Frustrated with Atlanta, it’s on to Topeka

After a weekend that had less than desired results, Rodger Brogdon and the RACERS EDGE team are headed for the next stop on the NHRA Full Throttle tour, the 23rd annual Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

After suffering a rare transmission problem in the second round of qualifying on Friday evening, Rodger and crew rebounded in Saturday’s early session with a strong 6.618, 207.72 mph lap to claim their 4th top four qualifying spot of the last 5 races. Steve Kent in the PISTONATOR Pontiac also had good results during qualifying and in the final session put down a very nice 6.649, 207.05 lap that was good for the #9 qualifying spot once all was said and done.

Eliminations found Steve paired up with Erica Enders and Rodger running alongside Larry Morgan. For Kent, clutch issues surfaced while waiting on Erica to get her car running and staged and led to a red light. Rodger was able to get around Morgan with a 6.611 @ 208.14. Unfortunately it was memories of St. Louis last year in round two that brought the day to a close.

“We ran a 6.625 at only 206 mph in a lane that is so slick down track that my car is skating around just like it did in St. Louis last year. I had to get out of it and get the ‘chutes out to make sure we didn’t have a repeat. I’m off almost 2 miles an hour and lose by .009 of a second. We were on another good run, but the track on the top end just wouldn’t hold it. I was talking with Jason (Line) in the shutdown area, and he said he'd felt the same thing” said Rodger.

“Every run we make is video recorded with both in car and starting line cameras. When we watched the videos after the run, you could see the car really skating around from about 1000 feet on. It would have been nice to get the win, and I honestly think we had the round won if I didn’t have to lift, but it’s also rewarding to not be back at Jerry Haas shop again with a damaged race car. We’ve got a good car right now, so we’ll head to Topeka and get after it again. Yea, it’s very frustrating to lose like that, but what can you do, except try again at the next race.”

“With the flooding situation in Louisiana, Steve Kent will be at home rather than in Topeka, so the crew will be focused solely on the RACERS EDGE Pontiac at the next race. Hopefully everything will be OK at Steve’s house and shop in Lottie, Louisiana, but he certainly needs to be there to keep an eye on things. If all goes well he’ll be back on track in Englishtown.  I just hope we can hand him a Wally from Topeka when he catches back up with us,” Rodger grinned.

Television coverage of the Topeka event will be available on ESPN2/ESPN2HD, check your local listings

When Rodger Brogdon and Steve Kent rolled into the Summit Racing Southern Nationals in 2009 it marked the first race for the team with Cagnazzi Racing power under the hood. It also marked the first round win of the season when Brogdon defeated Ron Krisher on a hole-shot in round one, and began a string of qualifying that went unbroken until the same event in 2010.

The 2010 edition of the Southern Nationals came less than 2 weeks after Rodger’s 1st round, hi-lite reel tumble in St. Louis and despite the heroic efforts of many, Brogdon came up 6 thousandths of a second short of making the field that weekend, his only DNQ of 2010.

Coming off their 1st final round showing at Houston and a terrific race that is still being talked about, Brogdon and team are looking to continue their early season pace at this years edition of the Southern Nationals in Commerce, GA. Other than the abbreviated qualifying at the season opener in Pomona, the team has put up solid qualifying efforts at every event this year as well as setting the new national record at Gainesville FL.

“The Southern Nationals have certainly provided us with some memories the last couple of years,” Brogdon commented, “but now it’s time to make some good memories and go out and win this race. We’ve done everything but win one of these, and I think we’re just about due. That being said, there will only be another 20 or so in the field that think the exact same thing. The competition level in Pro Stock leaves no room for error.”

“The guys on this team have really come together this year and we’ve quietly been putting the runs together that we’ve needed to. We’ve been picking up some of the available bonus points during qualifying, and that effort has translated into higher qualifying positions, which in turn helps us out in the points for the K&N Challenge coming up in Norwalk.” As Rodger continued with a laugh, “Even with the results we’ve had, the ‘Tricky Tipster’ has mentioned us once so far this year, and the ‘Tipsy Trickster’ doesn’t even know we exist.”

