ProtectTheHarvest.com driver Brogdon comes up short in first round
LAS VEGAS, NV – In a city known for big-time winners, ProtectTheHarvest.com Pro Stock driver Rodger Brogdon wasn’t lucky 
enough to hit the jackpot during the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
No. 15 qualifier Brogdon was pitted against No. 2 qualifier Chris McGaha in the delayed first round of eliminations on Sunday. Unfortunately, the ProtectTheHarvest.com Camaro’s pass of 6.702 seconds at 206.67 mph wasn’t enough to beat McGaha’s quickest e.t. of the weekend, a 6.621 at 207.69 mph.
“This weekend just didn’t go how I wanted or expected it to go at all,” Brogdon said. “I felt confident heading into Las Vegas based off of the results we had testing here last week. Plus, The Strip has always been a strong track for me in the past.
“It just wasn’t my weekend to win obviously, and I know that it happens in this sport. All I can do is keep testing, keep looking for those small gains, and learn from what we have run so far this season.”
Brogdon can’t be too hard on himself though about his results this weekend. Severe wind gusts caused the Pro Stock field to run much later in the day than they had originally anticipated. No one can prepare for those kinds of changes, not even a veteran like Brogdon.
“You can’t prepare for the curveball that weather can cause on race day,” Brogdon said. “It may not seem like much to wait around a couple of hours before you run, but it really affects your thinking process. Running a pass has a certain routine to it, just like every elimination Sunday does as well. When you change that schedule just the slightest, you really have to figure out a way to overcome it and not let it affect you.
“There’s nothing you can do but go out there and run the best you can whenever you get the chance. That’s what I did Sunday and that’s all I can really ask for.”
With a week off, Brogdon will start working on his ProtectTheHarvest.com Camaro before the next NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series stop, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals April 11-13 in Charlotte, N.C.
