LAS VEGAS – When one finds himself on a hot streak, certain travel destinations are more favorable than others.
That’s why NHRA Funny Car driver Robert Hight is excited about an upcoming trip to Las Vegas.
For Hight, this trip to Sin City is all business.
Hight will roll into The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, March 30-April 1, as the hottest Funny Car driver in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Not only is Hight the event’s defending Funny Car winner, but he is riding a two-race winning streak. The driver of the Auto Club Ford Mustang scored back-to-back victories in Phoenix and Gainesville, Fla. at the circuit’s last two events.
At Las Vegas’ SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, where Hight is the only two-time Funny Car winner (also 2007), he’ll try to keep the momentum going and add a third-straight victory to his early season collection. Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) also are defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Series event that will be televised on ESPN2HD.
“It is not that easy to get two wins in a season, so to get two in a row is huge,” Hight said. “I also look at the fact we won three races in a row last year and didn’t get the (world championship) title, so really it is too early to get too excited.”
In the ultra-competitive world of NHRA Funny Car racing, where 15-time world champ John Force has been the king of the hill for the past two decades, winning streaks come and go. Hight says the hard part of a streak is underway. Now, his team just has to keep their rally caps on and enjoy the ride.
“It is harder to start a winning streak than keep one going,” Hight said. “Once you have a couple wins, momentum carries over from win to win. Your team builds up confidence and it just seems to get easier. You never want to take it for granted because streaks can end just as quickly as they start.”
If not for a momentary lapse in concentration, Hight could be trying for his fourth win in a row. As the No. 1 qualifier at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in Southern California, he suffered a rare first round upset. Hight says the brief setback gave his Auto Club team a chance to hit the reset button right away on the season.
“That first round loss definitely motivated us,” Hight said. “We were the No. 1 qualifier and to get taken out by the No. 16 qualifier really hurt. We didn’t race smart. We learned from that and luckily we only had a few days to think about it before we got to Phoenix and got back on track. That race in Pomona also proved that you can’t take anyone for granted. You have to make smart decisions because if you make a mistake the team in the other lane will take advantage.”
In taking the win last year, Hight used a consistent tune-up that produced a trio of winning 4.15-second runs before he used a slightly quicker 4.14-second run to defeat Johnny Gray in the final round.
“It is cool coming in as defending champ,” said Hight, who has earned 25 career victories and the 2009 world championship crown. “I believe one of the keys (to racing well at The Strip at LVMS) is to stay focused. There are so many distractions in Las Vegas. When we get there we tell the guys have fun on Wednesday night and after that that it is all business. We have to be at our best on the track and do it better than the other guys.”
Those other guys (and gals) include series points leader and teammate Mike Neff, who has advanced to two final rounds this season behind the wheel of his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, Force, who has claimed three wins in Las Vegas during his record-setting career, Jack Beckman, Gray, Ron Capps, Cruz Pedregon, defending world champ Matt Hagan, and highly-touted rookie drivers Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria.
“This class is as tough as it has ever been,” Hight said. “Only ten drivers will make the Countdown, so there will be some big names on the outside. Just because we have won two races, that doesn’t guarantee us anything. We have to stay focused because we do not want to be one of the big names on the outside after Indy.”
In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher leads the series standings with two runner-up finishes in his U.S. Army dragster, but Morgan Lucas has the momentum entering the race in his GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster after winning in commanding fashion at the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals. Defending winner Brown, Spencer Massey, Shawn Langdon, Brandon Bernstein and Doug Kalitta are all among the pre-race favorites in the 7,000-horsepower category.
Greg Anderson and Jason Line, who drive for Las Vegas native Ken Black’s Pro Stock team, will be the favorites in the 200-mph factory hot rod division. Defending event winner Edwards also won the most recent event, in Gainesville, and moved into second place in the series standings. Anderson, who has advanced to all three finals with one win this season and leads the points standings, has won this event three times and has seven total wins at LVMS during his career behind the wheel of his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP. Others to watch in Pro Stock include Allen Johnson, Jeg Coughlin, Erica Enders, Vincent Nobile, Rodger Brogdon, Greg Stanfield, Kurt Johnson and Larry Morgan.
* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 30, and 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 31. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 1.
* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals. For tickets, please call The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at (800) 644-4444 or visit www.LVMS.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, March 31. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three-hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. (ET), also on Sunday, April 1.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on March 30. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on March 31 and continue through April 1.
* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, the fourth of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in three categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock – earn points leading to 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas. Track is located approximately 15 miles north of downtown Las Vegas off Interstate 15.
WHEN: Friday through Sunday, March 30 – April 1
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, March 30 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, March 31 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, April 1 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, March 31, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, April 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage starting at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE (Digital HD feed):
Friday, March 30, 10:30 – 11 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 01C
Saturday, March 31, 10 – 10:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 01C
Sunday, April 1, 10:30 – 11 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 01C
(3720 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 40.461470554 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 29.27 Ms; FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 36 Mhz)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners’ interviews on Sunday.
2011 EVENT WINNERS: Antron Brown, Top Fuel; Robert Hight, Funny Car; Mike Edwards, Pro Stock
MOST VICTORIES: Larry Dixon, 4, TF; Greg Anderson, 3, PS; Jeg Coughlin, 3, PS; Kenny Bernstein, 2, TF; Mike Edwards, 2, PS; Robert Hight, 2, FC; Tony Schumacher, 2, TF.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.781 seconds by Tony Schumacher, Oct. ’08; 325.85 mph by Rod Fuller, Oct. ’11.
Funny Car - 4.030 seconds by Matt Hagan, Oct. ’09; 315.49 mph by Ron Capps, Oct. ’11.
Pro Stock - 6.594 seconds by Mike Edwards, Oct. ’11; 208.84 mph by Edwards, Oct. ’11.
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.735 sec. by Del Worsham, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 328.62 mph by Spencer Massey, Feb. ’12, Pomona, Calif.
Funny Car - 3.995 sec. by Matt Hagan, Sept. ’11, Charlotte, N.C.; 318.99 mph by Jack Beckman, Sept. ’11, Charlotte, N.C.
Pro Stock - 6.477 sec. by Jason Line, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 213.57 mph by Erica Enders, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.
TICKETS: For tickets call Las Vegas Motor Speedway at (800) 644-4444, or visit www.LVMS.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $32; Junior (6-12 years), $11. Saturday: Adult, $51; Junior (6-12 years), $11. Sunday: Adult, $55; Junior (6-12 years) $16. Children five years and under admitted free to general admission and pit areas each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $42; Junior (6-12 years), $21; Child (Five and under), $10. Saturday: Adult, $61; Junior (6-12 years), $21; Child (Five and under), $10. Sunday: Adult, $65; Junior (6-12 years) $26; Child (Five and under), $10.
NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES POINTS STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the third of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel: 1. Tony Schumacher, 283; 2. Morgan Lucas, 269; 3. Antron Brown, 265; 4. Spencer Massey, 229; 5. Shawn Langdon, 223; 6. Clay Millican, 168; 7. Doug Kalitta, 156; 8. Bob Vandergriff, 141; 9. Steve Torrence, 125; 10. Brandon Bernstein, 120.
Funny Car: 1. Mike Neff, 280; 2. Robert Hight, 273; 3. Jack Beckman, 217; 4. Johnny Gray, 192; 5. John Force, 185; 6. Ron Capps, 180; 7. Courtney Force, 156; 8. Jeff Arend, 115; 9. Todd Lesenko, 112; 10. (tie) Matt Hagan, 108; Bob Tasca III, 108.
Pro Stock: 1. Greg Anderson, 308; 2. Mike Edwards, 264; 3. Jason Line, 254; 4. Rodger Brogdon, 157; 5. Ronnie Humphrey, 155; 6. Vincent Nobile, 145; 7. Allen Johnson, 137; 8. Larry Morgan, 135; 9. Greg Stanfield, 134; 10. Jeg Coughlin, 132.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Eddie Krawiec, 150; 2. Andrew Hines, 101; 3. Hector Arana Jr, 80; 4. Matt Smith, 74; 5. (tie) Hector Arana, 56; LE Tonglet, 56; 7. Karen Stoffer, 53; 8. Scotty Pollacheck, 52; 9. Steve Johnson, 34; 10. (tie) Shawn Gann, 32; Joey Gladstone, 32: Jerry Savoie, 32; John Hall, 32.