“Now we have Steve Kent running in the Pistonator car, so we’ll be gathering data from two cars every lap, just like many of the others. Sure, we’ve doubled our workload, but we’ll double what we learn and we’re looking forward to using that effort to put both cars into the show and go rounds on Sunday. Steve has jumped right into the mix and is settling into the driver’s seat quite well, and dang near picked up his first round win in Houston. Everyone on the team can feel the energy building and we’re looking forward to the season picking up the pace now.”

With the race this weekend and another in Topeka, KS next weekend, the EDGE Pain & Performance chips team is looking to keep the momentum going. And right now that momentum is going strong.

Television coverage will be available on ESPN2/ESPN2HD, check your local listings

For Rodger Brogdon, Steve Kent and the RACERS EDGE Pro Stock team, Sunday’s final round had been a long time coming. While the results weren’t as hoped for, the race weekend showcased just how far this team has come.

After qualifying #2, the team responded with the 3rd quickest lap of the opening round, a 6.333 lap that eliminated Warren Johnson and then returned in round 2 to take out Erica Enders in a battle the 2 local Houston based drivers, again with the 3rd quickest lap of the round.

In the semi-finals, Rodger again took out a former world champion, this time sending Mike Edwards home early with the 2nd quickest run of the round, a stellar 6.641 in the less favored left hand lane.

The final round race against rookie Vincent Nobile, Brogdon once again provided a remarkable run, but came up sixteen ten thousandths of a second short at the finish line stripe. It was a race that already has many claiming it to be one of, if not the best ever Pro Stock final. Both drivers were .00 with their reaction time, and marched down track literally side by side.

“If I offered a bet to 1000 knowledgeable drag racing fans that gave them a .009 light and the 3rd quickest run of the day in the final round, virtually every one of them would take that bet, hell I would take that bet. Today unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough. Nobile and the Mountain View Tire guys gave us all a race that we’ll still be talking about when the season is over with.”

“We made 8 good, solid runs this weekend. We missed our second #1 qualifying spot of the season because of speed. We picked up nine out of a possible 12 bonus points during qualifying and took out 2 former world champs in the process. In the second round we raced Erica in yet another great, close race and we got a little payback for our race in Las Vegas where she got me off the line and held on for a close hole-shot win. Today I was just determined that it wasn’t going to happen again.”

Today’s race moved Brogdon and the RACERS EDGE team into 6th place in the Full Throttle points standings as the season starts to pick up momentum. The tour will take next weekend off for Mother’s Day and then race 5 out of the next 7 weekends.

With both the championship chase and the RACERS EDGE team gaining their momentum at the same time, and the team now adding a second car driven by Steve Kent, the feeling in the RACERS EDGE pits at the end of the day was surprisingly that of happiness, even after the final round loss.

“We’re going to race and have fun doing it, but we are as serious about the championship as every other team out here. Today I think, might have opened some eyes to that fact.”

Through the first 4 races of the 2011 Full Throttle season the RACERS EDGE team of Rodger Brogdon and Steve Kent has had quite the roller coaster ride. From the high of their first #1 qualifying effort at Gainesville to the starting line confusion at last week’s 4-Wide that ended the weekend with a first round red light, the team has had its share of ups and downs.

Now the team and the tour heads to their home track, Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown Texas for the O’Reilly Spring Nationals and anticipation is high for a very good weekend, especially with the addition of a second car. Team owner Steve Kent recently completed his Pro Stock licensing requirements and will debut the teams new red PISTONATOR car at this week’s race.

“With the number of Pro Stock teams that have a second car to gather data from, adding Steve to the mix will enable us to join those ranks and hopefully be able to solidify our race day performance with both cars. Steve won’t be competing at every event, at least that’s the concept going in,” Rodger grinned, “but we’ll see how that plays out, so far he’s adapted quite well to the changes from his 7 second Comp car.”

“To say we know the track well in Baytown might be a bit of an understatement. We’ve tested here in the hot, the cold, bright sunny days and I’ve even made a lap here in the darkness of the early evening, and don’t even ask about that,” Brogdon chuckled. “We have data for any type of condition that you can think of. We’ve raced here in Super Stock, numerous Comp cars and Pro Stock, and won more than once on our home track, so we ‘re certainly looking forward to a productive race this weekend.”

