2015 NHRA U.S. NATIONALS - PRO STOCK NOTEBOOK
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MONDAY PRO STOCK NOTEBOOK
ENDERS MAKES MORE HISTORY WITH INDY PS WIN - Making history in NHRA’s Pro Stock class is nothing new for Erica Enders-Stevens.
Enders-Stevens was the first woman to win a Pro Stock national event – at Seattle in 2012. She was the first woman to win the Pro Stock world championship – last year.
On Monday, she made more history becoming the first woman to win the Pro Stock title at the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.
Enders-Stevens, on a holeshot, beat her Elite Motorsports teammate and rookie Drew Skillman.
“I talk about being a female a lot because the media asks me those questions,” said Enders-Stevens, who also served as the Grand Marshall Monday. “I’ve never looked at myself as any different. I’ve never had a different mindset. By my core group of people, I’ve never been treated any differently, and that what I want to be quite honest. I want to be the best driver and right now we are the best team and I’m right at the top of the list. It’s awesome to say and it’s surreal. As a kid, I dreamed of it. Pro Stock was always my favorite class to watch.”
Enders-Steven clocked a 6.611-second run at 209.75 mph, while Skillman had a quicker 6.606-second elapsed time at 209.98. The difference was at the starting line as Enders-Stevens had a .013 reaction time and Skillman was at .025.
“This win seemed to elude us for so long, and it makes it worth it to be able to do it with the right people and that’s exactly what I have at Elite Motorsports,” Enders-Stevens said. “This goes right up there with the championship last year. To win the Big Go is just incredible. It is all about my guys. What an incredible weekend for both Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro teammates to be in the finals here.”
This was Enders-Stevens class-best sixth win of the season – she also has victories at Las Vegas, Houston, Topeka, Bristol, and Brainerd – and the 18th of her career.
Those 18 victories tied her with legend Shirley Muldowney for second on NHRA’s list for career victories by women. Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Angelle Sampey leads the list with 41 wins.
“Shirley Muldowney is my hero and became my mentor over the years and is now my friend and it’s awesome to have her in my corner,” Enders-Stevens said. “I’m happy to have my name in the history books and to be right there alongside my hero Shirley is pretty dang cool. I don’t feel like we are anywhere near done yet and we’re going to keep on trucking.”
Enders-Stevens also took a moment to understand her place as a woman Pro Stock pioneer.
“It’s a challenging car to drive,” Enders-Stevens said. “I licensed in an alcohol Funny Car, the other car they say is hard to drive. Pro Stock is incredibly tough and every time I get in the car I learn something in it. I like to be challenged that way. To be able to be at the top is very nice. There are still chauvinists out there who don’t believe we should be doing what we are doing and that makes moments like these that much sweeter. To race against those legends, and I had the opportunity to work with Bob Glidden and he was out here hanging out with us some this weekend. I could just sit and listen to his stories forever. It would have been really neat to grow up in that era (with drivers like Glidden), but it would have been challenging because I didn’t have thick skin. It’s something I had to acquire going through all the crap that I’ve been through. I learned a lot from Shirley. She did it with grace.”
Up next for Enders-Steven is the six-race Countdown to the Championship, beginning at Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 18-20. Enders-Stevens will have a 30-point lead to start the Countdown by virtue of her winning the regular season.
“You bet your butt that I really wanted that (win) when we raced Greg (Anderson in the semifinals), not for any other reason than to go into the Countdown in the No. 1 position because those 30 points are crucial, especially from what we learned last year,” Enders-Stevens said. “We sat out two races and had I lost that final to Jason Line (in the finals at the season-ending race at Pomona), I would’ve lost the championship by one point. So every point matters and to get that No. 1 position was huge. That was the round of the day and the trophy at the end was just a bonus.”
During her historic victory parade, Enders-Stevens beat V. Gaines, Larry Morgan, Anderson, and Skillman. Enders-Stevens’ second round, semifinal and finals victories all came on holeshots.
“I couldn’t do that without a consistent race car underneath me,” Enders-Stevens said. “I’ve had plenty of days where they (my guys) have won (rounds) for me. The best part about my group of guys is we do it together, good or bad. There’s absolutely zero egos on my team and I drive well because of them. We have fun together and I trust them. It’s pretty cool.”
PRO STOCK RACEDAY TAKEAWAYS
UNLIKELY HOLESHOT – During his five-time NHRA Pro Stock championship career Jeg Coughlin Jr. has captured countless holeshot round wins.
