ROBERT HIGHT AND CORNWELL TOOLS WIN PEP BOYS ALL-STAR CALLOUT AND TAKE NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITION AT U.S. NATIONALS
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 03, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS won the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout Funny Car specialty race Sunday at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park while also securing the No. 1 qualifying position.
In his 11th All-Star Callout type event at the U.S. Nationals, Robert Hight picked up his first victory in his fifth final-round appearance. He also became the fifth different John Force Racing driver to win the long-running bonus event at the U.S. Nationals and picked up the 12th overall victory for JFR drivers at an Indy bonus race.
In the first round of the All-Star Callout, Hight, as the top seed, called out reigning world champion Ron Capps. Hight would get the better of Capps with a 3.935-second pass at 324.44 mph to send Capps’ 4.004 at 322.65 packing.
In the semifinals, Hight, who had the quickest elapsed time in the first round and therefore had the opportunity to pick his next opponent, chose to challenge Cruz Pedregon. Hight would have the starting line advantage and never trailed crossing the finish line with a 3.997-second pass at 314.97 mph to Pedregon’s 4.004 at 322.65.
The win set Hight up with a final match-up against rival Matt Hagan, who he lost to in the semis last year. With a 3.955-second pass at 321.58 mph, Hight would take the victory bettering Hagan’s 3.979 at 322.58.
“It’s amazing to get this,” Hight said. “Hagan really stepped up in the final round. This Cornwell Tools team, we made the right decisions today, picking Capps and then Cruz. If we had picked Hagan first round, which we thought about, looking at it now, he would have beat us. We went out and got the job done today. There’s been a lot of double-ups at this race and I’d like to add my name to it. You’ve got to win on Sunday first to even have a chance.”
Hight and the Cornwell Tools Chevy earned their fourth No. 1 of the season, second at the U.S. Nationals and the 81st of his career with his 3.853-second pass at 329.67 mph from Saturday. He’ll lineup against Paul Lee in the first round as he attempts to become the third JFR driver to win both the bonus All-Star Callout race and the U.S. Nationals in the same weekend.
“I really want to win this race tomorrow, too. What a great job this team has been doing. We’ve been really picking away at this thing and analyzing every little detail. All the guys working on the car, they do such a great job. They’re trying to make this racecar run really nice. We were quickest for three sessions and second quickest the other two, it’s looking good,” Hight said. “Really have to say thank you to Cornwell Tools, Chevy, Auto Club, what a good day, what a good day, man. Now its time to get it done tomorrow.”
Competition at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park continues eliminations on Memorial Day Monday at 10 a.m. Television coverage of the event continues Monday with a show at noon ET on FS1 and a second show at 2 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcasting Network.
See the latest from the NHRA:
Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals Sunday photo gallery:
Content: John Force Racing PR
Photo's: NHRA