BRAINERD, Minn. – Brainerd International Raceway isn’t the home track for Bob Bode but for a number of reasons it feels like it for the NHRA Funny Car driver.
Ever since winning the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at the facility in 2010 Bode has received an overwhelming amount of support at the event, making it a required race for him on his limited schedule.
It was also the first race Bode ever qualified at in Funny Car and he knows it will be another memorable weekend in his 10,000-horsepower AR-BEE Transparent Products/Northwest Trucks Toyota Camry when he returns to Brainerd International Raceway Aug. 18-21.
“Brainerd is so much fun and we’ve made so many good friends up there after winning,” Bode said “We run a limited schedule, but we’re never not going to Brainerd. It’s good for us and part of who we are. There’s so much history there for us, so we always love going there.
“When you show up at tracks like that, where you’ve made a lot of great memories, you feel like you’ve gone home. We feel like we belong there and I really do think you do better at those tracks where you feel comfortable and everything clicks.”
Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the pivotal NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event that will be broadcast on FS1 for the first time. The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals is the 17th of 24 events in the 2016 season and, more importantly, the penultimate race of the regular season before the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship begins.
Bode, who will race eight times this season in Funny Car, will not figure into that playoff race but the event at Brainerd still comes at an important time for the Barrington, Ill. native. Bode ran a career-best 4.10 at his home track in Chicago in July and then followed it up with a 4.132 in eliminations for his first-ever back-to-back passes in the 4.10s.
With those being Bode’s most recent runs, it has him excited about the prospects in Brainerd, while also giving him a clear-cut goal in the process.
“Our big goal is to get into the 4.00s,” Bode said. “We’re so close right now and we’ve been trying to get there for five years. We’re a little behind in performance with the rest of the guys in the class but we’re making some headway. We need to pick it up a little bit to get closer to the big guys and that’s what we’re working on. I think we’re on the right track and that makes us feel good. We’ve got nine guys who are dedicated to this team and if we’re not making any headway it’s frustrating. But after Chicago I know we’re headed in the right direction.”
Bode is pleased with the progress of his team, which is led by crew chief John Stewart, and believes the improvements will transfer to Brainerd and beyond. He ran the back-to-back 4.10s with the same motor in Chicago and the minimal parts damage has Bode primed for his biggest weekend of 2016 in Brainerd.
“We’ve struggled for a couple years but this is the best car we’ve ever had going into Brainerd and then Indy,” Bode said. “We have better parts than we’ve ever had and we have high hopes right now. We had a good performance in Chicago and we didn’t hurt anything, and we had not done that in a long time. But that helps you build on your performance and hopefully we can keep adding to it in Brainerd.”
A repeat performance of 2010 would be a dream come true for Bode, but simply qualifying and running in the 4.00s for the first time in his career will make for a great weekend. Competing against the best in the Funny Car class, including five-time Brainerd winner and points leader Ron Capps, 11-time Brainerd winner John Force, Hight, Courtney Force, Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman and reigning world champion Del Worsham, is also always a thrill for the veteran.
An enjoyable experience is already guaranteed at a track that has always been special for Bode, but he hopes to add at least one more memory before heading to the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.
“We’ve got hope heading to Brainerd and hopefully we’ll find that performance,” Bode said. “I’ll be happy with anything that gets us in the 4.00s. If we can be a consistent 4.00s car we can put some pressure on guys on Sunday and make them have to go down the track. We’ve got good parts and the dream is to just get a little quicker every time out.”
Crampton pushed his Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster to the Winner’s Circle in Brainerd last season to claim his fourth victory of the year, but is still looking for his first win in 2016. Reigning world champ Antron Brown has a grip on the points lead and is putting together a strong championship defense, but looking to knock him off the top spot is three-time Brainerd winner and eight-time world champ Tony Schumacher, three-time 2016 winner Doug Kalitta, J.R. Todd, who won in Sonoma, Texan Steve Torrence, Brittany Force, Leah Pritchett and Shawn Langdon.
