Ronnie Humphrey and the Summit/Genuine Hotrod Hardware Racing team got their first full season of NHRA Pro Stock competition off to a good start, advancing to the semifinals of today’s Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals in Pomona, CA.
Although he suffered severe tire shake in each of the first two rounds, he was also the recipient of some good fortune, as six-time champion Warren Johnson’s foul start awarded Humphrey the win in the opening stanza, while No. 1 qualifier Erica Enders suffered a mechanical malfunction in the second round, allowing the Jacksonville, NC to cruise down the quarter-mile for the win.
The final obstacle between Humphrey and his first final-round appearance was veteran Greg Stanfield, who was the runner-up for the 2010 Pro Stock championship. Despite running in the less-preferred right hand lane, the Troy Humphrey Motorsports team responded with their best run of the weekend, a solid 6.561-second, 211.56 mph pass.
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Unfortunately, it fell shy of matching Stanfield’s 6.538-second, 210.90 mph pass, putting a premature end to their day. Even so, Humphrey was satisfied with his performance, and pleased to be leaving California in fourth place in the Full Throttle championship standings.
“It was a strange weekend, both with the weather and the racing,” said Humphrey. “You have to get the lucky breaks, and today we certainly had our share. In round one, Warren rolls the beam, red-lights and we get the win even though we shook the tires. In the second round, Erica does her burnout and can’t refire the motor, so we get the single run, and shake the tires once again.
“In the semifinals, we get off the starting line, and even though it still shook a little in the top of low gear, we made a good run, especially for that right-hand lane, but Stanfield still got us. All things considered it was still a good weekend for the Summit/Genuine Hotrod Hardware team, and we can’t wait to get to Gainesville.”
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