In first round at the U.S. Nationals, Coughlin Jr. was the recipient of a holeshot loss courtesy of Bo Butner. Butner clocked a 6.650-second time at 209.10 mph and Coughlin clocked a 6.626-second lap at 208.84 mph.
The difference was at the starting line.
Butner had a .027 reaction time and Coughlin had a .078 reaction time.
Coughlin was making his third and final start for Elite Motorsports in the 2015 season.
WEIRD WIN – Greg Anderson, the No. 1 qualifier, came to the line to face Aaron Stanfield. Anderson staged and Stanfield didn’t and was timed out giving Anderson the win.
Stanfield wasn’t the only driver to lose at the starting line in the first round. Jonathan Gray recorded a redlight against handing his opponent Vincent Nobile the win.
SEEING RED – Two-time world champ Jason Line was a favorite to get past his second-round opponent Vincent Nobile, the No. 15 qualifier.
Things didn’t go according to plan for Line as he recorded a redlight to give Nobile the victory. Nobile’s upset parade ended with a semifinal loss to Drew Skillman.
NO REPEAT CHAMP – A year ago, Shane Gray had no peers at the U.S. Nationals claiming his first Pro Stock win at the prestigious race.
History didn’t repeat itself for Gray.
Rookie Drew Skillman upset Gray on a holeshot in second round. Skillman had a 6.619-second run at 209.30 mph to clip Gray’s 6.614-second run.
SUNDAY PRO STOCK NOTEBOOK
ANDERSON STAYS NO. 1 – Not long ago if an NHRA Pro Stock driver came to the U.S. Nationals with four wins in seven final rounds, it usually was a recipe for a championship.
Times have changed – and four time Pro Stock world champion has accepted the changes.
“Before you’d cruise on into playoffs,” Anderson said. “You’d be testing for 4 to 5 races but not anymore, you want to scratch every point that you can. That’s Pro Stock nowadays, really that’s every class these days. That’s Pro Stock, Funny car, that’s drag racing in general. It’s pretty darn cool. If you’re sitting in the grand stand watching it, it’s pretty neat. It’s tough on a driver obviously but that’s the way that it should be. That’s why you feel great at the end of the day when you sleep.”
Anderson likely slept good Sunday night as he captured the No. 1 qualifying spot at the U.S. Nationals with a 6.562-second time at 210.97 mph.
Now, Anderson, the driver of the Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro, will take aim at his seventh U.S. Nationals championship.
“It would mean the world to me,” Anderson said. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a good run up here and as I’ve told you, this place is so special to me. It means more to me than any other place in the country. I don’t know what the number the 7, the 6, the 5 or whatever it is - just a win at Indy. I kind of live for the moment and I’m going to live for (Sept. 7). Hopefully that’s the best day of my year.”
At Indy, NHRA rewards 1.5 points to drivers, which thrills Anderson.
“I think it’s going to play all the way through all of the top 10 cars,” Anderson said. “It’s a big change. That’s the way it should be, the race is bigger and should be worth more than any other race. I’m glad we finally got that done and we look forward to it. It’s a huge race day (Monday) and there could be some big swings (Monday) all through the pack so that’s cool. No matter how big of a lead you would’ve had coming in here, no matter what kind of spot you’re in, you’re not safe (Monday). You’re going to have to be on your A game. Everybody is going to expect to hold on to their position or move up, so that’s great. That’s the way Indy should be and that’s the way it is so let’s get it on.”
Anderson said he doesn’t plan on being conservative at all Monday. Anderson meets Aaron Stanfield in first round.
“I think we always swing for a win,” Anderson said. “We’re not shy and you can’t be shy. For Pro Stock this always seems to be a great race track. It seems to take almost everything that you can handle. When it gets hot out there the starting line gets a little tricky but if you can make it past that then it’s the best starting line you’ll have all year. We’ve been coming here for years and you can’t be shy at this place. You’ve got to be aggressive and usually that race track will hold it so no time to be shy.”
TWO RIGHT SOCKS PLEASE – Chris McGaha’s dream of winning an NHRA Pro Stock event finally came true when won at Sonoma, Calif., (July 31-Aug. 2), and he was wearing two right socks.
At Seattle Aug. 7-9, McGaha continued to where right socks on race day and he won again.
McGaha’s victory binge ended at Brainerd (Minn.) Aug. 20-23, but he still doesn’t want to steer away from wearing two right socks which he will be doing Monday.
“I have them at the hotel waiting,” McGaha said. “I’m wearing the same two (Nike Dri-Fit) right socks I wore at Sonoma. I keep washing the same pair. I used to not be superstitious, but this has made me.”
