Brogdon is looking for more after qualifying for NHRA Gatornationals

GAINESVILLE, FL – Don’t be fooled by the qualifying time sheet: ProtectTheHarvest.com Pro Stock driver Rodger Brogdon may have struggled, but he still has a few tricks up his sleeve for the 45th annual NHRA Gatornationals at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville.

“We feel good going into tomorrow,” Brogdon said. “We know we have to put together a good first run against (Jeg Coughlin Jr.) in the first round, but we think we have the car to do it. There’s a lot of power; it’s just a matter of getting the right conditions and taking full advantage of all our incremental gains this season. We’re looking to go a few rounds tomorrow.”

In a battle that seems to continue almost every weekend, Brogdon’s Camaro is paired up against No. 3 qualifier and defending Pro Stock champion Coughlin for the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

Even after running a 6.558 at 212.19 mph to land him in the No. 14 spot, Brogdon thinks the team has found more speed for E1.

“We learned a lot today, made some adjustments, and tuned to what we think will be a winning setup for tomorrow,” Brogdon said. “Never count us out, no matter what the scoreboard says. All that matters is who has the win lights at the end, and hopefully that’s us.”

Aside from preparing for the Gatornationals, Brogdon has been hitting the campaign trail against his other fellow Pro Stock competitors, asking fans to vote him into the K&N Horsepower Challenge.

“It’s been a fun weekend, meeting fans and talking to them about the K&N deal,” Brogdon said. “We handed out a lot of Vote4Rodger decals, and I hope the fans use them and go vote for us. Gainesville always has a lot of great Pro Stock fans, and this year is no different. We love coming here, but we just wish we could go a little faster for them.”

Brogdon will look to keep his Gainesville dreams alive when eliminations kick off at noon, Sunday. ESPN2 will air the qualifying show at 1 a.m. EDT on Sunday and the eliminations show at 7 p.m.