Charlotte: Rodger Brogdon final report

(Concord, NC) Rodger Brogdon, driver of the Charter Communications / Attitude Apparel Pontiac for Steve Kent Racing came up just short today in the opening round of the NHRA Carolinas Nationals today in Concord, NC.

Racing against former NBA star Tom Hammonds in the opening round of Pro Stock, Brogdon put together a 6.642, 208.14 mph run against Hammonds slight quicker, but slower, 6.636 207.56 mph lap. "If the track another two feet longer I think we would have caught him," said Brogdon. "Unfortunately though, we run a 1320 foot course and came out on the wrong side of yet another close race. We run our quickest run of the weekend and just miss again."

"Analyzing the run back in the pits, we really can't find a flaw in it anywhere," Rodger added, "it was a good run and a great race, Pro Stock is just that tough a category. There is so much that occurs in the first few seconds of a run that has to be done precisely, just one miscue, no matter how small, will make the difference between lighting up the win light on the scoreboard or getting an early start to the next event. Today Tommy (Hammonds) had slightly better reaction time and a car that was six thousandths quicker down track, and that was enough to get him the win."

"Fortunately though we go straight to Dallas from here and pick right back up where we left off. The Texas Motorplex is like a home track for us, and we've had success there in the past with our Comp car, so getting back to some familiar territory will be nice. In fact, these next two events at Dallas and Memphis are both facilities where we have some good history, so we're looking forward to both events and the opportunities that they present."

"We've got a pretty good hot rod right now, and continue to make progress with our performance. They may be small steps, but most importantly they are positive steps and in this category, that is what has to be done. It will be exciting to see what we can do in Dallas, fortunately we'll be there in just five days."

-credit: rbPR