The list of tracks Robert Hight has won at during his illustrious drag racing career is a long one. He has won at Indy. He has won at Pomona. He has checked off Vegas, Denver and Gainesville to name a few more.

But Route 66 Raceway in Chicago, a track he holds fond memories of, is one that had eluded him.

Until Sunday, that is.

Hight overcame a gauntlet of Funny Car greats to earn his first Chicago win and first victory of the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello season with a win over Ron Capps Sunday at the 21st annual JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals.

“As a driver you want to win at every venue you go to and there is really not a better place than Chicago. I remember rolling in here as a crew guy thinking, ‘wow, look at this stadium.’ It’s kind of the first of its kind and it’s still one of the top spots in the country to race,” Hight said. “Overall, this was a great weekend for our team. It is our fourth final of the year and, while we haven’t won any races, last year we won the championship and didn’t win until Denver, so I am way ahead of last year.”

In his fourth final of the year and second in a row, Hight got away cleanly and held that advantage throughout as Capps hazed the tires early in the run to allow Hight to pull away for his 42nd career win. Hight, who reached the final from 12th on the ladder, recorded a 4.073-second pass at 310.63 mph in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car. Capps, in his first final of the year, limped across the line with a 4.310 at 230.21 mph.

“It was a great weekend for the entire team. Qualifying didn’t go so well, we qualified 12th which is not exactly where you want to qualify. I don’t even think I pulled the parachutes before first round. We just weren’t making it down the track,” Hight said. “But when you have a team like this behind you, you never lose faith. I always thought Chicago might have my number because this is my 14th time here and I’ve never won this race. I have been in some finals, but I finally got it done today and that is big for us.”

Hight had to overcome a brutal afternoon with hot, slick conditions and a tricky right lane while facing the likes of Capps, Bob Tasca, Courtney Force and Cruz Pedregon courtesy of his qualifying in the bottom half of the field. But outside of a lucky first-round pedalfest against Pedregon, Hight was quick and confident throughout the day.

“In the first round we spun (the tires), had to pedal it and really dodged a bullet. But once we got by first round we were able to get after it,” Hight said. “We had lane choice in the semis, but then Capps ran better and we were back in the right lane for the final. It was pretty cool to listen in on what (crew chief) Jimmy Prock was talking about. He was making tiny adjustments and I could feel it as a driver. I could feel it slipping and hooking and, I’m telling you, I don’t think there was a lot left.”

While the first round created plenty of excitement, Hight’s closest race of the afternoon came in round two against points leader and three-time race winner this season Force. A very close race came down to the final few feet as Hight collected the holeshot victory with a 4.064 at 316.97 to Force’s 4.058 at 312.42.

Capps had wins over John Force, Shawn Langdon and Justin Schriefer to reach the final

“Welcome to NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car racing,” Hight said. “That is what you are going to get when you win a race. You are going to go up against a lineup like that. There are no easy rounds anymore. We saw a lot of upsets first round. Look at us, I qualified 14th in Topeka and got to the final only to get beat by Courtney and then I qualified 12th here. When you win one of these things, you definitely earned it.”

Hight also noted the added challenge of Chicago’s hot and humid conditions adding an extra layer to a challenging day for the entire team.

“Now it is more important to keep that thing in the middle of the groove. The last few races I have won some rounds by pedaling and you’ve got to be ready for anything,” Hight said. “Traction just isn’t there and when you have a crew chief like Jimmy Prock, Chris Cunningham and when you hold both ends of the national record, these guys swing for the fences and want to be low ET every round. And when you are low ET, even on a greatly prepped track, you are right on the edge. It’s been a big learning curve for us and it’s going to still be a big learning curve. But I think maybe we turned a corner today.”

With the win, Hight leapfrogged Matt Hagan to move into third in the championship standings, 104 points back of Force.

While Hight’s first win in Chicago was certainly a major achievement for his team, it wasn’t the only milestone win for Hight and his family this week.

“One week ago my daughter won her first race in Junior Dragster out in California which was really cool,” Hight said. “She won before dad, so it’s been a cool week. To be honest, I am pretty excited about winning my first race of the year, but I think I was just as excited - maybe even more - having your daughter win her first.”