McGaha qualified No. 11 for the U.S. Nationals and he faces No. 6 Shane Gray in the first round. Gray is the defending race champion.
SHAKING OFF THE RUST – On Thursday, while the Pro pits were relatively quiet, Greg Stanfield was looking over the Dodge Dart his son Aaron will be driving this weekend at the U.S. Nationals.
The Dart Stanfield is driving is owned by Allen Johnson and it is the same car Richie Stevens drove earlier this season. Greg Stanfield has been serving as a consultant for Allen Johnson since the Topeka, Kan. (May 22-24), and he will serve as his son’s crew chief in Indy.
“We are absolutely excited about this weekend,” the elder Stanfield said. “It’s really cool to come back to Indy and race, and our first goal is to qualify.”
That’s what he did with a 6.636-second run at 208.84 mph, which qualified him No. 16.
“This has been fun and I’ve really enjoyed this,” Stanfield said. “The first priority was getting in the show.”
Aaron, 20, is returning to Pro Stock driving for the first time since Nov. 2, 2014 at the Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas.
Roy Johnson, Allen’s father, and co-team owner, is glad to have Stanfield as a teammate for his son.
“You can kind of judge the track a little bit by watching the car in front of you,” Roy said. “It is a help. He (Aaron) will be one of the first cars out because he hasn’t run any races this year and you can look at what he does because he’s running is just like what we are running (in Allen’s car). We just need to run all the rounds we can (in Allen’s car). If you don’t win rounds, you’re not going to win anything, Countdown or a race. Right now, we just need to quit making mistakes. That’s all we’ve done, it seems like. It’s first one thing and then and then the other.”
Johnson arrived at Indy fifth in the point standings.
Aaron has kept active in the Pro Stock scene by working as the clutch person on Aaron Strong’s Camaro. Mike Stanfield, Greg’s brother, also is working on Strong’s crew. The Camaro Strong is running is one he bought from Greg Stanfield and it is the same car Aaron drove last season. Strong competed in Sonoma, Calif., and Seattle so far this season.
A year ago, the younger Stanfield turned some heads in his Pro Stock debut. He competed in four races at Indianapolis, Dallas, St. Louis and Las Vegas, qualifying for all four events.
Aaron Stanfield’s biggest highlight came when he defied the odds at Indy. He qualified No. 8 and then upset five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin in the first round when Coughlin recorded a redlight.
Stanfield’s memorable first race ended when he lost in the second round to two-time world champ Jason Line.
Following Indy Monday, the younger Stanfield will be racing at Thunder Road Raceway in Gillam, La., Sept. 18-20. Aaron will be competing in the Top Dragster and Super Stock classes.
USING HIS DEGREE & DRIVING SKILLS – Pro Stock driver Vincent Nobile received a business management Adelphia University in Long Island, N.Y., in May of 2014, and he’s utilizing the degree.
“As of right now I’m working with my dad (John), he owns a business back at home in Long Island, it’s called Nobile Trucking,” Nobile said. “We have seven dump trailers and we are looking to expand a little bit and my dad and I also buy and sale homes. Those are my everyday jobs and this (Pro Stock driving) is pretty much a hobby that I get to do, but this is my passion. The opportunity to drive a Pro Stock car is something I can’t give up just yet.”
Nobile came to Indy, ninth in the points standings.
Nobile used his driving ability to get his Mountain View Tire Chevrolet Camaro in the 16-car field for the U.S. Nationals with a 6.630-second run at 209.62 mph on his last qualifying attempt. Nobile’s time left him in the No. 15 position.
“That’s not the way you like to do it,” Nobile said. “I had full faith in my team, but there were pretty nervous up there I’m sure, but I had faith in my team and we eased it on down there on a really hot race track, so we will see what (Monday) brings.”
KRAMER ADJUSTING TO NEW ENGINE SETUP – Deric Kramer acknowledged said this season has been a roller-coaster ride in his American Ethanol-sponsored team.
Following Indy, Kramer will compete at St. Louis (Sept. 25-27), Dallas (Oct. 15-18), Las Vegas (Oct. 29-Nov. 1) and Pomona (Nov. 12-15).
“Pretty much at this point we don’t have the time away from our normal day jobs to head all the way out East,” said Kramer, whose team is based in Sterling, Colo. “At this point we don’t really have the time away from our normal day jobs to head out all the way East.”
Kramer was running V. Gaines engines initially in Pro Stock and now during this season he switched powerplants.
