Robert Hight and the AAA Texas / Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS team sit only six points behind the lead as they head into the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the third to last event of the 2023 season.
Vying for their fourth Funny Car world championship, a feat only achieved by three other drivers including John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme, Hight started the Countdown to the Championship sitting third but after victory at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania, and a runner-up up finish at the Carolina Nationals in Charlotte, the AAA Chevy team have tasted the points lead and are looking to win it back with a strong showing in Texas.
“This Funny Car field is so competitive. These top cars, all of them are championship caliber. It’s really going to take the right combination of driver, crew chiefs, crews and a little luck to get the job done,” Hight said. “This AAA Chevy has been coming around and at just the right time. I’m really proud of what Jimmy and Thomas Prock and Nate Hildahl have been able to do, the whole team has been working really ahhardrd, we all had confidence that we’d be right in the championship hunt. This weekend in Texas will be important. It’s a great event with the Stampede of Speed all week long. But it’s all about getting those cowboy hats at the end of it all on Sunday.”
Hight has four wins at the Texas Motorplex (2006, 2009, 2017 and 2018) and has started No. 1 more often in the Texas FallNationals than he has in any other event – seven times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2021) and is the track record holder for speed at 338.60 mph set in October 2017. Last year, after starting second, he had a semifinal finish.
Competition at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex begins with qualifying Friday at 5 and 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 5 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at noon. Television coverage of the event will air Sunday on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a qualifying show at 1 p.m. ET and eliminations at 3 p.m. ET.
This story was originally published on October 12, 2023. 
