After two days of qualifying with up and down results Australian Shane Tucker is heading into the Virginia NHRA Nationals race day as the No. 12 qualifier. The Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro made one solid run on Saturday and one aborted run to end qualifying. The missed opportunity does not weigh on Tucker heading into a first round match-up with Pro Stock veteran Greg Anderson.
“Overall we had a solid qualifying effort this weekend,” said Tucker. “We have never raced at Virginia Motorsports Park and we made two solid runs on Friday. Today we made a quicker run in the heat and we just missed it on the final run. Better to do that today than in the first round tomorrow.”
Tucker’s first round race against four-time Pro Stock Mello Yello world champion Greg Anderson will be a tough match-up. The pair have never raced each other in eliminations.
“You want to be challenged when you are racing and Greg is an amazing competitor,” said Tucker. “It will be a tough race for sure but we will give it everything we have. (Crew chief) Rob (Tucker) thinks there is more in this engine so we will be aggressive. We know it will be hot again in first round but we might have to take some chances to get the win.”
The Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro was the model of consistency in the first three qualifying sessions. It posted runs of 6.715 seconds at 206.16 mph, 6.655 seconds at 206.35 mph and 6.649 seconds at 207.34 mph. On Sunday heading into race day Tucker and his team will be aiming for a quicker run to start their race day.
“We have been making improvements every race going back to Gainesville and the Gatornationals. I have a lot of confidence in this Chevrolet Camaro team and I am looking forward to successful race day tomorrow,” added Tucker.
The young Pro Stock driver will be a featured guest on the NHRA Today-style pre-race show with NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart tomorrow morning. He will be on stage at 11 a.m. (ET) for the fans in attendance as well as those tuned in to NHRA.TV.
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NHRA ON TV
Sunday, May 19 Finals, 7:30pm – 10:30pm ET FS1
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THE DRIVER
SHANE TUCKER, 34, Auzmet Architectural/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro SS
Final Qualifying: 12th at 6.649 seconds, 207.34 mph
First Round Opponent (W-L): Greg Anderson (0-0)
Bonus Qualifying Points: 0
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RACE SCHEDULE:
Sunday, May 19
Final Eliminations 12:00 p.m.
Tony Fay Public Relations