“We ended up buying all Jeg’s (Coughlin’s) old motors from Chris McGaha and Chris is assembling them for us and we’re running those,” said Kramer, 30. “Chris bought all of that stuff (from Jeg) when he was running a Dodge and then he switched over to Chevy and he had all this stuff laying around so we ended up buying it and now Chris is just putting it together and maintaining it for us.”
Kramer said this year has had its ups and downs since he started running the new engines since Houston (April 24-26).
“It’s actually been a little bit of a struggle,” Kramer said. “I mean we’ve definitely had the power in qualifying this year but we went from not having as much power as we wanted and making OK runs to having more power than what we were used to and not making very good runs. We’ve kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little but throughout the season we’re trying not to do that.”
At Indy, Kramer made things work, qualifying No. 10 with a 6.602-second run at 208.84 mph.
ALEX LAUGHLIN GETS IN PRO STOCK FIELD – Before Alex Laughlin show up at Indy, he had exactly one race of Pro Stock racing experience at Sonoma, Calif., July 31-Aug. 2.
“I have driven all kinds of stuff,” Laughlin said. “But, driving this car though is like taking everything I’ve ever done and packing it into one car. There’s so much going on and it all happens so fast. It’s really cool, and so exciting.”
Laughlin qualified No. 13 with a 6.628-second time at 209.20 mph.
The fact Laughlin is even racing Pro Stock at all this season is pretty crazy.
“Our sponsor Gas Monkey came to us and said they wanted me in Sonoma racing Pro Stock,” Laughlin said. “We didn’t even have a car. I was racing Top Dragster and he (Kenny Laughlin, Alex’s dad) and he was running Comp Eliminator. We called around and we ended up getting in touch with the Grays and we bought the car from the Grays, and we put their motor in it and we are just doing it.”
Laughlin qualified at Sonoma and he lost in the first round to Greg Anderson. On Monday, Laughlin will face reigning Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders-Stevens.
“This has been crazy,” Laughlin said. “I had absolutely zero experience in the car (before Sonoma). I have driven a lot of things and you have to just start getting to where you can slow everything down, and actually process what your doing one step at a time.”
Laughlin said he’s hoping to run a full schedule next year.
“If we can do that I will be ecstatic,” Laughlin said.
DRIVERS MAKE IMPROVEMENTS - Drew Skillman and Erica Enders, the reigning NHRA Pro Stock champion, were among the drivers who did improve their times Saturday morning although they held their qualifying positions Sunday. Skillman was the No. 3 qualifier at 6.569 seconds at 210.37 mph in his Ray Skillman Chevrolet Camaro SS, followed by Enders’ Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS at 6.574 seconds at 210.50 mph.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN – While 16 Pro Stock drivers were celebrating getting in the Pro Stock field, five drivers – Matt Hartford, John Gaydosh, Kenny Delco, Steve Schmidt and Wally Stroupe - were dealing with the disappointment of DNQs.
PRO STOCK SATURDAY NOTEBOOK
ANDERSON TAKES TOP PRO STOCK SPOT – The U.S. Nationals have special meeaing for four-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson. Anderson has won the Big Go six times – 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2011.
Anderson took a small step toward winning No. 7 at Indy with a 6.562-second run at 210.70 mph to take the top qualifying spot after Saturday’s qualifying session.
“Coming in here I think I was behind by 16 points (to points leader Erica Enders-Stevens) and I kind of resigned myself to the fact that neither one of us going to be far enough apart in qualifying where enough bonus points were going to be made either way to make a round difference,” Anderson said. “I didn’t think that was going to matter, but so far as it turns out she didn’t do anything (Saturday) and I got five so far. If we can get lucky and we can keep a run like that going we chance, but I think it’s going to just come down to Monday and round eliminations. If I can go a round farther than her then I can get the No. 1 seed. Either way, I was very, very happy with the car’s performance so far. (Saturday) was great.”
LINE, JOHNSON, FREEMAN TALK ABOUT PRO STOCK CHANGES – On July 25 at the Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo., NHRA officials announced a series of changes to the Pro Stock class to address the health of the class which has been on the decline the last several years.
The changes were mandated in two waves. Three changes will took effect at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 31, 2015, while several others will not take effect until the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
Since Sonoma, NHRA required teams to back their Pro Stock cars into the pits and leave engines uncovered so that spectators have better accessibility to see the race cars and interact with the drivers and crew members.
