High Drama Hight!

Sep 25, 2018 // NHRA Event FC Results // editor

While the end result was a big positive – the final round race for the fuel FC title at NHRA’s Midwest Nationals was exciting for some of the wrong reasons……

Robert Hight and the AAA Missouri Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car team LED now lead the NHRA’s World championship chase after winning the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Hight is now 30 points ahead of the rest of the Funny Car pack with his third win of the season and 44th of his career. It is Hight’s 10th Countdown race win and 90th Countdown round win, both are tops in the Funny Car category.

While racing Tim Wilkerson in the final round, Hight crossed the finish line first but soon after his Chevy Camaro suffered an engine explosion blasting the body off the car and made contact with the retaining wall. Hight got the win at 4.036-seconds at 276.29 mph to Wilkerson’s 4.413 at 201.91 and walked away from the wreckage to be transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

(Robert Hight (near lane) won the fuel FC title at NHRA St. Louis in rather dramatic style)

“First, we are happy Robert is okay. He went to a local hospital to be checked out and after being x-rayed and evaluated he was schedule to be released tonight. I’m glad Robert has the points lead and now we are going to rest and get ready for Dallas,” said team owner John Force.

Hight started the day in the No. 1 qualifying position after a stellar performance throughout two days of qualifying. The performance of the AAA Missouri Chevrolet Camaro team continued through race day. He made quick work of Dale Creasy in the first round running 3.938 seconds at 324.75 mph that bettered Creasy’s 4.124.

The win landed him in a second-round matchup with teammate and mentor John Force. It was a close race with Hight getting the upper hand at 4.017-seconds to Force’s 4.043.

Against Tommy Johnson Jr. in the semifinals, Hight and his AAA Missouri team had a stout 3.945-second pass at 323.04 mph to oust Johnson Jr. and his 4.008 at 320.13 sending Hight to his sixth final round of the season and 70th of his career.

Hight is racing to become just the fifth Funny Car driver to win back-to-back world championships and the first to do so in the Countdown Era. The last to accomplish the feat was Force whose streak of 10 straight titles ended in 2002. The other back-to-back champions are Don Prudhomme (1975-1978), Raymond Beadle (1979-1981) and Kenny Bernstein (1985-1988).

(Courtney Force set top speed of the meet at a blazing 331.04 mph.

Event Essentials: NHRA AAA Auto Club Midwest Nationals (Sept. 24-26th, 2018)

	NAME	ET	MPH	CAREER WIN

Winner:	Robert Hight	4.036	276,29	44rd
R/UP:	Tim Wilkerson	4.413	201.91
Low ET:	Robert Hight	3.844
Top Speed:	Courtney Force		331.04
Bump Spot:		4.060
Event Entries:	18 Cars

(Tim Wilkerson continued his impressive late season campaign with a second consecutive R/UP finish in the LRS Ford Mustang)

(After winning 2 straight events in NHRA – JR Todd did go to the “final four” at St. Louis)

Posted by Sara Slaughter

Photos by Gary Nastase – Ron Lewis – Bruce Biegler

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