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The Strip At LVMS
Unofficial Points Position: 4th
Qualified: No. 6
• 13-time NHRA National Event Winner
Race Results: Quotes: • "Sometimes you have momentum and momentum propels you forward; other times, you hit speed bumps in your momentum. I say that because we had fantastic momentum in qualifying with four solid passes-a real bracket car. Race day started out with that momentum continuing to build with a 3.71 in the first round-not low of the session by any means, but something to work from. Coming into our second round of the day, the driver, crew chiefs, and team were all on the same page. It feels really good to get a holeshot win, as those are hard to come by. That was a heck of a race in the second round against Josh Hart-both running 3.68s, and we came up on the right side of it. "Going into the semi-final against Antron Brown, the weather conditions changed drastically which ultimately caught a number of people with their pants down. Both Antron and I had trouble on the track, but I was able to recover, regain traction, and get the win in that semi. That was a pause in our momentum, but we analyzed it. We are constantly learning and tuning on the fly. We realize we're not just racing to race; we are constantly analyzing how we're racing. "Rolling up to the final round against a car and a team that has an absolute stranglehold on these tight, cool conditions, we knew we needed to dive into our Mac Toolbox and optimize our tuning tools for a mid-3.65. Unfortunately, we shook into smoke in the right lane and were unable to capture that Diamond Wally for Dodge and MOPAR at their title race. "Personally, I go into every single race day with the goal of taking it one round at a time, winning a Wally, and gathering points. But honestly, each race is about doing better and constantly improving. When you do that, you get the results. For the most part, I'm proud of my driving, and overall, I'm proud of our Dodge team and how we navigated this race day. The car's performance may not have shown it all the way, but if there's one thing I know, Mike Domagala and Neal Strausbaugh are masters at doing more with less. "On another personal note, I would absolutely be lying if I didn't say there were some emotions coming into these final races of the season that present an oxymoron. I'm living through moments that feel immediately nostalgic because I will be looking back on them and knowing I gave it my absolute all. I used all the tools in my toolbox-my mindset, my 'don't-give-an-f-ness,' not sweating the small stuff, and being the powerful racer that I know I am. Mentally, I'm more than hungry-I'm starving for the satisfaction of knowing I'm giving it my all every single time. "Putting a period on that, as we move into Pomona, our learning curve here this weekend will probably be very beneficial to the cool weather and track conditions that the Pomona Finals serve up. We will take this momentum straight into the World Finals."
Unofficial Points Position: 1st
Qualified: No. 2
• Current Funny Car points leader and regular season champion
Race Results:
Quotes: "Last year, heading into the season finale, we felt like we really still had a chance to get it done and we were 90 points back so to go in with the points lead, nothing to hang our heads about. At the end of the day, we just have to keep digging. There are going to be some tight, close races. I think the biggest thing is though, we still need to have fun. You can't lose sight of enjoying what we're doing, because when you do and you start getting knotted up about it, that's when you start making mistakes. We're blessed to just even be here and have the opportunity to race for a championship and make some history. The field is as tight as it's ever been, and the competition is as tough as it's ever been. We just have to keep doing the best job we can, and it'll be alright."
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