Nobile continues solid driving, but can’t get past Line

Coming off an impressive victory at last weekend’s O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, Vincent Nobile and the Mountain View Racing NHRA Pro Stock team found themselves in a tough spot as they worked to extend their win streak at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. A sub-par qualifying effort landed Nobile in the No. 8 spot, which meant a difficult quarterfinal match-up with reigning NHRA Full Throttle champion and Atlanta low qualifier Jason Line. Although Nobile was able to do his part with a stellar starting line reaction time, he could manage only a 6.64 elapsed time and fell to Line’s strong 6.60-second effort. Despite the loss, Nobile maintains a very favorable 12-6 record in elimination rounds this season.
“It was not a great weekend, but not a bad one either,” said Nobile. “We have almost two weeks off before the next race in Topeka and we have a lot to think about between now and then. The Mountain View Dodge ran well, but not as well as it has in recent weeks. We know we can do better and that’s our mission.”
Nobile was able to take away some positives from the Atlanta event as he qualified in the top half of the field for the seventh-consecutive race to start the season, and also drove to an impressive first round win over Rodger Brogdon, 6.63 to a 6.64
Nobile was also able to gain more ground against Brogdon in the battle to qualify for the prestigious K&N Horsepower Challenge coming up this July in Norwalk, Ohio. Nobile now leads Brogdon by 40-points, and has a firm grasp on the seventh and final qualifying position for the $50,000 to win special event with three qualifying events remaining.
“Right now, our main goal is to make the field for the K&N Horsepower Challenge and we made some progress towards that goal this weekend,” said Nobile. “The whole key to success for us is to continue to qualify well, which allows us to have a better ladder on race day. It all begins with qualifying and that’s the area where we are looking to improve.”
One area that needs little improvement has been Nobile’s driving. After winning the Houston event with a great .009 reaction time, Nobile was again razor sharp on the starting line with a .009 reaction time against Brogdon in round one and a .007 in the second against line.
“Every time I get in this car, I’m determined to do well,” Nobile said. “Right now, I’m very comfortable in the driver’s seat and that’s reflected in my reaction times. We all know that most Pro Stock races are decided by just a few thousandths of a second so anything I can to do help the team is a big plus for us.”
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing tour heads to Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, Kan, for the Dollar General NHRA Summer Nationals on May 18-20.