Championship Drag Racing

ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals
Las Vegas, Nev.
(October 30-November 2)

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Driver Profile

Robert Hight Auto Club Ford Mustang

Las Vegas, Sunday: Robert Hight had never won a round of eliminations at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals in his previous three attempts but today he made up for lost time racing into the final round versus 1992 world champion Cruz Pedregon. In a race that could have moved him into second place Hight narrowly missed getting the win when his Auto Club/Los Angeles Dodgers Ford Mustang came up just short at the finish line 4.111 seconds to Pedregon’s 4.10.

“I’m a little bummed that we didn’t win. Our car fell off a little and Cruz murdered the tree. I don’t know how you do that. Realistically we picked up three rounds today. I’m greedy I would have liked to have picked up four but there is always a bright side. The biggest thing for me is we have a shot at Pomona this year. We didn’t really have a shot last year without setting a national record or having Tony Pedregon not qualify,” said Hight.

Heading into the final race of the Countdown to 1 Hight is in third place 39 points behind new points leader Cruz Pedregon and 27 points behind former points leader Tim Wilkerson. The points margin is not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination for Hight considering he closed his points gap today by 53 points and his new gap is less than two rounds of racing.

“Basically (Tim) Wilkerson or Cruz (Pedregon) could go to the semis, lose and I win the race; I’d be the champion. As long as they don’t out qualify me too much. The way our car qualifies we’ll be alright. The biggest bright side for me is from a performance standpoint. This is the best we have run all year. Hands down, not even close. This Ford Mustang performed great. We had six runs in a row that were all in the ohs. It doesn’t get any better than that. We are peaking at the right time,” said Hight.

Hight was given a huge helping hand by teammate Mike Neff and the Old Spice team who trailered Tim Wilkerson in the first round. Neff, the hands down favorite for the 2008 Rookie of the Year, award defeated Wilkerson for the first time in six attempts. It was a crowning achievement for the former world champion crew chief and new member of the JFR team.

“That was huge. I thought, ‘Finally! Things were finally going our way for once.’ I knew Neff could do it. He is a tough dude,” added Hight.

With one race left at the JFR home track, Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Hight summed up his attitude about having his best shot ever at a POWERade world championship. All season long Hight has been preaching the gospel of consistency and performance. Now it looks like the former JFR crewman has both with one race to go and a legitimate shot at the title.

“We have had really good luck there (Pomona). We also have three other Ford Mustangs that are running good. Hopefully Wilkerson and Pedregon can’t get to the semi-finals because of my other teammates. I am just excited we actually have a shot. A realistic shot. It is not a long shot. It is a good shot to win this championship. I am tired of finishing second. I know we have what it takes to win this thing with the team with the people. I know I can win rounds.” 

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