McGaha Wins Again, Makes it Two in a Row with Seattle Victory
SEATTLE, Wash. (Aug. 9, 2015) – Chris McGaha did something on Sunday in Seattle that he had never even dreamed of before this year. The driver of the Harlow Sammons Racing Chevrolet Camaro, known as the Silver Bullet, wheeled his way to the winner's circle at the 28th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals. It was the second consecutive victory for the Odessa, Texas, native after scoring the first win of his career in Sonoma just last week.
"We moved up in the points, and we're real excited about that," said McGaha, now No. 3 in the Pro Stock standings with two races left before the Countdown to the Championship field is set. "We knew we were close to Jason Line, but going around him, wow, that's a big deal. At this point it makes me think of Lou Brown – you know what you call that? A winning streak! And now you're probably saying, who's Lou Brown? He was the manager for the Cleveland Indians in the movie Major League."
Heading into the event, McGaha knew he had a strong car and a solid team between crew chief Brian "Lump" Self and a small but dedicated and determined crew – including his own father, Lester McGaha. During qualifying, they recovered from a slow start and threw a big number on the scoreboard to fly to the No. 1 position for the second straight weekend.
But they weren't even close to finished. In the first round of eliminations, McGaha obliterated the track records for elapsed time and speed with a mind-blowing 6.488-second pass at 213.40 mph as his opponent, Joey Grose, fouled out. Not a soul on the property had wheeled a Pro Stock car to 213 mph before, and no one has done it since the second-generation drag racer's spectacular opening pass on Sunday. No one had ever before – or has since – made a run in the 6.40-second zone.
In the second round, it was young Vincent Nobile on the block, and McGaha was first to leave the starting line and first to the finish in the Silver Bullet, sending his challenger home on a 6.524, 212.76 to 6.538, 212.43. With lane choice over Shane Gray in the semifinals, McGaha again had the advantage and left the line .003-second ahead. At the stripe his 6.533, 212.23 did the job as Gray slowed to a tire spinning 15.389.
Without lane choice in the final and with wildly successful Pro Stock racer Jeg Coughlin in the other lane, many would have felt a sense of dread – but not McGaha. He was .029 at the tree and clocked a completely shocking 6.507, 212.59 in a decisive win over Coughlin's 6.532, 212.63.
"If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best," said McGaha of his final round victory over Coughlin. "The fact that we've gotten on a roll here, it gives us a legitimate chance [at the championship]. I've seen guys in the past who maybe peak too early. I don't know if we have or not, but I don't really care at this point. We have two wins, and I'm ready to go right now. Anyone that wants to go right now, I'm ready."
CHRIS MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS CHEVROLET CAMARO
Qualified: No. 1
ELIMINATIONS
First Round: MCGAHA (6.488-second, 213.40 mph) def. Joey Grose (6.680, 207.30)
Second Round: MCGAHA (6.524, 212.76) def. Vincent Nobile (6.538, 212.43)
Semifinals: MCGAHA (6.533, 212.23) def. Shane Gray (15.389, 67.19)
Finals: MCGAHA (6.507 212.59) def. Jeg Coughlin (6.532 212.63)
QUALIFYING
FRIDAY: 7.226, 147.60 (Session 1); 6.529, 212.49 (Session 2)
SATURDAY: 6.514, 212.69 (Session 3); 6.501, 212.86 (Session 4)
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock Points
(following Seattle, race 16 of 24)
1. Greg Anderson, 1,322
2. Erica Enders, 1,271
3. Chris McGaha, 1,175
4. Jason Line, 1,102
5. Allen Johnson, 951
6. Larry Morgan, 906
7. Shane Gray, 834
8. Jonathan Gray, 823
9. Vincent Nobile, 787
10. Drew Skillman, 779
