With the Mid-South Nationals Memphis, TN, in their rear view mirror, Rodger Brogdon and the Charter
Communication / Attitude Apparel team join the rest of the NHRA caravan this weekend and roll east
down I-40 to the next stop on the 2009 Full Throttle tour. With this weekend's event at Richmond,
Virginia, the tour completes a grueling 4 race in 4 weeks leg of the 2009 schedule that has seen
some surprising results. With but three races left in this year's season, Brogdon and crew have
begun to see the results of their first year together as a team begin to bear fruit.
Since the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the team has lost but once in the opening session, and although
the team isn't in the hunt for the season championship they are looking to go rounds and show that
they are here to win. The fact that they are starting to go some rounds is beginning to get noticed
by fellow racers and fans alike. With a first round defeat of Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin in
Memphis the team has shown that they are here to stay.
"Taking out Jeg in the opening round was a good news / bad news situation. I know Jeggie is in the
midst of the championship battle, and for that he needed the win. But, we're here to win as well,
and to that end we are pumped to be able to go rounds at three of the last four events. Both teams
run engines out of Victor Cagnazzi's engine shop, we both came up through the sportsman ranks, and
we both want to win on Sunday, but that's about where the similarities end. We run completely
different chassis combos, so there really isn't the ability to exchange any information for chassis
set-up."
Brogdon added, "Our objective at the beginning of the year was to win, and it still is. But that
being said, Pro Stock is obviously a very competitive class, and since we combined our efforts with
Cagnazzi Racing at Atlanta, we've been taking the steps needed to become a competitive team. We've
gone from barely making the show to now being a consistent mi-pack qualifier. Do we want more, of
course, but we also are very pleased with how far we've come in what's really been a very short
time. If you stop and think about it, it's been only 17 races that we've been together, and I can
remember the struggles that virtually every other team went through in their initial season."
"Last year this race saw one of the quickest ever fields once qualifying was done. We had a new and
different car with another engine combination, and unknowingly struggled with a fuel delivery
problem that we didn't find till two races later. This year we return with a car that's running
well and a fresh engine from the Cagnazzi. And we'll be there with the plan of taking home the
Wally on Sunday and that you can count on."
Be sure to follow Rodger Brogdon and the Charter Communications/ Attitude Apparel team and all of
the racing results for this weekend's event and every NHRA National event on-line at http://www.dragracecentral.com, and
with television coverage Saturday, and Sunday on ESPN2. Check your local listings for broadcast
time in your area.
