Like most pro drivers, Brogdon says racing 4-Wide is a total crapshoot
(4-14-2012) CONCORD, NC – Pro Stock races usually are so competitive that picking a winner is nearly impossible, but this weekend's 4-Wide NHRA Nationals truly are "anybody's race," says MAVTV Pro Stock driver Rodger Brogdon.
Brogdon qualified No. 9 for Sunday in the only national event run on four lanes instead of the usual two. But Brogdon knows the unique format makes for a wide-open field and the tall Texan likes his chances.
"It's anybody's race, and I'm excited about tomorrow," Brogdon said. "I've been driving decent. It's going to be interesting. I'm telling you, it's going to be very interesting."
Brogdon, whose best lap was 6.538 seconds at 211.46 mph, will race No. 1 qualifier Jason Line, No. 8 Ronnie Humphrey and No. 16 Jeg Coughlin in the first round Sunday.
"This four-wide deal is not our favorite thing to do," Brogdon said, echoing the sentiment of most Pro Stock drivers. "We're in the group with Jason, Ronnie and Jeg. It should be the last group out. It's anybody's race."
According to Brogdon, racing four wide makes for at least twice the headaches on the starting line – where many Pro Stock races are settled. For instance, Line was timed out in his final qualifying session after apparently mis-reading the staging bulbs, thinking he was staged when he wasn't even in the beams.
"It's craziness," Brogdon said. "Just look what happened to Jason. I bet it's going to happen to somebody tomorrow -- I just hope it's not me."
Brogdon does bring a consistent MAVTV Pontiac into Sunday's eliminations. His best lap was in Q3, but his other passes were close: 6.561, 6.563 and 6.567.
"We have gone down the track every time," Brogdon said. "There's quite a few guys who can't say that. Greg (Anderson)'s been struggling, and he's only been down once.
"I'm telling you, it's going to be up to these (crew) boys tomorrow. You've got to get it down, but you've got to get it down fast enough to win. That's what we try to do all the time, but this track seems to be real tricky."
Sudden-death eliminations begin at noon local time and will be carried in tape delay on ESPN2.
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