Race report

NHRA

Brogdon falls in close first-round match in Phoenix

Rodger Brogdon and the ProtectTheHarvest.com team came within 9 feet of defeating V. Gaines in round one in Phoenix.

Published: Feb 24, 2014, 11:05 PM

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Rodger Brogdon

PHOENIX (Feb. 23) -- Rodger Brogdon and his ProtectTheHarvest.com Camaro took V. Gaines to the edge in their first-round matchup at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

But Brogdon came up about 9 feet short in a battle between the No. 8 qualifier (Gaines) and the No. 9 qualifier (Brogdon).

Rodger Brogdon

Photo by: Michael C. Johnson

"Dadgum, that was close," Brogdon said. "I was right there with him all the way down the track, but I knew he was just a little bit out there on us. That's how Pro Stock is these days."

Brogdon's pass was 6.589 seconds at 210.54 mph while Gaines' run was 6.573 at 210.28 mph.

Gaines had a slight advantage on the starting line, and coupled with the better pass the margin of victory was a scant .028-second.

"You could see we were a little quicker than him at the top end, so we were gaining on him," Brogdon said. "We've got better power now, and if we could clean up the runs from top to bottom, we'd be in the mix of things."

Crew chiefs Jeff Perley and Pete Smallwood are working overtime to turn the increased horsepower into quicker elapsed times, but it's a work in progress. With all the variables on a Pro Stock race car, getting them all in sync is a tremendous battle.

"We are right there with them, but right there just isn't enough right now," Brogdon said. "Jeff and Pete and all the guys are working hard and working well together, and I have no doubt that we'll be among the top guys soon.

"We're happy with the progress we made this weekend, and we'll see some more soon."

Brogdon and his team will likely test at his hometown track in Houston before the next race, the NHRA Gatornationals on March 14-16 at Auto-Plus Raceway in Gainesville, Fla.

ProtectTheHarvest.com

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