Shane Tucker
TOUGH FIRST ROUND ENDS TUCKER’S ROUTE 66 NATIONALS
CHICAGO, IL – Shane Tucker was looking to duplicate his 2014 success at this year’s Route 66 NHRA Nationals. 
Five years ago Tucker raced to the semifinals just missing his first final round appearance. This year the young Australian had an up and down two days of qualifying but was optimistic about heading into eliminations as the No. 14 qualifier.
The reason for his upbeat attitude was his Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro had shown glimmers of consistency and improved performance on Friday and Saturday. The performance improvements actually began at the historic Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. At that race Tucker took out Matt Hartford in the first round and almost stole a second round win as well.
WILD RIDE CAPS SHANE TUCKER’S QUALIFYING EFFORT IN CHICAGO
CHICAGO, IL – After a lengthy rain delay Shane Tucker and the Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock 
car will enter race day as the No. 14 qualifier. During the four qualifying sessions at the 22nd annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals Tucker showed glimpses of improvement and one flash of excitement.
During the final qualifying session Tucker had his hands full at the top end as his Chevrolet Camaro was sashaying at the top end at nearly 200 mph. The additional movement as Tucker neared the finish line peeled off momentum and his final elapsed time of 6.985 seconds was his slowest of the weekend. His best time of 6.657 at 206.23 mph was secured during Friday’s second qualifying session.
“We knew the session was going to be killer because of the weather conditions and we wanted to make a decent run,” said Tucker. “It moved out to the left pretty good and they always sort of do that when they are on a decent run. I stayed in it and the general rule of thumb is if they are out of the groove past half-track you should give it up. I put it in to top gear and it made a massive out to the left and then swung to the right. That is the closest I have been to crashing one of these things.”
SHANE TUCKER MAKES MOST OF FRIDAY QUALIFYING IN CHICAGO
CHICAGO, IL – After two qualifying sessions at Route 66 Raceway Shane Tucker is confident in his race car’s 
performance and its chances for improvement tomorrow. The Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock race car sits in the No. 13 qualified position going into the final day of qualifying at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals. With two more sessions on the schedule the driver from Australia is looking to break into the top half of the field for race day.
“I definitely think there is more performance in this Auzmet/Structglass Camaro,” said Tucker. “We will have cooler conditions tomorrow and with good air we can run quicker. I love racing Chicago. I have had success here and I would love to be a position to go rounds on Sunday.”
In the opening session Tucker took his Chevrolet Camaro to the finish line stripe with a solid 6.658 second pass at 207.78 mph. An hour later Tucker was back on track and posted a nearly identical 6.657 second, 206.23 mph pass to secure the No. 13 spot.
RETURN TO CHICAGO HAS SHANE TUCKER EAGER FOR SUCCESS
CHICAGO, IL – Shane Tucker and the Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro team have begun seeing steady performance improvements on Friday and Saturday over the past three NHRA national events. The young 
Australian’s qualifying efforts have inched upward and as his crew chief Rob Tucker continues to accumulate data the team will only become more competitive. Tucker is excited to be returning to Route 66 Raceway for a variety of reasons most notably it is the site of his best day as a NHRA Pro Stock racer.
In 2014 during his rookie season campaign Tucker powered his Chevrolet Camaro to a semifinal finish at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals after defeating Pro Stock heavy-weighs Chris McGaha and Erica Enders in the first two rounds. He was narrowly bested by Vincent Nobile in the next to last round of race day.
“I had a great race car and we were running really well in 2014,” said Tucker. “We came close in Chicago and because of that I have to say Chicago is one of my favorite tracks. I am looking forward to getting back there this weekend especially with the race car I have now. I have to thank Nike Ferri and my dad Rob Tucker for all the hard work they have put into this Auzmet StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro.”
VIRGINIA NATIONALS GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR SHANE TUCKER
RICHMOND, VA – At the end of the day Shane Tucker and the Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro team made the most of their first Virginia NHRA Nationals. The young Australian made three solid qualifying passes and 
entered race day as the No. 12 Pro Stock qualifier. It was a continuation of qualifying success with his new engine program spearheaded by Nick Ferri Racing Engines.
“We have been making big strides since Gainesville with our motor program,” said Tucker. “We are making solid runs and not hurting the car. You can get quicker when you are able to fine up your tune-up and not replace parts. I have a lot of confidence in the direction we are going. This race was one that we learned a lot and got more valuable information even though we didn’t have a long race day.”
Tucker had a first round match-up with four-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson. The track conditions were tricky but Tucker knew this race was most likely going to be decided on the starting line. He knew he would need a nearly psychic reaction time to give himself a fighting chance against the No. 5 qualifier.