“There is no doubt we’re going to have a busy weekend too,” continued Brogdon. “On top of debuting Steve and his new car, we’ll also be entertaining business clients of both Steve and myself, along with numerous family members and friends. Steve will have the boys cooking in the pits all weekend and our overall object will be what it always is, enjoy our friends, race, and have a good time doing both.”

Currently 8th in the Full Throttle points chase, the RACERS EDGE team will be looking to get back on track after an early exit at the last race in North Carolina, and will also be looking to end the race day frustration that has bitten them the last couple of events. Doing so at their home track would just make it that much better.

Television coverage will be available on ESPN2/ESPN2HD, check your local listings

“Vegas was living proof of just how tough Pro Stock racing can be,” commented The RACERS EDGE driver Rodger Brogdon while looking back on the last race weekend. “We were no worse than 5th quickest during every session but one. Unfortunately that missed opportunity dropped us to the eighth spot and Erica was just quick enough on the tree to take us out in the opening round.”

“Had we stayed 5th or better in qualifying, Vegas could have played out to a much better finish. As it was we did find a situation in the suspension that we were able to get under control, so while we lost ground on race day, it may yet prove to be a more valuable benefit in the long run and the next couple of races will tell us if we went the right direction.”

For the RACERS EDGE team the days since they broke camp in Las Vegas have seen crew members scattered nationwide in preparation for this week’s event and the following race in Houston. Since Vegas, the team has taken delivery of team owner Steve Kent’s new Pontiac from Jerry Haas St. Louis shop. Part of the team went to St. Louis to oversee final work on the new car, while the rest stayed with the RACERS EDGE Pontiac to prep it for the 4-Wide nationals this weekend.

“The 4-Wide race concept is certainly something different and starting Steve out running 4-Wide could really be unsettling, so we’ll just have the RACERS EDGE Pontiac in action this weekend. We’ll stay after on Monday and get some laps in on both cars and finish the needed laps for Steve’s licensing. To say our plate is going to be full for the next couple of weeks might be an understatement, but everyone on the team is looking forward to the challenges so I think we’ll be in good shape.”

“Three races into the season I’d have to say we’re off to a good start. Yea, we’ve had some miscues that have cost us, but we’ve also been able to address the problems we’ve faced and bounce right back. Obviously setting the record and getting our first #1 qualifying spot was great, but we left Gainesville with some unfinished business. This week’s 4-Wide event will give us the opportunity to get back to work and see if we can close the deal.”

When the NHRA Full Throttle tour resumes this weekend in Las Vegas the RACERS EDGE / Attitude Apparel team of Rodger Brogdon and Steve Kent will pick up where they left off in Gainesville, running hard and looking for the win on Sunday.

Coming off the last race where they scored their first #1 qualifying spot and a new national E.T. record, the team took a minor detour at the Cajun SportsNationals in Louisiana, but went right back into test mode once their foray in Comp eliminator concluded. With a $25,000.00 bonus purse for the Comp field posted by Brogdon & Kent through their Attitude Apparel motorsports clothing line, both drivers took a shot at the winner’s purse that eventually went to perennial champion David Rampy, driving the RACERS EDGE / Elite Motorsports ’32 Bantam.

With the SportsNationals over the team’s focus became two-fold. First and foremost was testing the race day combination to locate the source of the electrical gremlin that bit them in the semi-finals in Gainesville. Second on the list was getting team owner Steve Kent some seat time and laps in preparation for his Pro Stock debut later this season.

After numerous launches at the wheel of the RACERS EDGE Pontiac and replacement of some suspicious electronics, Tim Freeman and the guys feel that the bug that cost the team a final round birth has been eliminated. After suffering the disappointment of that semi-final loss, everyone on the team has dedicated their efforts at finding and eliminating the problem so that this weekend at the race in Vegas 100% of their attention can be directed at going 4 rounds on Sunday.

