NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

With just seven Pro Stock races under his belt heading into the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, Alex Laughlin tried to keep expectations for his first full season within reason.

But with the potential that Laughlin has already seen in his Gas Monkey Garage Chevrolet Camaro this year, those goals are constantly being updated.

Laughlin picked up his first round-win earlier this year, quickly checking one item off his to-do list for 2016. That has only led to more excitement and bigger hopes for the rest of the NHRA season, which continues this weekend for the Granbury, Texas, native at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

“It seems like our goals keep changing,” Laughlin said. “First it was to win a round, but now that we’ve done that, ultimately I would love to end up getting a No. 1 qualifier and winning a race. That would be incredible.

“But one of our primary goals is to make it to the [Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship]. Even if we don’t win a race or qualify No. 1, being in the Countdown is definitely our No. 1 goal, and we’ll worry about the rest after that.”

Last year’s winners of the NHRA SpringNationals were Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), and local favorite Erica Enders (Pro Stock). The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), with qualifying highlights April 29 at 8 p.m. and April 30 at 10 p.m. and finals coverage May 1 at 5 p.m. ET. The tradition-rich race near Houston is the sixth of 24 races during the 2016 season and marks the first back-to-back racing weekend of the year.

Laughlin scored his round-win in Gainesville, where he qualified fourth, and the 27-year-old driver sits 10th in points. But Laughlin also believes the team is capable of much more, pointing to a number of struggles that have popped up during eliminations this season.

The team has qualified seventh at every other race besides in Gainesville, but it hasn’t been able to put it together on race day. Laughlin said the team stayed an extra day in Charlotte to test following the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods, and he believes significant progress was made.

“We are definitely headed in the right direction,” Laughlin said. “We’ve just been having problems on Sundays. It seems like we perform well on Friday and Saturday and get a good qualifying spot, and then we just have trouble on Sunday for some reason.

“We decided to stay and test and figure out what was going on with the car. We ended up going 6.60 at 210 mph, which is the fastest we’ve gone. I think we’re on the right track at this point. Things played out pretty well, and we liked what we saw with the changes.”

The new-look Pro Stock cars were also an adjustment for Laughlin, though he seems to be handling the new setup that includes fuel-injected engines, shorter wheelie bars, flat hoods, and a 10,500-rpm rev limiter.

He has leaned on the likes of Shane Gray and the Gray Motorsports team as well as Pro Stock veteran Larry Morgan for advice and help throughout this process. Laughlin also admitted that competing in the seven races last year helped in his transition to the new car.

“I think I would have just been completely lost if I would have just jumped right into these EFI engines,” Laughlin said. “Getting in the car last year definitely helped me a little bit. Gray Motorsports has been a huge help, and those guys definitely know what they’re doing. Even in January, we didn’t really know where we were going to be. To be where we are now, we definitely can’t complain.”

Improvements have been made rapidly, even if Laughlin knows plenty remain. He’ll face off against a loaded Pro Stock field in Houston, including last year’s winner and two-time defending world champion Enders.

Laughlin also has to contend with the Summit Racing Equipment tandem of points leader Jason Line and Greg Anderson, who have combined to win all five races in the new-look Pro Stock class. Other talented stars in the class include five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.; Drew Skillman, last year’s top rookie; Bo Butner; Vincent Nobile; Allen Johnson; and fellow Texan Chris McGaha.

Laughlin expects to see improvement even from last weekend in Charlotte, and he is looking forward to competing close to home.

“I have definitely improved with reaction times,” Laughlin said. “I’m sure there are a ton of tricks out there, and it just takes time to figure those out. You just have to be able to slow everything down and process what’s happening.

“There are so many little nuances in all these, but I’m really looking forward to this weekend. It’s cool to have some of our family and friends out there, and by the same sense, it’s a little overwhelming. You want to give everyone the right amount of time, but it’s hard sometimes because you’re there to do a job, and it’s good to stay in a routine.”

The first round of Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will start at 4:30 p.m. Friday, followed by the night session, which will begin at 7 p.m. The final two rounds of qualifying will take place Saturday, April 30, at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, May 1.

For the Friday night qualifying session, a pre-race ceremony will highlight some of the nitro stars and feature a special Ladies Night promotion. All female spectators will receive free admission with a reserved seat on the spectator side of the track. This offer is available for walk-up ticket purchases only. In another promotion, kids 13 and younger will be admitted free in general-admission areas with a paid adult ticket.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 281-383-7223 or log on to www.royalpurpleraceway.com.