Shane Tucker staged his Auzmet Architectural Chevrolet Camaro during eliminations for the last time in 2016 this past weekend at the 16th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals. Although he had an early exit in the first round, Tucker is full steam ahead towards the off season and preparing for 2017.
Tucker qualified No. 15 and raced Drew Skillman in the first round. Tucker had a .016-thousandths light over Skillman’s .041 reaction time and the Australian-native went into that round knowing he needed that advantage over Skillman. Tucker clocked in with a 6.750-second pass at 204.70 mph but even with .025-thousandths on Skillman, it wasn’t enough to outrun Skillman’s 6.702, 206.01.
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was the last event the Rob Tucker Racing team will attend in 2016. Tucker will return back to Australia this week and set his sights on the 2017 season.
“I think our team returning at Gainesville is realistic,” Tucker said. “I might look at possibly purchasing a new car over the winter. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the car we have right now but I think it’s in the best interest if we find something similar to what our teammates are running so we can share data next year. If we are only going to run a limited schedule, that’s our smartest move.”
“I’m excited about next year,” Tucker smiled. “I can’t wait to come back next year. My sponsors obviously have seen a lot of value out of this year. We might’ve had limited ups but I think we can take some positives out of this weekend and this season.”
