners in each Traxxas Nitro Shootout will earn $100,000. Prior to each Traxxas Nitro Shootout there will be a fan Q&A and autograph session conducted with all qualified drivers.

Drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Series also will take to the track during the weekend in their 250-mph machines with the goal of trying to win the prestigious event. The fan-favorite Mopar HEMI Challenge on Friday, featuring the world’s quickest Super Stock machines, will highlight the Lucas Oil Series action.

Thundering Jet Cars will take to the track to make exhibition passes as part of Friday and Saturday’s racing activities, and also on Friday, a special fireworks show will close out that day’s racing. Fan-favorite vintage racecars will be on display in the Hot Rod Junction, along with several autograph sessions featuring the biggest stars of the sport will be featured throughout each day of the event.

A special Monday edition of the SealMaster NHRA Track Walk also will take place prior to final eliminations, where many of the sport’s most celebrated drivers will walk alongside fans down the historic dragstrip. Also on Monday during pre-race ceremonies, fans will get to experience a very special treat when the famed Golden Knights, the U.S. Army’s highly-decorated parachute team, descends into Lucas Oil Raceway. As usual, one of the highlights of the spectacular pre-race show on Monday will feature highly-skilled skydiver Jason Peters soaring into Lucas Oil Raceway with an American Flag in tow during the traditional performance of the National Anthem.

  

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.

The first of five Mello Yello Series qualifying sessions is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. Two more sessions will take to the track on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., and the final two qualifying sessions will take place on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 7. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Top Fuel will be contested Saturday, Sept. 5 with rounds at 4 p.m., 5:25 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Car takes place on Sunday, Sept. 6 for the eight qualified drivers, with rounds at 12:30 p.m., 1:55 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.

ESPN and ESPN2 will televise eight hours of coverage of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Five hours of qualifying coverage and coverage of the Traxxas Nitro Shootouts will air on ESPN from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (ET) and on ESPN2 from 11 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6. Monday’s (Sept. 7) eliminations for the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals will be featured in three hours of coverage on ESPN starting at 4 p.m. (ET).

Tickets for the world’s most prestigious drag race can be purchased by calling the NHRA Ticket Sales Center at (800) 884-NHRA (6472), or online at www.NHRATIX.com.

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Dusty Brandel

President of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association, Inc. Worked with Mike Hollander since Tapsis, Compuserve, etc. and has posted to the website since the beginning. First Female photo-journalist to be given a garage and pit pass for the NASCAR garage, 1972 at Ontario Motor Speedway. One of first seven female writers, photographers given access to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage and pits in 1971. Past President of Greater Los Angeles Press Club, 1992-96, and first female editor of the 8-Ball publication for the Press Club

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Volume 2015, Issue 8, Posted 3:26 PM, 09.01.2015