Brogdon’s day cut short by crazy first round at Four-Wide Nationals

CHARLOTTE, NC – There is rarely consolation in a first-round loss in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, but ProtectTheHarvest.com Pro Stock driver Rodger Brogdon can take some solace from his first round at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on Sunday.

For one, Brogdon overcame a bizarre starting-line procedure to contend for the round-win. Then, he was in position to advance to the second round at the eighth-mile mark, and finally, Brogdon can be pleased that he brought back an intact Chevrolet Camaro after it danced wildly toward the finish line.

“Dadgum, that was a wild one,” Brogdon said. “First off, we were all dead late because (Robert) Patrick got timed out, but once we got going the car ran pretty decent, and we were right there but then it went all crazy.”

Brogdon’s car, in the far left lane, started sliding right as he continued to stay in the throttle, but as it sped to the finish line, the rear end began to waggle, and at 200 mph that’s not a good thing.

“She started going all over the place, and I pushed in the clutch as quick as I could,” Brogdon said. “Like those NASCAR guys say, we wrecked but we just didn’t hit anything. I’m glad I was able to drive it back to the pit area, that’s for sure.”

Brogdon’s elapsed time was 6.947 seconds at 165.56 mph, trailing Shane Gray and Jeg Coughlin Jr. The finish mirrored a crazy start, as Patrick never staged after the three other drivers lit the top bulb. Drivers get seven seconds to stage after the pre-stage bulbs are all lit, so as Brogdon, Gray, and Coughlin waited for Patrick’s stage bulb to illuminate so they could deck their engines, they were caught off-guard.

Brogdon’s reaction time was more than a second, but all three drivers were slow off the line. The numbers, though, showed that Brogdon had passed Gray by the 60-foot mark, and he was in second place at 330 feet and again at the eighth-mile, but at 1,000 feet, Brogdon’s problems inched him behind and he was unable to advance.

“The guys did a great job this weekend, and we’ll keep fighting until we get it all right,” Brogdon said. “This Pro Stock stuff isn’t easy, as we all know, but we’re in it for the long haul, no doubt