HIGHT ON CUSP OF 300TH ROUND WIN AS TOUR HEADS TO ATLANTA
ATLANTA (May 13, 2014) — With five final rounds in a row and back to back wins Mello Yello points leader Robert Hight is not losing his focus as his Auto Club team heads to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend at Atlanta Dragway. Hight and the Auto Club team have reached the finals in the Peach State five times in his career driving away with two wins most recently in 2010.
“Atlanta Dragway is a track where I have had a lot of success. The first three years of my career I was in the final there. We are starting to get to some of the tracks where it can be hot and tricky. Those are great Mike Neff conditions. He does a tremendous job of tuning a Funny Car to get the most out of the available track conditions,” said Hight a three-time winner already in 2014.
Hight currently has 299 career round wins. His next round win will vault him into an exclusive club of active Funny Car drivers and continue his potential Hall of Fame career. Currently only six active drivers have won 300 rounds with Tim Wilkerson as the latest edition with is opening round win at the Four-Wide Nationals this season. If Hight grabs a round win this weekend he will have taken just 215 races to achieve this goal. Funny Car legend John Force won his 300th round in his 186th race and two-time Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon won his 300th in this 192nd race. Other members of the 300 round win club include Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps, and Del Worsham.
At the last race in Houston Hight and the Auto Club team struggled on Friday before ticking off six consecutive 4.0 runs on the way to his second win in a row of the season. It was an impressive display of consistency and Hight’s level of confidence never waned throughout the day on Sunday.
“I have so much confidence in Neff and my crew guys. They never panic and there are no fire drills over here. If something isn’t right we get it fixed and we don’t lose our focus. Every race is important but we are all thinking about getting another championship,” said Hight.
The 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals starts a seven race in eight weekend stretch for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. That kind of intense schedule might be daunting to some teams and drivers but Hight relished the up tempo pace.
“I would race every weekend if I could. We have had a couple weekends off and I am ready to get back into this Auto Club Ford Mustang Funny Car. When you are going rounds and getting to finals you don’t ever want to stop. The best way to stay focused is to race and I am excited to get to the track and start qualifying on Friday,” said Hight.
So far this season John Force Racing has been the class of the Funny Car category sending a driver to every final round and picking up four wins in the first six races. Joining JFR in the Funny Car winner’s circle has been Alexis DeJoria with two wins. JFR has put a Mustang Funny Car in every final round going back to the Chevrolet Performance Parts US Nationals last Labor Day weekend. That kind of streak and consistency is not lost on Hight.
“We don’t talk about keeping streaks alive. We just want to keep getting better. John Force has everyone on the same page. His Funny Car has been running well and I know Courtney and the Traxxas Funny Car are just about to turn the corner. We are all working together to keep all the JFR Funny Cars in the top ten and get them all into the Traxxas Shootout with wins. This part of the season is where it will get intense because of the schedule and also the track conditions. I think we will be alright,” added Hight.
JOHN FORCE READY TO END SOUTHERN NATIONALS DROUGHT
16-Time Champ Looking for 140th Career Win at Atlanta Dragway
After driving his Castrol GTX Mustang seven times into the winner’s circle at Atlanta Dragway, John Force has had the honor of having the most wins at the NHRA Southern Nationals. However, the last time he was victorious at this race came in 2005. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champ is looking to change that and break his eight-year dry spell this weekend, as he and crew chief Jimmy Prock are on a mission to add another win to an already stellar season for John Force Racing.
“We have been on a tear, and our other cars (Courtney Force in Funny Car and Brittany Force in Top Fuel) are coming around,” Force said. “I feel as a whole team we have come together, and the brain trust will keep us alive and winning. We have been to every final going back to Indy last year, which is 13 finals in a row. Winning is where the focus is, and we won’t forget safety,” said John Force.
John Force has been to the final round in eight of the past 11 races going back to the 2013 NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last October. The legendary John Force fought his way to his 16th NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car championship by winning three straight races, a phenomenal feat even by John Force standards.
Never one to rest and be satisfied, John Force kicked off the 2014 NHRA tour with a commanding victory at the season opener NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. Once again, crew chief Jimmy Prock showed the world he’s one of the best tuners when it comes to 8000 horsepower fire breathing nitro fuel V8 engines, as the Castrol GTX Mustang broke both ends of the NHRA national record by going 3.966 at 324.12 mph.
