Pro Stock points leader Brogdon races to Gainesville semifinals

GAINESVILLE. FL – Another NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series race, another semifinal for Pro Stock points leader Rodger Brogdon.

Brogdon advanced to the semifinals for the third time in three races in 2015 by winning two rounds at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals on Sunday at Auto-Plus Raceway. He continues to lead the points standings in what is becoming his best season as a professional.

“It says a lot that I’m disappointed not going past the semifinals,” Brogdon said. “But my guys work hard and deserve to win races, and when you do that once, you just want to keep doing it. It’s been a great year so far, and we all want to keep it up.”

Brogdon began the day by leaving first on John Gaydosh (.037-second reaction time to .083) and then easily beating him to the finish line with a pass of 6.528 seconds at 212.90 mph. Gaydosh’s run was a 6.728 at 206.54 mph.

In the second round, Brogdon got the jump on upstart Drew Skillman (.021 to .038) and made another good pass, a 6.542 at 212.69 mph that beat Skillman’s slowing 12.857 at 67.53 mph.

That put him up against No. 2 qualifier Jason Line, and after both left with nearly identical reaction times, Line’s 6.535 at 213.40 mph just held off Brogdon’s 6.540 at 213.47.

“I had no room to beat him, but I need to be better on the Tree,” Brogdon said. “I told my clutch guy, ‘The car just didn’t move.’ Nobody was good that round, so I’m not going to beat myself up too bad.”

No driver in the semifinal had a reaction time better than .042-second, and Brogdon’s .056 light was better than eventual winner Greg Anderson’s.

“I had a good car this weekend,” Brogdon said. “We made a really exceptional run in that left lane (against Line). He only outran me by five-thousandths. I’ll get over it pretty soon and I’ll be ready in two weeks.”

Brogdon now heads to the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on March 27-29 at zMax Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., leading the points standings by seven over Line.