The drought is over for standout Pro Stock driver, Deric Kramer.
Kramer ended a nearly four-year winless drought when he wheeled his GetBioFuel.com Camaro to the Pro Stock title in Charlotte. Kramer has slumped for the better part of the last two years but his Michael Hiner-led team recently showed significant signs of improvement including a final-round appearance at the recent four-wide event in Las Vegas.
Kramer made the quickest pass of the final quad with a 6.555 and that was more than enough to seal the victory as Las Vegas winner Dallas Glenn finished second with a 6.581 in his RAD Torque Systems Camaro. Low qualifier Matt Hartford had the best light with an .014, but shook the tires and shut off while Fernando Cuadra Jr. red-lighted at the start.
Kramer now has five wins in nine professional finals. His last victory came at the Charlotte fall event during the 2019 season.
“First off, the GetBioFuel.com Camaro is a fun car to drive,” said Kramer. “That’s enough to keeps me out here but once you hoist a Wally, you want more. The moment you win your first race all you want to do is win another. Then you get a drought that is so long, you start to think you’ll never win another one. When it finally happens, the euphoria washes over you.
“We’ve been struggling with car the last couple years. Got to the final at the last [Las Vegas] race so we knew we were making progress. You get more and more laps and it makes you more comfortable. When the car is consistent and fast, it takes the pressure off of you.”
Kramer started the day No. 11 in the Championship standings, but has now jumped all the way to the No. 4 spot. Kramer’s path to the final round included a second-place finish to Hartford in round one and a win against Hartford, Greg Anderson, and Aaron Stanfield in the semifinal round.
Despite the loss, Glenn remains the championship leader after beginning the season with two wins and a runner-up finish and an 11-3 record in the first five events of 2023.
With the victory, Kramer breaks into the running for the Racing Pro Media (RPM) Wally Winner Belt which will be given at the end of the season to the driver who has the best win % of all drivers racing a full schedule in the 4 Camping World classes.
Next up is the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill May 19-21, 2023.
Tickets for the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance are on sale now at NHRA.com/tickets. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.
See a full recap of the event by NHRA National Dragster staff:
Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Sunday photo gallery:
Content: NHRA
Photo's: NHRA | Racing Pro Media (RPM)