NHRA CHARLOTTE 4WIDE NATIONALS 2023
WELD Racing equipped Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers rolled over their competitors at the recent Circle K NHRA 4Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Competing in a four-wide racing format, the driver’s staging and reaction time skills were tested with even more intensity than the traditional two-lane setup. As our drivers muscled their nitro-inhaling, 15000-horsepower, supercharged machines down the dragstrip, they were on the edge of either shredding the massive Goodyear slicks in a plume of smoke or having the engine self-destruct while it spits its guts all over the track.
In the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories, John Force Racing Montana Brand Dragster Pilot Austin Prock and Flav R Pac Funny Car racer Robert Hight shared the winner’s circle. Their WELD Racing-equipped cars swept the nitro categories picking up victories in their respective classes. “It was a great weekend overall. Just like Robert’s car, we went down the track for all seven runs this weekend. And to rebound like we did after an awful weekend in Vegas, really shows how strong this team is. I never have had much success here in Charlotte and believe I went out from pretty much going out every first round to winning it. Super proud of my team and this category is just brutal right now, so they are extra special,” Prock said. “When you are in the outside lanes, if you are quick, you can catch the win light. I missed that, so I didn’t even know I won until I turned the corner. My crew chiefs were so confident today that they told me we are going to go out there and out-run everybody and I believe we did.”
For Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) driver Leah Pruett, she continued her strong performance as her Rush Truck Services/Dodge SRT Top Fuel dragster had a runner-up finish. It was what the veteran driver need as it moved her up in valuable NHRA Points standings. “I would consider this year’s Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals one of the most extreme from pending weather knocking on the door to delays,” said Pruett. “The racing was a rush. We were extreme in the decisions we were making on a particular path that had shown promise. It showed the results in qualifying. Coming into race day, getting that first round in before the rain came was huge. It makes you feel like there are two race days in one. There are fewer rounds in the Four-Wide, but it doesn’t take any of the intensity away from it. I’m very proud of my team. The parts have been put together well, and my crew chiefs are making fantastic calls. It’s paying off and I’ve been driving my butt off. We’re continuing to work on our combination. I’m very proud of our performance."
The next NHRA event will be the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway scheduled for May 19-21. Located just outside Chicago in Joliet, Illinois, this is the first since 2019 Route 66 Raceway will host the NHRA and its intense 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph nitro-inhaling machines!
