{"id":14889,"date":"2018-02-21T15:45:12","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T21:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=14889"},"modified":"2018-02-24T12:19:52","modified_gmt":"2018-02-24T18:19:52","slug":"pro-stocks-tanner-gray-keeps-pushing-forward-at-nhra-arizona-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/21\/pro-stocks-tanner-gray-keeps-pushing-forward-at-nhra-arizona-nationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro Stock\u2019s Tanner Gray keeps pushing forward at NHRA Arizona Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA<\/em><\/p>\n

CHANDLER, Ariz. \u2013 A tremendous rookie season has only pushed Pro Stock driver Tanner Gray<\/strong> to raise the bar even higher for the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series<\/a> season, which is why a strong start to the year is important for the rising star.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Tanner Gray. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

It didn\u2019t happen at the season-opener in Pomona, where Gray fell in the first round to eventual winner and defending world champion Bo Butner. That hasn\u2019t dampened Gray\u2019s spirits heading to this weekend\u2019s NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, where the 19-year-old talent looks to make an early-season impact in his Valvoline\/Nova Services Chevrolet Camaro.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very good going into Phoenix,\u201d said Gray, who was named NHRA\u2019s rookie 2017, earning the NHRA\u2019s Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award after winning five races. \u201cWe think we fixed our problem from Pomona, had some tune up issues. It’s crazy how tough it is to get these things running right, I feel like we are still constantly learning about the fuel injection stuff but we got it fixed and, all in all, I feel confident going into this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Tanner Gray. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) were last year\u2019s winners of a race that be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including finals coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 25. The race is the second of 24 during the 2018 NHRA campaign and a big 2017 only has Gray anxious for more this season.<\/p>\n

He went to seven final rounds, earning four No. 1 qualifiers and won the opening race of the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, jumping into the points lead at that moment. Some late-season stumbles dropped him to fourth overall, but it still ended up being a promising rookie year. It brings added attention and maybe some extra pressure, but Gray is ready to accomplish more.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely a great start,\u201d Gray said. \u201cMy expectations for this year are the same as I had last year \u2013 to win. I try to take it race by race and not get too far ahead of myself. I feel like if I can go to each race focused on winning that race then I’ll be a lot better off. I try not to think about the championship too much, we just gotta take it race by race and see where the chips fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray\u2019s first career Pro Stock win came in fourth career start, with the early success paying major dividends the rest of the year. Knowing full well what a win can do for the team\u2019s momentum, Gray is eager to have a strong result in Phoenix. He\u2019ll have to get by the likes of Butner and his KB Racing teammates Anderson and Jason Line, who each have two wins in Phoenix, two-time world champ Erica Enders, two-time event winner Jeg Coughlin, Alex Laughlin, Deric Kramer and teammate Drew Skillman. But Gray learned a great deal during those high-pressure situations a year ago, something that will likely benefit him throughout the 2018 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery race is important to me,\u201d Gray said. \u201cI mean, obviously it’s not to the magnitude of a Countdown race when you’re running for a championship, but every race matters and every point matters. Drag racing is so close and every single point you can get will benefit you at some point throughout the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchett will try for three straight Top Fuel wins at Phoenix this season, hoping to hold off the likes of Pomona winner Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown, and five-time event winner Tony Schumacher.<\/p>\n

Hagan won the first two races of 2017 in Funny Car, and hopes to repeat that after a win in Pomona against defending world champion Robert Hight and 2016 world champ Ron Capps.<\/p>\n

The event also features thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where future stars of the sport hone their skills and the 2018 Mickey Thompson Tires Top Fuel Harley Drag Racing Series. Following nitro qualifying during the weekend five jet cars thrill the fans during the NHRA Arizona Nationals. Taking to the track will be jet cars operated by Segal Motorsports with Shelly Segal running the \u2018FireStarter\u2019, AA Motorsports with Scott Arriaga running \u2018Wicked Sinsation\u2019 jet Dragster, and Tim Smith running the \u2018American Freedom Fighter\u2019 jet dragster. The Lucas Oil will showcase their two \u2018Muy Caliente\u2019 during the race. Known for their exciting pre-run flame shows and after burner pops, jet cars are thrust driven vehicles propelled by jet engines.<\/p>\n

As always, fans have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they\u2019re 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 the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.<\/p>\n

Fans also will want to visit NHRA\u2019s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.<\/p>\n

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 1:30 and 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Feb. 24, also at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25.<\/p>\n

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit www.NHRA.com\/tickets<\/a>. Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult. To honor the Salute to First Responders, military and first responders can save 20 percent on general admission tickets at the gate. For more information about the NHRA visit www.NHRA.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA CHANDLER, Ariz. \u2013 A tremendous rookie season has only pushed Pro Stock driver Tanner Gray to raise the bar even higher for the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, which is why a strong start to the year is important for the rising star. It didn\u2019t happen at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14890,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[6,378,415,550],"class_list":["post-14889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhra","tag-nhra","tag-nhra-arizona-nationals","tag-tanner-gray","tag-wild-horse-pass-motorsports-park"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018_Gray_Tanner_Action.jpg?fit=2250%2C1500","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-3S9","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14889"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14892,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14889\/revisions\/14892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}