There’s no question, NHRA Camping World Drag Series Pro Stock is one of the most competitive ever.
Erica Enders atop the points standings as she aims to win her third world championship in four years.
KB Racing’s stable of reigning world champ Greg Anderson (sixth in the points), Kyle Koretsky (third), Dallas Green (fourth) and Rodger Brogdon (tenth) are going to do their best to keep the world title in the KB Racing fold.
The Pro Stock class returns to action at the NHRA New England Nationals, June 3-5 in Epping, N.H. Anderson was runner-up in Epping a year ago to Aaron Stanfield.
Dave Connolly, a world championship tuner with KB Racing, knows nothing comes easy in the world of Pro Stock anymore.
“Obviously the challenges the last couple years have been just getting parts from our vendors,” Connolly said. “That’s really cut back on our testing, on-track testing and stuff. But they’re still working in the shop every day, and just the quality runs and we’re nitpicking such fine things. There are small changes to the shock package and this and that.”
Connolly also acknowledged paying attention to the details is more important than ever.
“The changes are getting smaller and that’s what’s kind of grouped everybody in,” Connolly said. “When they went to the new rules package, you got X amount of cubic inch, you got X amount of RPM, it’s just over time it’s honed everybody into a certain area. And that’s why the horsepower has all been equalized, and the gains are getting smaller, so you start looking in all other areas. But yeah, there’s not a day that’s gone by that Greg’s not been working on something in the shop.
“It’s just our track time has been cut down dramatically. And you start, things that we do want to try or test you start using at the events more so than ever.”
Connolly said he and fellow crew chief Rob Downing work as a team.
“We look at all the data from all the cars and make a best educated guess on all of them across the board,” Connolly said. “As far as physically doing the changes, yeah, Rob’s more over Greg’s and I’m over Kyle’s, and Dallas and Rodger’s.”
Connolly joined KB Racing in February of 2019. In 2018, he tuned Tanner Gray to the NHRA Pro Stock world crown while working for Gray Motorsports.
Connolly is a former standout Pro Stock pilot and Top Fuel racer, and he still dabbles in driving in bracket races with his dragster and his 1966 Chevy Wagon.
“Actually, I have got 10 granders down here in Bradenton (Fla.), there’s a couple this Saturday, Sunday,” Connolly said. “I have just been doing some small stuff like that. Actually, after this weekend, I’m going north and I’m going to hit up the 500K in Michigan after Norwalk (Ohio, June 23-26).”