“I think the fans like that,” said Jason Line, who won Pro Stock world championships in 2006 and 2011, and drives for owner Ken Black. “If the fans want to see something, they’re the ones paying the bills and that’s great. Obviously the sanctioning body needs to listen to the fans, so I think that part of it is good. Is it what I would’ve chosen personally? No. But, it’s not about me. I’m fine with it and I think the fans like that.”
A new rule also will discontinue the practice of crew members standing beside the cars to hold them in place as they begin their burnouts. Finally, NHRA will make it mandatory for teams to create automobile manufacturer identification headers visible on the racecars’ windshields up to a maximum of 4.5-inches high, but not smaller than 4.25-inches.
On Jan. 1, 2016, NHRA will require all Pro Stock teams to equip their cars with electronically-controlled throttle body fuel injection systems, making engines more relevant from a technology standpoint. In order to reduce and control costs for the race teams, an NHRA-controlled 10,500 Rev Limiter will be added to the fuel injection systems.
NHRA also will require Pro Stock teams to remove all hood scoops and reduce the length of the wheelie bars to a length specified by the NHRA Tech Department.
Trying to be ready for the changes next season has not been easy – at least for Roy Johnson, the owner of the Dodge drive by his son Allen, the 2012 Pro Stock world champion.
“I have been trying to get parts and pieces and I can’t get all the parts,” Roy said. “Maybe other people have got them, and I have some of it, but I don’t have enough to even start. They changed all the rules and nobody has got anything. I guess we’re not really ready to start, but the sooner we start the quicker we will get there. All we’re doing now is working on it on paper, and thinking, and H*ll it’s a long ways from thinking to making it actually work.”
Richard Freeman, the owner of Elite Motorsports with drivers – reigning world champion Erica Enders-Stevens and Drew Skillman, also acknowledged he’s trying to accumulate parts for 2016.
“We are working on stuff,” Freeman said. “It’s mainly manifold stuff, and the fuel injection stuff and we have the stuff ordered and I don’t see that becoming an issue at all. I think mainly it will be dyno testing and we will go to the track just like normal and keep our normal pace. We don’t plan on changing a whole bunch. We welcome (the changes). It’s a new challenge and we believe we will be fine.”
GRAY TURNS HEAD – Jonathan Gray, who competes for his family’s Gray Motorsports team, had a strong run in Saturday’s second session with a 6.567-second run, which left him second on the ladder.
“I’m really happy with that and hat’s off to the guys at the shop,” Gray said. “Everybody is working hard trying to get tuned up for the Countdown.”
Gray came to Indy eighth in the points. Jonathan’s brother, Shane qualified No. 6 (6.579).
BOUNCE BACK – On Erica Enders-Stevens first qualifying run Saturday, she did a burnout and her Elite Motorsports Camaro would not go in reverse. Her crew rushed out and pushed her back to the starting line and her car completely quit running.
“The car just died on me,” Enders-Stevens said. “I didn’t stall it, and it ended up being a coil wire. It was one of those things where we got back to the pit and replaced it and it fired right up.”
Enders-Stevens was the first car out in Saturday’s second session and she regrouped nicely with a 6.574-second run at 210.50 mph, which left her No. 4 on the ladder.
“Being first out is always a little bit tricky, but I have the best crew chiefs (Rick Jones and Rickie Jones) and the best team in the world. Hat’s off to Elite Motorsports.”
ANNOUNCEMENT PENDING? – Jeg Coughlin Jr., a five-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion, will finish his limited racing season driving for Richard Freeman and Elite Motorsports at the U.S. Nationals. Coughlin also drove for Freeman’s team at Sonoma (Calif.) and Seattle.
Freeman’s optimistic those will not be the last three races for Coughlin at Elite Motorsports.
“We hope to have an announcement maybe by SEMA (show) (Nov. 3-6 in Las Vegas) for something larger for next year,” Freeman said. “It’s great having him. He’s a great driver and a good ambassador of the class, so we are glad to have him. Jeg and I have been great friends for a long time and we’ve always discussed doing this in some form or fashion, and it looks like all the parts are coming together.”
Coughlin qualified ninth Saturday at 6.589 seconds at 209.49 mph.
LINE DOES DOUBLE DUTY AGAIN – Jason Line drove his 1970 Buick Gran Sport in the C Stock class at the U.S. Nationals Wednesday and Thursday, losing in the final round. Line also drove the car at Brainerd (Aug. 20-23).