For Steve Kent the time off allowed numerous launches and half-track runs in the teams backup Pontiac as he begins his Pro Stock licensing procedure. With numerous sub 1 second 60 foot times and very competitive half-track times & speeds Kent is now well on his way to making his debut on the Full Throttle tour. Completion of his new Jerry Haas Pontiac is scheduled for this week and the team will leave Vegas and head for St. Louis to put the finishing touches on Steve’s new ride before completing his licensing requirements.

As Rodger Brogdon put it, “It’s been a hectic couple of weeks since Gainesville, but we feel we’ve made some solid progress with both the race car and with getting Steve ready for his debut.  We’re all looking forward to this week’s race and picking up where we left off. We’ve got some great data for the strip at Vegas, both from testing and past events. If the weathermen are correct we’ll be qualifying with temps in the 80’s yet racing on Sunday in cooler temps in the low 70’s, so the crew chiefs are going to earning their paychecks, and I’m pretty sure Tim, Dr. Phil, and the rest of the guys will be up to the task.”

Television coverage will be available on ESPN2/ESPN2HD, check your local listings

Further information can be found at BrogdonRacing.com, Brogdon Racing on Facebook & Twitter with additional coverage at TheRacersEdge.us and The Racers Edge on Facebook.

When the gates opened for this week’s running of the JEGS CajunNationals everyone that follows Comp eliminator was watching to see who would roll through the gates. With the performance history that the race has generated along with a$25,000.00 bonus to be paid out compliments of Rodger Brogdon and Steve Kent’s Attitude Apparel motorsports clothing line everyone was anxious to see who would show.

With rumors leading up to the race of as many as 50 cars planning to attend, most Comp watchers anticipated a blood bath in the cool conditions that normally prevail in the Louisiana southland this time of the year.

When Mother Nature decided to turn up the heat for the race weekend most of the 40 drivers on hand breathed a sigh of relief figuring that the conditions just weren’t going to be favorable for career best and record setting numbers. Yet when qualifying wrapped up on Saturday, a total of 13 new records had been established by those racers on hand and one of the quickest ever fields in the history of Comp eliminator had been set.

With 6 of the top 10 and 9 of the top 15 drivers in the country on hand for the event it eventually took a run of .542 under the index just to make the show. To make the top half of the field required a run of .618 under the class index. Qualifying was led by Lee Adkins A/PM at a resounding -.770.

The list of drivers that failed to survive the first round of eliminations was stunning. Reigning world champ Al Ackerman, former champ Frank Aragona Jr., along with recent LODRS winners Jim Kimbrough and Keith Hall joined point’s leader Fred Allen, Glen Treadwell, Raymond Martin, Larry Pritchett, Steve Kent and Rodger Brogdon on the sidelines.

Eventual finalist David Rampy and Russell Joly were able to avoid hitting their indexes in the first couple of rounds but both took hits in round 3. Rampy was forced to take .06 against a hard charging Arnie Martel. Joly, who had entered the event as an alternate after struggling in qualifying with a new combination, finally found his performance and lost .4 against 2 time CajunNats champ Kevin Self.

Both drivers again had to step up in the semifinals as Rampy needed a .009 reaction time and a .53 under lap against Steve Szupka. Joly continued to gain momentum, using a .55 under run and a .007 reaction time to eliminate Georgia’s Grant Lewis.

Going into the final round, Rampy and Joly both were down .09, but Joly appeared to be ready to pounce with a car that had run weekend best numbers on the last 2 laps. When the call came to fire them up for the final, Joly’s car refused to start and a great Cinderella story came to an end.

With no one alongside, David Rampy took the green light and crossed the finish line knowing that his 75th career win had just occurred, taking him one step higher in the history books of the NHRA’s all-time greatest drivers.

Said Rampy after all was done, “It was a heck of a race to win, but I hated to see Joly have problems in the final. The way he was running the last couple of laps, I knew it was going to be a tough final round, heck every round we had today was tough. I can’t say thanks enough though for the opportunity to take home the $10,000.00 winner’s check from Attitude Apparel. Their support of the race weekend brought some of the best in the country together. To be able to leave with the Wally and the check means a lot.”