Perched high atop the roof at zMAX Dragway, the four No. 1 seeds in the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship kicked off this weekend’s 10th annual NHRA Carolina Nationalswith a media luncheon previewing the high-octane action set to get underway on Friday.
Defending Funny Car champion Ron Capps joined Top Fuel points leader Steve Torrence, Pro Stock top seed Bo Butner and Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader LE Tonglet in discussing leaving the Bellagio of drag strips with a trophy – and some valuable momentum in the championship fight.
“They’re going to have to take it out of our hands,” Capps said of the Funny Car title battle. “The way I look at it, I wouldn’t want to race our NAPA car. It’s a consistent race car. (Crew chief) Rahn Tobler does a great job. Our team does a great job. Our mentality is that you’re going to have to beat us on the race track (to win the championship).
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 2:45 and 5:15 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 12:45 and 3:15 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17.
TICKETS:
Tickets, camping and upgrades for NHRA Carolina Nationals are available at the gates, by visiting www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets/ or calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Don’t miss a minute of the action with three-day packages starting at just $99. Kids 13 and younger get in FREE with an adult ticket purchase.
CMS PR/(CMS/Aaron Burns photo)
