McGaha Takes Win in NHRA Pro Stock for Team Chevy with Camaro SS - Speedway Digest

Chris McGaha won an all-Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock final on Sunday to take his first event victory at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ Keystone Nationals with a hole-shot victory over Greg Anderson.

McGaha, in the Harlow Sammons Racing Harlow Sammons of Odessa Chevrolet Camaro SS, ran a 6.492/213.64 mph final round in what turned out to be the quickest Pro Stock race in NHRA history. McGaha won for the third time this season, having taken the first to victories of his career at Denver and Sonoma in the summer.

Anderson ran a 6.484/214.59 mph in his KB Racing Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS, but McGaha was 0.042 seconds quicker off the line. Anderson, a four-time Pro Stock champion, was seeking a Reading victory after a pair of semifinal berths the last two seasons.

The victory moved McGaha up three positions in the Pro Stock Countdown to the Championship standings to third behind Anderson and points leader Erica Enders, who has a 72-point advantage with three events left.

McGaha was the No. 2 qualifier from Saturday’s lone round of time trials. He beat Val Smeland in the opening round and Jonathan Gray’s Gray Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS on a red-light start. McGaha topped Bo Butner in his Jim Butner Auto Sales Camaro SS to put him in the final round.

Anderson entered eliminations as the No. 4 qualifier and beat a trio of Chevrolets to reach the final: John Gaydosh (Gaydosh Performance), KB Racing teammate Jason Line (Summit Racing Equipment Camaro SS) and Larry Morgan (Fireaide Camaro SS).

John Force Racing’s Brittany Force advanced to the Top Fuel semifinals in her Monster Energy Drink/Chevrolet Top Fuel Dragster. The No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel, Force beat Dave Connolly with a

3.725.331.53 mph to pass to earn a second-round bye. However, Force fell in the semifinal to Tony Schumacher in a matchup of top-four points contenders in the category.

In Funny Car, John Force Racing’s Robert Hight couldn’t carry the momentum from his 41^st career No. 1 qualifier honor into eliminations. He fell to John Hale in the first round. Seven-time Reading Funny Car winner John Force in the Peak Antifreeze Chevrolet Camaro SS lost to eventual runner-up Chad Head. Courtney Force, with her Traxxas Radio Control Cars Chevrolet Camaro SS, lost in the first round to Cruz Pedregon.

The next stop for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Race Series is the 30^th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals on Oct. 15-18 from Texas Motorplex near Dallas-Fort Worth.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.