Entering as the points leaders by three, Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team will look to carry over the momentum and consistency they’ve built into this weekend’s Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
Hight’s chances of building his points lead are favorable at zMAX Dragway. Hight has won at the facility a career-high seven times, four in the Carolina Nationals (2009, 2013, 2017, 2019), and three in the spring Four-Wide event. Despite his success at the Carolina Nationals, it is the only event in the series where he has not started race day from No. 1. He has started from No. 1 in the spring event three times, but his best starting position in the fall has been No. 2. After winning the Four-Wide in April this year, Hight will attempt to win both North Carolina races in the same season for the first time.
Hight earned his three-point lead in the standings with a victory at last weekend’s event at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania where he knocked off heavy hitters Matt Hagan and Ron Capps. In addition to a victory at the opening event of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship and the Four-Wide at zMAX in the spring, Hight also has a win at the Arizona Nationals and a runner-up finish at Brainerd International Raceway
“We’re on a good roll right now. But we have to stay humble. Last weekend was great, but it could have easily gone another way,” Hight said. “This Cornwell Tools team has to keep working hard. This is the toughest Funny Car has ever been and it’s going to take major, major work to win this championship. I said it before, but I think we’ll need three or four wins to win the championship. We have one down, and I’d give us an A+ for last weekend, but we’ve got five to go and we have to put last weekend behind us to get ready for Charlotte.”
Competition at the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals will begin with three rounds of qualifying Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. Eliminations will be run Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage of the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship will air on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and include two qualifying shows on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET and Sunday at 11:00 a.m. ET. Eliminations coverage will be on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET.
This story was originally published on September 21, 2023. 
