Brogdon encouraged by Pomona’s semifinal appearance
POMONA, CA – Rodger Brogdon has already put this weekend’s Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club 
Raceway at Pomona in his rearview mirror after a strong semifinal performance.
Brogdon had a terrific weekend with his Rodger Brogdon Racing Chevrolet, qualifying No. 3 and winning two rounds. A semifinal defeat to eventual race winner Jason Line stung because both drivers ran the same elapsed time, with Line getting the win with a better reaction time.
“We’ll do better in two weeks,” Brogdon said. “We’ve got a hot rod and we’ve got a car that can win. That might make (today) a little worse but it’s a long, long season. It won’t be the last time we make a mistake. It’s bad but I’ll be over it in about 20 minutes.”
Brogdon’s qualifying performance was his best in nearly four years, and his semifinal appearance was his second in the last four races, dating back to last year. Brogdon won in Reading, Pa., last year and now has won at least one round four races in a row.
On Sunday, he started by dumping Deric Kramer in the first round, making a pass of 6.548 seconds at 212.43 mph to outrun Kramer’s 6.609 at 209.95 mph. Brogdon also beat Kramer on the starting line, getting a .032-second reaction time to Kramer’s .057.
Brogdon was then better in Round 2 against No. 6 qualifier Larry Morgan, busting the Christmas Tree with a .014 light to Morgan’s .041. Brogdon recorded the second-quickest pass of the round, 6.565 seconds at 211.46 mph, to hold off Morgan’s 6.566-second run at 212.36 mph.
Then Brogdon and Line made identical 6.560-second passes in the semifinals, but Line got the win based on his starting-line advantage, .026 to .064. Brogdon, though, didn’t shirk responsibility.
“I just thought too much,” Brogdon said. “I pulled up there and I thought, ‘The Tree is so dark.’ I should’ve never let that run through my mind. I was .014 the round before, and I don’t know if I thought I had to back off or what. I just made a mental mistake; nobody’s fault but mine.
“By the time I thought the Tree was on, I thought, ‘This ain’t good.’ Then I short-shifted, too.”
Still, Brogdon is encouraged by his team’s performance and looks forward to the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Feb. 20-22, in Phoenix.
