[coverattach=1]Pomona, Saturday: When the POWERade championship comes down to the last day of the season every team would like to be in control of their own destiny. Automobile Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight has control and an ace in the hole. In the first round the Hight, the No. 9 qualifier, will face No. 8 qualifier and reigning Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon in one of two first round heavy-weight races. Hight will get a huge assist with his first championship if and when 14-time champion and father-in-law John Force can dispatch Tim Wilkerson in their first round tilt.
Hight was disappointed with his team’s performance today but he also knows he cannot let that distract him from the job at hand.
“Tomorrow is going to be exciting; there are no two ways about it. We have to perform. In qualifying I don’t think that we did our best for sure. We are not normally a bottom half car and under the run with the best conditions which was that round we didn’t step up. We backed it off too much from the previous two runs when we smoked the tires,” said a disappointed Hight in the Shav Glick pressroom. “I guess we know each side of the coin for tomorrow. We know what not to do to smoke the tires and we know now what to do to tune it up a little bit. Maybe that will help. Racing Tony Pedregon means we are going to have to beat the champion. He is still in this hunt too.”
There are a number of different scenarios that could culminate with Hight hoisting the POWERade Championship trophy but he is not trying to dissect what needs to happen during every round.
“We have won the last few races here. That is what we came here to do and that is what we intend to do. We also have John Force to help us with Wilkerson in the first round. They are all tough, tough races. I wouldn’t pick anybody else over Tony Pedregon first round because they are all tough. I don’t think that there is a car in the class that you could say is easier to race than Tony Pedregon. That is just not the way it is.”
“They said that if I win the race that will mean that Tim and Cruz are out of there. I don’t have to win the race. If Cruz loses first round and if Wilkerson loses first round and I win all I have to do is win second round then I am the champ. I think that is it. Maybe Beckman could go on and win the race and he could be the champion. We can’t count out these guys behind us. If I win first round and the other two lose then there are three of them gone and it is just me and Beckman. I think he would have to win the race to get me. There are a lot of scenarios. We just have to go out there every single run and get to the finish line first,” added a determined Hight.
“We have won from the bottom half here. You know what truthfully it is how we run tomorrow. What we did back a few months ago or last year has no bearing on tomorrow. The last run we just made we have to tune from that, make it better and go down the track first round very fast.”
Hight was disappointed with his team’s performance today but he also knows he cannot let that distract him from the job at hand.
“Tomorrow is going to be exciting; there are no two ways about it. We have to perform. In qualifying I don’t think that we did our best for sure. We are not normally a bottom half car and under the run with the best conditions which was that round we didn’t step up. We backed it off too much from the previous two runs when we smoked the tires,” said a disappointed Hight in the Shav Glick pressroom. “I guess we know each side of the coin for tomorrow. We know what not to do to smoke the tires and we know now what to do to tune it up a little bit. Maybe that will help. Racing Tony Pedregon means we are going to have to beat the champion. He is still in this hunt too.”
There are a number of different scenarios that could culminate with Hight hoisting the POWERade Championship trophy but he is not trying to dissect what needs to happen during every round.
“We have won the last few races here. That is what we came here to do and that is what we intend to do. We also have John Force to help us with Wilkerson in the first round. They are all tough, tough races. I wouldn’t pick anybody else over Tony Pedregon first round because they are all tough. I don’t think that there is a car in the class that you could say is easier to race than Tony Pedregon. That is just not the way it is.”
“They said that if I win the race that will mean that Tim and Cruz are out of there. I don’t have to win the race. If Cruz loses first round and if Wilkerson loses first round and I win all I have to do is win second round then I am the champ. I think that is it. Maybe Beckman could go on and win the race and he could be the champion. We can’t count out these guys behind us. If I win first round and the other two lose then there are three of them gone and it is just me and Beckman. I think he would have to win the race to get me. There are a lot of scenarios. We just have to go out there every single run and get to the finish line first,” added a determined Hight.
“We have won from the bottom half here. You know what truthfully it is how we run tomorrow. What we did back a few months ago or last year has no bearing on tomorrow. The last run we just made we have to tune from that, make it better and go down the track first round very fast.”
