NHRA Seattle Event Highlights:
- Three-time event champion (2009, 2016, 2017)
- Two-time runner-up (2010, 2014)
- Two-time No. 1 qualifier (2011, 2017)
2017 Seattle Recap:
Qualified No. 1; Event champion (defeated Ron Smith in E1, Mike Salinas in E2, Clay Millican in E3, Terry McMillen in E4)
Last event (Sonoma):
Qualified third; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Jim Maroney in E1; defeated by Blake Alexander in E2)
2018 Season Statistics:
14 round wins; ranked sixth in points
Career Statistics:
397 races; 65 wins (16 Pro Stock Motorcycle); 49 No. 1 qualifiers (11 PSM)
Noteworthy:
- Pacific Raceways E.T. record holder (3.685-seconds, 2016)
- Has claimed the past two Top Fuel Seattle Wallys and is seeking his third consecutive Pacific Raceways win
Quotable:
“We were confident going into Sonoma last weekend and we’re just as excited to get to Seattle. We had a really good car at Sonoma. Everything we worked on, we improved upon. Now we know we’ve got a car that can be a No. 1 qualifier. On race day, we didn’t change too much and we were as quick as everybody early in the run. We just had a hole out in our second-round run and got bit by that. With that being said, we’ll make that better at Seattle.
“We know a win’s just around the corner. We’re just one tab off here, one tab off there. But we’re getting all those dots aligned and pretty soon I think we’re going to go across that finish line and pull off a win. It’s been a challenging season and, for me, it’s making me a lot better, our team’s getting better, we’re all getting better together. I want to win so bad, like in Virginia, I threw a race away doing something I never do (red light), and that got me back in the mindset to just do what I do. I’m back in the zone and just need to keep that up and just not throw anything away, just do the same thing every time, and we’re going to get better together.
“The Countdown is coming and I see that we are going to peak at the right time. People don’t realize that we’re far from being a new team, but we’ve moved a lot of people on the team around at the beginning of the season. So I’m proud of where we’re at and how we’ve grown through all the struggles and challenges, and also through all the changes we’ve made to the car to make it better. We’re going to peak at the right time and I think we’re going to be deadly when the time comes.”