POMONA, Calif. — Three-time Funny Car champion Robert Hight heads to this weekend’s 63rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals with a string of excitement following his win in Phoenix last Sunday.
It erased an early exit in Gainesville and gives Hight the chance to win in both Pomona and Phoenix for the second straight year — only this time, in reverse order.
He won the storied Winternationals to open last season before winning in Phoenix.
With the first stop at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip now taking place in late March, Hight impressed in the desert last weekend and will try to do the same in Pomona in his 11,000-horsepower Flav-R-Pac/Cornwell Tools/Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Last weekend wasn’t quite a conventional run for Hight.
He struggled in qualifying before dominating in eliminations, but the veteran and 62-time event winner was thrilled with how his team put things together during crunch time, knowing they’ll be ready to try and put together another winning effort in Pomona.
“I’m proud of the guys for getting everything back and working hard and they’re ready to conquer this little mini–Western Swing we’re about to take on,” said Hight, who has five career wins at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. “The battle (in Phoenix) was in our favor and it’s probably going to go back and forth the rest of the year. We’re going to have a lot of those battles and it’s going to be fun. This whole class is stacked from top to bottom and to win one of these races, you’re going to have to go through four hitters.”
The race is the third of 21 races during the NHRA season and Hight enters the weekend as the points leader following the victory.
It was a big bounce back weekend for the John Force Racing driver after he fell out in the second round in Gainesville. Hight wasn’t concerned, but the team only qualified ninth in Phoenix. From there, Hight and his team — led by crew chief Jimmy Prock — was dominant, making the quickest run in every round.
He’ll need to be on his game in Pomona, taking on the likes of J.R. Todd, Gainesville winner Matt Hagan, Bob Tasca III, Cruz Pedregon and Tim Wilkerson. Hight is also competing in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge during qualifying on Saturday.
The new challenge offers a bonus purse and bonus points in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, bringing competitive racing to Saturday’s qualifying. Hight will take on Phoenix semifinalist Chad Green, while runner-up Ron Capps faces Alexis DeJoria.
With the winner earning bonus points for the playoffs, Hight, who lost the world title to Capps by three points last year, knows the importance of doing well on Saturday.
“It’s a whole new ballgame and it’s going to be exciting for us,” Hight said. “It’s going to be a different mindset and you’re going to have to focus a little differently than you do in normal qualifying runs. You’re going to have to go up there and hit the tree because it’s for something and there’s a lot on the line when it comes to the money and some bonus points that go toward a championship.
“Those little points really add up and we’re going to try to get as many as we can throughout the year.”
Keyword: Hight Looks To Conquer NHRA’s Western Swing