After his Winternationals win, John Force has made a final-round appearance at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida and the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte this year but he knows his crew must make sure his trusty steed is tuned-up and ready for whatever conditions it will face during the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
“Atlanta can be tricky because of the heat, we have adapted and with Jimmy Prock that seems like one of the places where he does well. But Jimmy and I have never run this track together, and I am excited about that. I also love the people because they are really into their racing,” said John Force.
John Force also knows there’s a target on his back at all times from the highly competitive Funny Car drivers that include former world champs, event winners and serious contenders like Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, Del Worsham and Alexis DeJoria. They would like to knock the 16-time champ out in round one and begin their play for the Countdown to the Championship.
“I need to do well, and it is not just because we are up there in the points it is the matter of you have to learn how to run by the time you get to the Countdown to the Championship. We say it every race at the team meetings, ‘This is the race you have to start winning,’ ” said John Force.
Being the proud father of four daughters, two of which who are currently racing in the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series, John has seen Brittany and Courtney grow and mature as drivers this season. He’s also reflective about the time daughter Ashley defeated him at the NHRA Southern Nationals back in 2008.
“I was thinking about Ashley and how no woman had ever won a Funny Car race until she beat me in 2008 in Atlanta. “That will go down in history, but to also be the 100th female winner would be huge and it could happen this weekend. What is really cool is Brittany and Courtney are overdue. To win that 100th race is a landmark, and I hope one of them gets it,” said John Force.
About Castrol
BP Lubricants USA Inc. markets premium lubricants and business–building programs directly to independent lube operators, service providers, new car dealers and leading retailers. Our leadership brands include Castrol® GTX® – a premium conventional motor oil; Castrol® GTX® High–Mileage™ – a premium synthetic blend designed for vehicles with over 75,000 miles; the Castrol® EDGE ® line of advanced full-synthetic super premium motor oils that offer unsurpassed strength and per
formance; as well as our range of commercial transport lubricants. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please call 1–888–CASTROL or log on to www.castrol.com/us.
BRITTANY FORCE READY TO MAKE HISTORY
2013 NHRA Rookie Year could be 100th Female Pro winner if she triumphs in Top Fuel this weekend
Brittany Force could very well be on her way to making history during this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals. The 2013 Rookie of Year has learned a great deal during her sophomore season driving the 10,000 horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster. She knows perseverance, hard work and consistency will eventually get her to the winner’s circle and she’s shown these attributes throughout this season. However, this weekend not only could she get her first Top Fuel win, but also be the 100th female pro driver to win a NHRA National Event.
“Just to a part of the 100th win would be such a big deal. There’s so many women my sisters and I looked up to and watch over the years in drag racing. To be a part of this and grouped in with them would be a really big moment in my career as a driver,” said Brittany Force.
Ironically, it was at this race in 2008 that Brittany’s older sister, Ashley, became the first female Funny Car driver to win a NHRA national event. For Brittany to achieve the 100th female NHRA winner landmark, she’ll have some stiff competition in the other classes, such Alexis DeJoria and sister Courtney Force in Funny Car, Pro Stock points leader Erica Enders-Stevens and Katie Sullivan and Angie Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
For now, the always-optimistic 27 year-old Brittany Force and her team are looking forward to getting back on the track in Atlanta. She’s focused on qualifying in the top half of the field and going rounds on race day.
“I am anxious to get to Atlanta after having two weeks off. We’ll be rolling into the pits with a brand new car and I can’t wait to get in it, but it will take some adjustment on my part to get used to it. It’s the first Top Fuel Dragster to be built in-house at John Force Racing, and we’re still using the canopy design. It should be better and I’m hoping that once I get comfortable in and get back into my routine, it should be definitely be better in the long run for me as driver,” said Brittany Force.
Currently eighth in NHRA Mello Yello points, Brittany’s very pleased with how her team has stepped up its game with a strong and consistent performance during the last few races.
“I’m very proud of my guys and we’re really starting to gel as a team. We’re all pumped about this weekend and feeling good about getting back to the track,” said Brittany Force.
Brittany had her first final round Top Fuel appearance at the second race of the season and is hoping for another final round appearance at this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals. With any luck, her first Top Fuel win will also mark NHRA’s 100th female victory.