NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Brainerd Int’l Raceway isn’t the home track for Bob Bode, but for a number of reasons, it feels like it for the Funny Car driver.

Ever since winning the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at the facility in 2010, Bode has received an overwhelming amount of support at the event, making it a required race for him on his limited schedule.

It was also the first race Bode ever qualified at in Funny Car, and he knows it will be another memorable weekend in his 10,000-horsepower AR-BEE Transparent Products/Northwest Trucks Toyota Camry when he returns to Brainerd Int’l Raceway, Aug. 18-21.

“Brainerd is so much fun, and we’ve made so many good friends up there after winning,” Bode said “We run a limited schedule, but we’re never not going to Brainerd. It’s good for us and part of who we are. There’s so much history there for us, so we always love going there.

“When you show up at tracks like that, where you’ve made a lot of great memories, you feel like you’ve gone home. We feel like we belong there, and I really do think you do better at those tracks where you feel comfortable and everything clicks.”

Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the pivotal NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event that will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 for the first time. The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals is the 17th of 24 events in the 2016 season and, more importantly, the penultimate race of the regular season before the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship begins.

Bode, who will race eight times this season in Funny Car, will not figure into that playoff race, but the event in Brainerd still comes at an important time for the Barrington, Ill. native. Bode ran a career-best 4.10 at his home track in Chicago in July and then followed it up with a 4.132 in eliminations for his first-ever back-to-back passes in the 4.10s.

With those being Bode’s most recent runs, it has him excited about the prospects in Brainerd while also giving him a clear-cut goal in the process.

 

“Our big goal is to get into the 4.00s,” Bode said. “We’re so close right now, and we’ve been trying to get there for five years. We’re a little behind in performance with the rest of the guys in the class, but we’re making some headway. We need to pick it up a little bit to get closer to the big guys, and that’s what we’re working on. I think we’re on the right track, and that makes us feel good. We’ve got nine guys who are dedicated to this team, and if we’re not making any headway, it’s frustrating. But after Chicago, I know we’re headed in the right direction.”

Bode is pleased with the progress of his team, which is led by crew chief John Stewart, and believes the improvements will transfer to Brainerd and beyond. He ran the back-to-back 4.10s with the same motor in Chicago, and the minimal parts damage has Bode primed for his biggest weekend of 2016 in Brainerd.

“We’ve struggled for a couple years, but this is the best car we’ve ever had going into Brainerd and then Indy,” Bode said. “We have better parts than we’ve ever had, and we have high hopes right now. We had a good performance in Chicago, and we didn’t hurt anything, and we had not done that in a long time. But that helps you build on your performance, and hopefully we can keep adding to it in Brainerd.”

A repeat performance of 2010 would be a dream come true for Bode, but simply qualifying and running in the 4.00s for the first time in his career will make for a great weekend. Competing against the best in the Funny Car class, including five-time Brainerd winner and points leader Ron Capps, 11-time Brainerd winner John Force, Hight, Courtney Force, Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman, and reigning world champion Del Worsham, is also always a thrill for the veteran.

An enjoyable experience is already guaranteed at a track that has always been special for Bode, but he hopes to add at least one more memory before heading to the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

“We’ve got hope heading to Brainerd, and hopefully we’ll find that performance,” Bode said. “I’ll be happy with anything that gets us in the 4.00s. If we can be a consistent 4.00s car, we can put some pressure on guys on Sunday and make them have to go down the track. We’ve got good parts, and the dream is to just get a little quicker every time out.”

NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 3 and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 218-824-RACE (7223) or 866-444-4455. Tickets also are available online at www.brainerdraceway.com. Kids 12 and under are free in general-admission areas with a paid adult.