Even with a new crew chief, Chris McGaha’s career season didn’t miss a beat at NHRA’s rain-plagued Keystone Nationals.

The Pro Stock driver, with tuner Tommy Utt leading the way, captured his third win of the season by beating Greg Anderson with a holeshot in the finals Sunday.

McGaha clocked a 6.492-second time at 213.64 mph to edge Anderson, who had a quicker elapsed time at 6.484 seconds at 214.59 mph.

McGaha had a .034 light compared to Anderson’s .076 light.

“I can’t say it got easier, especially this week,” said McGhaha about winning national events. “This week has been really something. I wouldn’t say it was easy at all after having a crew chief shuffle and it was a pretty big feat to accomplish. You leave the house hoping you can win and knowing you can win, but to actually do it is another deal. Then to have the weather come in and not get all the (qualifying) runs we were hoping to get and we had never even gone to the starting line (his new crew) all of us together.”

Brian “Lump” Self, who had been McGaha’s crew chief since June 27, 2014, left the team earlier in the week to join the Elite Motorsports team.

“You lose the main personnel, the guy who used to line you up and do a burnout and that guy was on the radio and that guy did the wheelie bars and now you are putting another guy in his position,” McGaha said. “I did put a lot of trust into Tommy Utt and I knew he was very capable of doing it. He fit in our group, ultimately, really quick. Everybody likes to play the shuffle game out here and people move around and I’ve always said I would crew chief myself, but there is too much pressure I guess. I’m very capable of doing it but it would be easier to put somebody else (in that position). You always keep your eye out because you truly never know and Tommy was one of those guys I always had my eye on, thinking that guy could probably fit in my group good if I had to get somebody and ultimately it looks like he could be.”

McGaha, who pilots his family-owned Harlow Sammons Chevrolet, claimed his third win of the season – he also had wins at Sonoma (Aug. 2), and Seattle (Aug. 9) – which left him in third place in the point standings with 2,281 points behind reigning world champion Erica Enders-Stevens (2,385) and Greg Anderson (2,313). McGaha also had two runner-up finishes at Houston and Bristol, Tenn.

There are three races left in the season Dallas (Oct. 15-18), Las Vegas (Oct. 29-Nov. 1) and Ponoma, Calif. (Nov. 12-15).

On Sunday, McGaha had wins over Val Smeland, Jonathan Gray and Bo Butner before ousting Anderson.

“It really wasn’t that bad,” said McGaha about his stress level in the final round. “It was just go up there and make a run. I had knew I had nothing to lose. When I go up there I feel like I take shot (at the tree) every time. I guess I suck at it maybe, but I have to go up there and go for broke every single time. It’s the only way I can get, I have to go for broke.”

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