POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 16) -- The elimination field of the 53rd annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals are set and Pro Stock veteran Rodger Brogdon and his ProtectTheHarvest.com Camaro crew have a message for everyone in the pits, including first-round opponent Allen Johnson, the defending series champion.
"People are saying we have a tough draw in Round 1," Brogdon said. "This is a new year and we have a new attitude; I'm saying it's Allen that has a tough draw."
Brogdon predicted before the event that his car was capable of qualifying on the top half of the race day grid, and he delivered with a seventh-best effort of 6.577 at 210.31 mph. That gives him the advantage of lane choice over Johnson, who didn't post his run of record -- 6.594 at 210.93 mph -- until Saturday's final session.
"He might be the champ but we out-qualified him this weekend and you can be sure I'm gonna stick him in that garbage lane on the right side tomorrow," Brogdon said. "Cars are still getting down that lane, including us, but I definitely think the left lane is better. Historically, that's been the case at this track and that should hold true tomorrow.
"I'm excited. Both of our team cars are running strong. Steve (Kent, owner and teammate) ran the same number as Allen (6.594) and he's fired up to race. I can tell you we have a lot more to get out of our tune-ups. I really don't expect we'll see all that we can out of this combination until we're eight, 10 races into the season. We're just getting started."
One of the wildcards for raceday could be the weather, with local forecasters calling for temperatures 15-20 degrees cooler than Saturday, when the thermometer topped out at 80 degrees.
"It would probably be better for us if it got hotter because that right lane would get even worse," said Brogdon, a native of Houston. "But if it gets better then that's okay too. We can go faster. I've short-shifted a couple gears every run this weekend. I'm just so amped up and excited I guess I can't wait to get down the track. If I just correct that issue tomorrow we'll be quicker."
Qualifying highlights will be shown Saturday night on ESPN2. Sunday's eliminations, which begin at 11 a.m. Pacific time, will air Sunday evening, also on ESPN2.
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"People are saying we have a tough draw in Round 1," Brogdon said. "This is a new year and we have a new attitude; I'm saying it's Allen that has a tough draw."
Brogdon predicted before the event that his car was capable of qualifying on the top half of the race day grid, and he delivered with a seventh-best effort of 6.577 at 210.31 mph. That gives him the advantage of lane choice over Johnson, who didn't post his run of record -- 6.594 at 210.93 mph -- until Saturday's final session.
"He might be the champ but we out-qualified him this weekend and you can be sure I'm gonna stick him in that garbage lane on the right side tomorrow," Brogdon said. "Cars are still getting down that lane, including us, but I definitely think the left lane is better. Historically, that's been the case at this track and that should hold true tomorrow.
"I'm excited. Both of our team cars are running strong. Steve (Kent, owner and teammate) ran the same number as Allen (6.594) and he's fired up to race. I can tell you we have a lot more to get out of our tune-ups. I really don't expect we'll see all that we can out of this combination until we're eight, 10 races into the season. We're just getting started."
One of the wildcards for raceday could be the weather, with local forecasters calling for temperatures 15-20 degrees cooler than Saturday, when the thermometer topped out at 80 degrees.
"It would probably be better for us if it got hotter because that right lane would get even worse," said Brogdon, a native of Houston. "But if it gets better then that's okay too. We can go faster. I've short-shifted a couple gears every run this weekend. I'm just so amped up and excited I guess I can't wait to get down the track. If I just correct that issue tomorrow we'll be quicker."
Qualifying highlights will be shown Saturday night on ESPN2. Sunday's eliminations, which begin at 11 a.m. Pacific time, will air Sunday evening, also on ESPN2.
More...
