CHRIS MCGAHA
HARLOW SAMMONS CHEVROLET CAMARO
RACE PREVIEW: 37TH ANNUAL MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS
BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY
JULY 22-24
Chris McGaha Turning Corner as Western Swing Approaches
ODESSA, Tex. (July 19, 2016) – The Western Swing is one of the most anticipated sections of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season. In the 14th of 24 events in 2016, Chris McGaha has been working hard to get through some of the initial growing pains of becoming his own crew chief and it seems progress is finally being made as they head to the 37th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals this weekend at Bandimere Speedway.
McGaha took over the reigns of his Pro Stock operation last month and has been working towards getting his first win of the 2016 season. With a few first round losses in June, McGaha has picked up confidence after they went to the second round at the last event in Chicago.
“I finally did it on my own,” McGaha said. “That was the first time I have ever won a round as a driver and crew chief. I told my team over the radio at the top end, ‘we did it’. I feel like Chicago was a bridge and we’re taking steps in the right direction. We qualified on our own, we lost a few rounds on our own and now we’re starting to win rounds on our own. It’s just a matter of time before we win a race on our own.”
In 2015, McGaha came one race short of running the table and coining himself as the second driver in Pro Stock history to “Sweep the Swing”.
“I’m excited to race the Western Swing this year,” he revealed. “What we’re hoping for is that we can repeat what we did last year; that’s what we’re gunning for. I want to use our momentum from last year and do it again. Hopefully this time we can do better in Denver and sweep it this time.”
Qualifying at the 37th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals begins on Friday, July 22nd with two qualifying sessions at 5:00 and 7:30 p.m. Qualifying continues on Saturday, July 23rd with two qualifying sessions at 4:00 and 6:30 p.m. Eliminations begin at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 24th.
CHRIS MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS CHEVROLET CAMARO
Last race, Chicago: Qualified No. 7, lost second round to Bo Butner.
Last year, Denver: Qualified No. 6, lost first round to Greg Anderson.
Fast Facts: Chris McGaha
- Chris has been in six finals in his career, most recently in Phoenix 2016.
- His three career Pro Stock wins came in 2015 (Sonoma, Seattle, Reading)
- He almost “Swept the Western Swing” when he won Sonoma and Seattle back-to-back last year. A perfect “sweep” would be Denver, Sonoma, and Seattle. Only one driver in the history of Pro Stock has been able to conquer that feat.
- Chris and his father Lester make all tuning calls on their Harlow Sammons Chevrolet Camaro
Race Schedule for the 37th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals:
Friday, July 22, two qualifying sessions at 5 and 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 23, two qualifying sessions at 4 and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 24, eliminations begin at 11 a.m. with Top Fuel.
Television Schedule for the 37th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals:
Saturday, July 23, FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 24, FOX will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 3 p.m. (ET).
NHRA PRO STOCK POINT STANDINGS
- Jason Line 1472
- Greg Anderson 1392
- Bo Butner 898
- Allen Johnson 773
- Drew Skillman 717
- Vincent Nobile 666
- Shane Gray 619
- CHRIS MCGAHA 610
- Jeg Coughlin 580
- Alex Laughlin 530
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