Championship Drag Racing

Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals
Seattle, WA
(July 20-22)

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Richie Stevens Nitro Fish Pontiac GXP

Seattle, prerace: The next four races, starting with the Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals this weekend, are undoubtedly the most important of the season for Stevens Jr.

Stevens has the final spot in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff system, with a mere two point cushion on the ninth-place Warren Johnson, a six-time Pro Stock champ. Only 15 points separate Stevens from the seventh-place Larry Morgan, making every round of racing pressure-packed.

“We’ve got that spot, but we are barely holding on to it. It’s not a guarantee yet,” said Stevens of his current position. “If I could have gone some more rounds on Sunday in Denver it would have helped to solidify the spot. We still have four races left.”

Stevens can take heart in his team’s recent success in qualifying and his round win over Erica Enders at Denver, as well as his successful track record at the next two venues.

“We’ve got a great handle on the car, as far as making horsepower and Mark [Ingersoll, crew chief for Stevens and teammate Johnson] setting the car up good. We’re making good runs in qualifying,” observed Stevens. “To go out there first round and get that .006 light against Erica felt really good. I’m just going to go out there and have fun and drive the car, and that’s usually when you do your best.

“I’ve done good at Seattle; I actually won the race in 2000. At Sonoma, I’ve had a pretty good record there as well. So I’ve got two races coming up that I’ve done well at in the past. It would be nice to go some rounds at Seattle. I just want to get my points up. I would like to be in that fourth or fifth spot, and on more solid ground entering the Indy race.”

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