Rodger Brogdon was hopeful the situation he was getting into for the 2019 NHRA season would be a good one. Joining the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team, Brogdon saw an opportunity to jump back into the sport, drive a fast car with a proven team and still tend to his successful businesses.
Through four races, the experience has been almost everything the veteran could have envisioned. His RBR Machine Chevrolet Camaro has been impressive, Brogdon has been steadily improving behind the wheel and the team sits seventh in points through the first four races of Pro Stock’s new 18-race schedule.
With the last race taking place in early April, Brogdon has had time to reflect on the opening stretch of the season. There were no complaints about the car, and while his performance remains a work in progress, the three-time Pro Stock winner predicts more good times ahead.
“I give the car an A and I give the driver a C-plus,” Brogdon said. “If you had asked me before the last race (in Las Vegas), I would have said a D, so I’m getting better and I’m confident I’ll keep getting better.”
That’s the goal and by the time the Countdown to the Championship arrives, Brogdon hopes to be at his best.
There have been plenty of highlights already with a pair of No. 1 qualifiers, including a blistering 6.490 at 212.43 mph in Gainesville. That gives Brogdon and his team plenty to build on, even as the class hasn’t raced in more than a month.
That will finally change at next week’s Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, but Brogdon’s business schedule has kept him plenty busy in the meantime.
“I’ve got so much going on, you don’t have time to dwell on it,” Brogdon said of the lengthy gap between races. “But I don’t think I’ve ever had a break like this during the season. But I know for sure that after five weeks, everybody will be excited to get back.”
After stepping away from full-time racing following the 2015 season, Brogdon knew it would take some time to get acclimated to racing regularly and competitively in the talent-filled class.
There have been some bumps along the way, but Brogdon is excited about the potential. He lauds the work of the Elite Motorsports team and believes it’s just a matter of time before he returns to the winner’s cirlce.
“One of these weekends it will all come together for us,” said Brogdon, who is searching for his first Pro Stock win since 2014. “But we’ll be fine. We have a fast car.”
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying at the Virginia NHRA Nationals will feature two rounds at 1:45 and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17, and the final two rounds of qualifying at 12:45 and 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 19. It is the fifth of 18 races during the 2019 Pro Stock season.
This story was originally published on May 9, 2019. 
