Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team will be chasing their eighth win of the season this weekend at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway and with it an even more defining bid for the NHRA Camping World Funny Car championship title.
Hight is coming off a millstone 60th career victory and career best seventh win of the season at last weekend’s event at Maple Grove Raceway. The three-time champion had a near perfect weekend gaining points every qualifying run en route to his fourth No. 1 of the season and continued on race day being quickest or second quickest of every round. The victory makes him just the sixth Funny Car driver to win seven races in a season (with Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Ron Capps and Jack Beckman).
“It’s really been an incredible year so far. I have to give it up to this Auto Club Chevy team. They have worked so hard, really put their heads down and put the work in. It started at the end of last season and carried through all winter, and they haven’t let up. That’s why we are where we are right now,” Hight said. “Going into Charlotte, we have to treat it just like any other race, just like we treated Reading. I sound like a broken record but it really is just one run at a time, get points in qualifying and be consistent on race day. Hopefully we get it done again this weekend.”
Hight has won a record six-times at zMAX Dragway, four times in the fall at the Carolina Nationals (2009, 2013, 2017 and 2019) and twice at the Four-Wide Nationals in the spring (2012, 2014). He has yet to qualify No. 1 at the Carolina Nationals but has started race day from the top spot at the Four-Wide three times (2010, 2012, 2019). This weekend, he’ll be looking to add to his 13 Countdown wins, already a record in Funny Car.
Competition at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the second of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship races, begins with qualifying Friday evening at 7:15 p.m. and Saturday at 2:15 and 6:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and begins with a live qualifying show Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET. A second qualifying show airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET with eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET.
JFR PR