Both Chevrolet Camaros rolled into the staging beams and just before the tree flashed green Tucker’s Auzmet/StructGlass Camaro took off. The early start handed Tucker an immediate disqualification for jumping the start.
TUCKER CONFIDENT HEADING INTO VIRGINIA NATIONALS ELIMINATIONS
RICHMOND, VA – After two days of qualifying with up and down results Australian Shane Tucker is heading into 
the Virginia NHRA Nationals race day as the No. 12 qualifier. The Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro made one solid run on Saturday and one aborted run to end qualifying. The missed opportunity does not weigh on Tucker heading into a first round match-up with Pro Stock veteran Greg Anderson.
“Overall we had a solid qualifying effort this weekend,” said Tucker. “We have never raced at Virginia Motorsports Park and we made two solid runs on Friday. Today we made a quicker run in the heat and we just missed it on the final run. Better to do that today than in the first round tomorrow.”
Tucker’s first round race against four-time Pro Stock Mello Yello world champion Greg Anderson will be a tough match-up. The pair have never raced each other in eliminations.
FRIDAY AT VIRGINIA SHOWS CONSISTENT IMPROVEMENT FOR SHANE TUCKER
photo courtesy of Comp Plus and Roger Richards
RICHMOND, VA – After a 41 day break in the action between NHRA races featuring Pro Stock competitors Shane 
Tucker and his Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro made two solid runs at Virginia Motorsports Park. The first day of qualifying at the Virginia NHRA Nationals was highlighted by one of his quickest runs of the season, a solid 6.655 seconds, by the young Australian. The pass has Tucker sitting in the provisional No. 12 spot heading into Saturday’s final two qualifying sessions.
“I am excited to see the improvement from the first session to the second session. We are starting out with better runs in Q1 and getting quicker. We are getting a handle on this Auzmet Camaro and I am looking forward to tomorrow,” said Tucker. “I didn’t mind the break between races. I was able to go back to Australia and work on some business projects. I am glad to be back racing for sure. ”
On his first pass Tucker made his inaugural run at Virginia Motorsports Park and posted a 6.715 second, 206.16 mph pass. The run was good enough to position Tucker as the No. 10 Pro Stock car after the first session.
SHANE TUCKER TAKES ON VIRGINIA NATIONALS FOR FIRST TIME
RICHMOND, VA – Shane Tucker and the Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock team are ready to get back on the track. For the first time the young Australian will be competing at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. The event was added back onto the NHRA schedule lasy season after a decade hiatus. The new venue is on that Tucker is looking forward to adding to his resume.
“It is always exciting to go to a new track,” said Tucker. “I have heard a lot of good things about Virginia Motorsports Park. We are going to be ready and I know Rob (crew chief Rob Tucker) has been working on getting everything squared away for a successful weekend.”
It has been five weeks since Tucker raced down a quarter-mile drag strip but the delay may not have been as hard for him as some of his Pro Stock competitors. For the last five seasons Tucker has been a successful part-time racer while he built up his primary business, Auzmet Architectural. Long delays between races are a situation he has dealt with before.
FIRST ROUND NOT KIND TO SHANE TUCKER IN LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS, NV – Shane Tucker knows that in Las Vegas good luck can make or break someone’s tale of success. During the 20th annual DENSO Spark Plug NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Tucker, the No. 13 qualifier, was ousted in the first quad. The loss was a tough one for the young Australian when his losing numbers are examined. Tucker crossed the finish line in third place right behind quad winners Matt Hartford and Chris McGaha.
His Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro was steadily improving throughout the weekend of qualifying and in the first round posted a solid 6.733 second run at 203.06 mph. Tucker was first off the starting line and just needed a little more power at the top end to advance to the next round.
The unique format of the four-wide nationals was not kind to Tucker as he had to watch a number of drivers advance with slower elapsed times or times that Tucker’s reaction time and elapsed time combination would have defeated.
SHANE TUCKER READY TO TACKLE RACE DAY AT LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS, NV – The unique format of the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals does not intimidate Pro Stock racer Shane Tucker. The Australian who is campaigning the Auzmet/StructGlass Chevrolet Camaro for the entire NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series for the first time is qualified No. 13 for tomorrow’s race and will face Matt Hartford, Roger Brogdon and Chris McGaha in the first round. During the two days of qualifying Tucker posted consistent times and crossed the finish line under power every run which gives him a significant amount of confidence for race day.
“The track was really tough at the top end today. My Auzmet/StructGlass Camaro was really moving around in the last session,” said Tucker. “I feel good about race day tomorrow. Rob (crew chief Rob Tucker) has been working on a good base line tune-up and I think we will have something for the first round. I like four-wide racing because you just need to be one of the first two race cars across the finish line. I am excited about getting to eliminations tomorrow.”
