Tall order ahead for MAVTV Pro Stock driver Brogdon

Rodger Brogdon admits to being pleased to have earned a spot in the elimination field of the sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, but by qualifying 15th in the 16-car field, he knows he won't have an easy path to the winner's circle.

"We shook the tires in the first run, so we started the whole weekend out behind the 8-ball," Brogdon said. "Then we had to change motors after the second run, and we just made two bad runs today. After all that, I'm just happy to be in. It's a feat, believe me.

"If you miss one qualifying run in this deal here, it's a serious handicap."

Brogdon coaxed a best of 6.741 at 204.70 mph out of his '09 MAVTV/Lucas Oil Pontiac GXP, a fair bit behind his scheduled first-round opponent Jason Line, who zipped to a 6.697 at 205.94 mph. 

Although he refused to use it as an excuse, Brogdon and the rest of his peers are dealing with unusually high temperatures in Ohio with track temperatures nearing 150 degrees. As one might expect, finding traction has been an issue.

"We've had too much transmission in it the whole race," Brogdon said. "I can't get it to third gear without spinning the tires like crazy. We're all dealing with it, some better than others, obviously.

"They're saying we'll have some cloud cover tomorrow and that it may get a touch cooler. I'm certainly hoping for the biggest change in the weather we can get so everybody will start with a clean slate. The track was bald out there the last session, but everybody went down it. It wasn't too bad. (Ron) Krisher went a 6.70, so the track could hold some numbers, we just had too much transmission for this heat. 

"We'll take a shot tomorrow. That's all we can do."

Trending upward, Brogdon can't wait to get to Ohio for NHRA weekend

After some early season hiccups, Rodger Brogdon's MAVTV Pontiac GXP has roared to life over the past few races, and the tall Texan hopes that positive trend continues at this weekend's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

"With the strides we have made on the car over the last few weeks, we are all excited to get to Norwalk and show what we have." Brogdon said. "This weekend we have a real chance to solidify our position in the points as we get ready for the Western Swing. The Countdown is just six events away, so the push to stay in the top 10 starts now for sure."

Qualifying is usually a good indicator of just how well a Pro Stock car is performing. Early in the season, Brogdon qualified in the bottom half of the field in five of the first seven races. After making some major strides, Brogdon has landed in the top eight in qualifying four straight races and improved over his previous qualifying effort in three straight races (eighth in Englishtown, sixth in Bristol and fifth in Chicago).

The next step is to turn the Friday and Saturday runs into winning runs on Sundays. Brogdon knows the team doesn’t have much room to stub its toe.

"Unfortunately we just had a miscommunication before that last run in Chicago," he said. "But that is behind us now and we are focused on getting the job done in Norwalk. The car was really good and really fast. Hopefully we will get the same kind of reaction out of our MAVTV Pontiac GXP this weekend."

Brogdon has been hovering around the eighth spot in the points for most of the season, and it's where he sits now. Summit Motorsports Park has a reputation for being a Pro Stock-friendly track, and Brogdon is looking to make a splash in Ohio.

"Last year we were the No. 2 qualifier at Norwalk, but we didn't get the results on Sunday that we wanted, or felt like we deserved," Brogdon said. "We lost on a hole shot in the quarterfinals and that was tough. This year we hope to repeat our success in qualifying and then win more rounds on Sunday."

Everything falling in line for MAVTV's Brogdon as car switch approaches

After a recent surge in the Pro Stock class, Rodger Brogdon might not want to give up his MAVTV Pontiac GXP in favor a new Chevy Camaro when it comes online in time for the Western Swing.

"There been some real positive things going on with our engine program in the last couple of weeks," Brogdon said. "I'm anxious to get back on the track and see what happens next.

"This has been a fast car for us – it's the car we set the national record with. There have already been a few people approach me wanting to buy it, but I'm not sure if I'll want to sell it when the time comes."

After some hiccups earlier in the season, Brogdon has regularly qualified in the top half of the field at the last handful of races. It's put him into position to win some rounds and solidify his eighth place spot in the class standings.

"We're going to continue with the progress we've made with this car," Brogdon said. "We'll try to win some rounds and if we get some breaks, win a race. The key is to have everything together when we reach the time for the Countdown (playoffs)."

The MAVTV team will be working double time the next few weeks as the team prepares the transition to the new car.

"I anticipate that it's going to take 25 runs to get the Camaro completely where we want it," Brogdon said. "You hope it will test well from the get-go. The guys will do a lot of the little stuff in the shop, like aligning the front end, before we even take it out. There are lots of little things, and they take a lot of time.

"The new car won't run like the (Pontiac) right at first. It's going to take some time to find out what it likes."

Father's Day race will be a special one for MAVTV's Brogdon

Racing on Father's Day weekend will be doubly special to MAVTV/Lucas Oil Pontiac driver Rodger Brogdon.

Not only will the Pro Stock veteran be thinking about his own dad, but Brogdon will also have his son with him for this weekend's Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Brogdon's 15-year-old son Logan is his biggest fan and since he's finished with school for the summer, he'll be on hand to watch dad race on Sunday.

"My kids do something for me every day," Brogdon said. "I've got great kids, especially my son. In his eyes, I'm the greatest thing on the planet. He thinks his dad is the best in the world at anything. That sure makes me feel good."

Brogdon, too, will be thinking of his father, Leon, who helped Rodger get started in drag racing many years ago.

"If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have raced," said Brogdon, adding with a laugh, "and if it wasn't for him, I'd be rich – because I would've never gotten involved in drag racing.

"I used to go with him and my uncle to our local track. They've got pictures of me when I was 7 or 8 years old out there with them. That's how I got started."

Brogdon remembers racing the family station wagon when he was just 15 years old.

"When I first got my driver's license, my mom had a big, ol' red station wagon," Brogdon said. "We'd take it and go ET racing. It'd cost $5 a race. It was a lot of fun."

Leon Brogdon, 72, was himself a racer in his day, and he remains one of his son's biggest supporters.

"He actually gets madder at this racing thing than I do," Brogdon said. "He's something. I bought him a '66 Chevy and he drives it all the time. It makes 500 horsepower and he drove it all the way to Alabama – and got 23 miles to the gallon. He's out tooling around the country in it."

Brogdon heads to Bristol with some momentum born from lots of testing and extra work on his Pontiac GXP. Brogdon has qualified in the top half of the field in the last two races, and in Englishtown snapped a six-race winless streak with a slump-busting first round victory. The second-round appearance moved him to eighth in the Pro Stock points standings.

Now he's ready for Bristol.

"That's got to be the most beautiful track we go to," Brogdon said of Bristol. "It's in the mountains. We really like it. We're ready to go."

Four rounds of professional qualifying will set the field for this year's race, beginning with two sessions at 5 and 7:30 p.m., Friday, followed by two more rounds at noon and 2:30 p.m., Saturday. Eliminations begin at 1 p.m., Sunday, with all action being shown on ESPN2.