One of the most challenging races for NHRA Pro Stock drivers – the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway this weekend – provides an atmosphere unlike any other facility on the Full Throttle series schedule.
Lack of oxygen at 5,820 feet – the track’s location – affects the naturally-aspirated engines’ performances, plays havoc with tune-ups and forces crew chiefs to make changes to the motors to compensate for the oxygen deficiency.
Toss in the fact that this event also is the beginning of the tough, traditional Western Swing that features three races in three different cities in three weeks. That puts a premium on performance for drivers competing for positions in the Countdown to the Championship because only five races remain in the regular season.
Eddie Guarnaccia, crew chief on the Greg Stanfield-driven Nitro Fish/Coffman Tank Trucks GXP, opted to go to Denver recently and have Stanfield make some test laps after they missed last year’s starting line-up by three-thousandths of a second.
“We typically run well in Denver,” said Guarnaccia. “I think testing went okay. I think we left better than when we started. Our times were respectable, and I see no reason why we can’t qualify in the top half of the field. Greg took home what we learned and worked on the engines for this weekend.
“We are looking for positive results during the next three races.”
Stanfield, who was runner-up in last year’s Countdown, is now fifth with 721 points. “It will be tough up there on mountain,” he commented. “Three races in a row are tough, too. We don’t want to lose any ground (in the point race). We need to make some good calls and get a little luck.”
The other Western Swing stops are in Sonoma, Calif., July 29-31 and Seattle, Aug. 5-7.
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