During the first day of qualifying for the Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver, CO, racers had their initial encounter with conditions unlike any they will face throughout the remainder of the season. For example, the high temperatures and thin air at Bandimere Speedway combined to slow the naturally aspirated Pro Stockers by almost half a second.
Having been unable to test at the Colorado quarter-mile prior to the race, Kurt Johnson and the ACDelco Cobalt Racing team found themselves at somewhat of a disadvantage on Friday, having to simultaneously determine the proper tune-up for the new, all-concrete surface while trying to earn a top starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations. After opening with an admittedly subpar run, the Johnson-led crew came back in the evening session with a solid 7.080-second, 194.80 mph pass to sit fifth midway through the qualifying procedure.
“We simply weren’t able to fit testing here into our schedule this year, and considering the new racing surface, we started off this weekend at a disadvantage. For example, if you made nineteen runs here in testing, you’re going to have a better chance to get it right when it counts.
“Therefore, we’re not totally disappointed with having our ACDelco Cobalt in fifth right now. We do have some areas to work on. If you want to be fast here, you have to be in the 2.90 range in the first 330 feet, and we’re a couple hundredths off that. We should have been able to run about a 7.04 or 7.05 tonight. We’ll just look at the data and figure out how to tune her up. That’s what tomorrow is for – to give us a chance to go faster.”
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