UPDATE: LAS VEGAS (Oct. 28, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team will start race day at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the No. 1 position for the sixth time this season, 83rd time of his career. Originally No. 2, Hight took over the No. 1 spot after Bob Tasca III’s Saturday night run was disqualified.
After Tasca’s run was disqualified, Hight would officially claim a total of 12 bonus qualifying points for being the quickest of each session. He earns the No. 1 qualifying position off his Friday evening 3.851-second pass.
“Whether we’re No. 1, No. 2, or No. 16, the job doesn’t change. This team is dialed in. We need four win lights on Sunday to keep ourselves in this championship fight,” said Hight after hearing he would start from No. 1. “The bonus points help. We know all too well how the little points can make or break you at the end. We’re looking forward to a long, hard-fought race day tomorrow.”
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LAS VEGAS (Oct. 28, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team improved each qualifying session to ultimately land the No. 2 spot Saturday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Austin Prock with the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster team earned the No. 3 qualifying spot while John Force in the PEAK Chevy Camaro SS are sitting No. 5 and Brittany Force in the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team are No. 10.
Starting the day as the No. 1 qualifiers, Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools Chevy team laid down the only Funny Car pass in the 3.80-second range with a 3.879-second run at 330.31 mph to earn an additional three-bonus points. Hight once again improved in the final session with a 3.875 at 327.19 but came up short of being the quickest of all four sessions collecting two bonus points for the second-quickest pass. Hight and the Cornwell Tools team would close out qualifying in the No. 2 spot.
“It’s competitive out here. These cars are chasing a few hundredths here and there, you’re really splitting hairs. It’s close racing out there but we just have to do our job, the car has to be good, the driver has to be on it,” said Hight who will take on Steven Densham in the first round. “Picking up those bonus points was important but we want to have four win lights on Sunday. Hats off to the whole Cornwell Tools team. It’s just perfection right now. We have to keep it up.”
Austin Prock and the Montana Brand team stayed consistent on Saturday starting with a 3.707-second pass at 325.22 mph that earned the team two bonus points for being the second quickest of the session. Prock and his Chris Cunningham and Joe Barlam tuned dragster stepped up their performance in the final session with a blistering 3.692 at 328.86 to earn another bonus points as the third quickest in the session. Prock will start race day from the No. 3 spot to face Kelly Harper in the first round.
“It’s been such an outstanding string of runs we’ve put together here in Las Vegas at The Strip. We’ve achieved picking up bonus points in the last three sessions of qualifying to land us in the third spot,” Prock said. “I’m excited to go to battle tomorrow morning with my Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist boys.”
John Force and the black and gold PEAK Chevy had issues off the starting line on Saturday. In their first qualifying attempt, the PEAK Camaro would smoke the tires immediately to coast to 13.514 seconds at 68.73 mph. In the final session, Force wouldn’t get much further before going up in tire smoke for only a 9.902 at 79.10. Force will start race day from the No. 5 spot on Sunday with a matchup against Blake Alexander.
“Well, bit of a mixed qualifying try here. This PEAK team ran pretty well yesterday, thankfully, so we’re in the show, that’s what matters. Struggled a bit today,” Force said. “We’ll get it together tomorrow. I have faith in my team, Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi my crew chiefs, and all my guys, we want to get the job done for PEAK, celebrating the 50th anniversary. We’ve got the throwback look and the gold car, so we want to celebrate in the winners circle.”
Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac team had another quality run Saturday afternoon with a 3.734-second pass at 335.82 mph. The Flav-R-Pac team would run into some trouble in the final session with an engine explosion down track causing Force to slow to a 3.750 pass at 315.27. Force will start race day from the No. 10 position off of the efforts of the Flav-R-Pac team’s Friday run of 3.732.
“Qualified for the Nevada Nationals in a difficult No 10 position. The field was tight this weekend and even with consistent runs, we will have to face Antron Brown in the first round of eliminations,” said Force. “Our Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team is going to put everything we have into that car tomorrow to go some rounds and chase down a win.”
Competition at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway continues eliminations Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will continue Sunday on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a second qualifying show at 3 p.m. ET and an eliminations show at 5 p.m. ET.