“Coming here reminds me of why I started racing because standing up in the lanes watching all the Stockers and Super Stock cars cooling them down and icing them down, and they are all trying to win class. For me, that’s what racing is really about. It was a fun experience. It has been 20-some years since I have been here (at Indy) to race in a Sportsman car and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
The Buick GS is the car Line drove to the 1993 Stock Eliminator Championship.
“It’s a classic muscle car,” Line said. “I let a friend of mine out on the West Coast race it for a few years and I just resurrected it. One of my friends, and my son, we’ve been working on it just to try and spark interest for my son, and hopefully he takes a liking to it. When we loaded up at 6 in the morning my daughter also came out to help me tie the car down. They see the enthusiasm I have and they think it’s cool and I think it is as well.”
Line’s son, Jack is 9 and his daughter, Emma is 7.
“I drug him (Jack) out there in the garage and we worked on it because obviously it takes time and effort to get those things running as well,” Jason said. “It was fun and we had a good time and I will probably try and do it a little bit more next year. I will not race it (the Buick GS) anymore this year. It’s a busy thing. For here (at Indy) it’s not so bad because you come a little early and there’s no Pro Stuff going on the first two days. It’s like a completely separate race. It was fun and I enjoyed it and it reminded me why I started racing.”
Line qualified seventh Saturday at 6.580 seconds.
DOUBLE DUTY PART II WITH BUTNER – This weekend is plenty busy for Bo Butner. The veteran Sportsman racer is competing in the U.S. Nationals in the Sportsman ranks and he’s also competing in Pro Stock.
Through Saturday, things have gone very well for Butner.
On Saturday morning, Butner won four rounds to take the title in the naturally-aspirated class and then he capped his day off by winning the Factory Shootout. He won both those races in his 2014 Cobra Jet.
“We work hard and that was a tough race because a couple of guys were faster than us,” Butner said. “That’s what I kind of started doing and that’s what kind of what got me into Pro Stock because we were doing a lot of the heads-up stuff in the Factory car.”
Despite the win, Butner’s double duty is not done. He’s still alive in the Stock class in his Cobra Jet.
“I dial-in anywhere between an 8.90 to 9.10,” Butner said. “I have round 3 in that class (Sunday) morning. I’m better keeping busy. I would race 10 cars if they would let me.”
Butner made his Pro Stock debut this season – at the Southern Nationals May 15-17 in Atlanta - and the U.S. Nationals is his 11th race this year. He’s driving a Camaro provided by Ken Black, who also fields cars for Greg Anderson and Jason Line.
“I’m going to race all the rest of the national events,” Butner said. “I’m going to try and help them Greg or Jason win a championship. That’s our whole goal for one of them to win a championship. Ken and Judy are awesome people and they are good friends of mine and they deserve to win.”
Butner qualified No. 8 Saturday at 6.582 seconds.
STROUPE RETURNS TO PRO STOCK – Prior to the 2015 U.S. Nationals, Wally Stroupe had not competed in NHRA’s Pro Stock class since 2011 at Charlotte, N.C. He was back at Indy and was all smiles.
“The economy got better and my business (SRC Motorsports in Kings Mountain) came back and now we are booming again, so we decided to put a car together,” Stroupe said. “My dad (Barry) wanted to race and we are doing it.”
Stroupe co-chiefs are Alan Rose and his father.
Stroupe was a standout IHRA Pro Mod competitor from 1989-99, and then he moved on to IHRA’s Mountain Motor Pro Stock, which he competed in from 2000-2006.
Stroupe made his first quarter-mile pass in his new Pro Stock Camaro Saturday at Lucas Oil Raceway, clocking a 6.978-second pass at 198.64 mph, which was 20th fastest out of 21 qualifiers.
“We built that race car,” Stroupe. “I’ve been in business 37 years building race cars. We started building that car in February and we finished it in May. That first run I was nervous. I hadn’t run a quarter-mile in quite a while.”
Stroupe has a simple goal for Indy.
“If we could qualify that would be a big goal,” Stroupe said. “I’m happy now, but to qualify would put the icing on the cake.”
This is the first time Stroupe is competing in Pro Stock at Indy. He won at Indy twice in Pro Mod.
“After Indy, we are going to run Pro Stock at Charlotte, N.C. (Sept. 18-20), and probably Maple Grove (Oct. 1-4) and Dallas (Oct. 15-18). We thought we were on track to race next year until they dropped that bomb on us in Denver with the fuel injection. We had three engines built for this and now they are junk. Now we have to start all over again. We have a potential sponsor so if they come through we will run all the races next year and if they don’t we will definitely run 12 races.”
