Auzmet Architectural Pro Stock driver Shane Tucker would like nothing more than to play a role in how the championship plays out by taking out some of the top contenders in the class during eliminations tomorrow at Las Vegas.
In his last race of the 2016 season, Tucker qualified No. 15 and going rounds at the 16th annual NHRA Nationals would end his season on a high note.
In Friday’s first session, Tucker began qualifying with a 6.776-second pass at 204.11 mph. Returning in Friday’s evening session, the Auzmet Architectural Chevrolet Camaro team came back and improved by five-thousandths with a 6.771, 203.52.
On Saturday, Tucker clocked in with a 10.268, 88.11 that resulted from a hurt motor that gave way halfway down track in the third qualifying session. After three rounds of qualifying, Tucker was on the outside looking in with one more qualifying run to make the field.
“I think you always feel a little nervous if you go into the final qualifying session not in the field,” Tucker said. “It’s just the unknown you know? You just gotta try to put that behind you and have faith in the car and the guys on my team. I knew it should go A to B because there’s no reason it shouldn’t.”
Tucker finished up qualifying in the No. 15 spot with a 6.745, 204.23. He will race No. 2 Drew Skillman in the first round; Tucker and Skillman have never raced in eliminations before.
“I’m hoping we are a couple better on e.t. than we were in the final session,” Tucker added. “We were pretty conservative considering we weren’t in the show. Look, if I’m ten or twenty on the tree and he beats me, so be it. I’m in ten or twenty and we pick up a few thousandths on our performance, we’re gonna make a good run out of it.”