Pro Stock’s Erica Enders raced to her fifth victory of the 2015 season last year en route to her second consecutive world championship, but it’s been a different story in 2016. Enders is still after her first win, while Jason Line and Greg Anderson both have seven victories in what has been a dominant campaign for the teammates, and Minnesota natives thus far. Others to watch in Pro Stock include four-time Brainerd winner Jeg Coughlin, Bo Butner, Allen Johnson, who won in Denver, 2015 top rookie Drew Skillman, Vincent Nobile, Chicago No. 1 qualifier Shane Gray and Texan Chris McGaha.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Krawiec powered to his third consecutive victory of the 2015 season last year at Brainerd International Raceway and is the current points leader. His teammate and reigning world champion Andrew Hines is right behind in second thanks to three victories this season. But the Pro Stock Motorcycle field and deep and talented, and features the likes of LE Tonglet, who won in Sonoma, Angelle Sampey, who recently won her first race since 2007 in Englishtown, N.J., Jerry Savoie, veteran Steve Johnson, Matt Smith, Hector Arana, Hector Arana Jr. and Chip Ellis.
The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of the sport earn their racing stripes.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand how the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 3 and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21.
To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 218-824-RACE (7223) or 866-444-4455. Tickets also are available online atwww.brainerdraceway.com. Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult. For more information about the NHRA visitwww.NHRA.com.
Before heading to Brainerd International Raceway, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will make a stop at Pacific Raceways near Seattle for the Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, Aug. 5-7. Keep up with all the NHRA action on FOX and FOX Sports 1.
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LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS
WHAT: 35th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, the 17th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – earn points leading to 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships. The NHRA Lucas Oil Series also will be featured at this event.
WHERE: Brainerd International Raceway and Resort, Brainerd, Minn. Track is located a few miles north of the Brainerd area off Highway 371. The track is located on the east side of the highway.
COURSE: Championship drag strip; Track elevation is 1,200 feet above sea level; Track direction is west to east.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 18-21
SCHEDULE: THURSDAY, Aug. 18- LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying
FRIDAY, Aug. 19 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 3 and 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, Aug. 20 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 1 and 3:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, Aug. 21 – Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION: Saturday, Aug. 20, FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 10 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Aug. 21, FS1 will televise three hours of live finals coverage starting at 2 p.m. (ET).
2015 EVENT
WINNERS: Richie Crampton, Top Fuel; Robert Hight, Funny Car; Erica Enders, Pro Stock; Eddie Krawiec, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
MOST
VICTORIES: John Force, 11, FC; Joe Amato, 6, TF; Kenny Bernstein, 5, FC/TF; Antron Brown, 5, TF/PSM; Ron Capps, 5, FC; Bruce Allen, 4, PS; Jeg Coughlin, 4, PS; Bob Glidden, 4, PS; Kurt Johnson, 4, PS; Warren Johnson, 4, PS.
TRACK
RECORDS: Top Fuel – 3.662 sec. by Shawn Langdon, Aug. ’15; 332.75 mph by Spencer Massey, Aug. ’15.
Funny Car – 3.879 sec. and 329.58 mph by Matt Hagan, Aug. ’15.
Pro Stock – 6.541 sec. by Erica Enders, Aug. ’15; 211.39 mph by Shane Gray, Aug. ’15.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.788 sec. and 197.39 by Eddie Krawiec, Aug. ’15.
NATIONAL
RECORDS: Top Fuel – 3.671 sec. by Steve Torrence, July ’16, Sonoma, Calif.; 332.75 mph by Spencer Massey, Aug. ’15, Brainerd, Minn.
Funny Car – 3.862 sec. and 335.57 mph by Matt Hagan, May ’16, Topeka, Kan.
Pro Stock – 6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March ’15, Charlotte, N.C.; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May ‘14, Englishtown N.J.
PS Motorcycle – 6.728 sec. by Andrew Hines, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 199.88 mph by Hector Arana Jr., March ’15, Charlotte, N.C.
TICKETS: Order tickets by phone at (218) 824-RACE (7223). Tickets also are available online at www.brainerdraceway.com.
Story and photo courtesy of the NHRA
