TEAM JFR RACE REPORT
7th of 24 races in the NHRA Mello Yello Series
35th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, GA
May 17, 2015
Final round results from Sunday’s 35th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, seventh race in the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:
FUNNY CAR – Tim Wilkerson, Springfield, Ill., Levi Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang, 4.318, 260.31 mph def. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., Napa Dodge Charger, 5.781, 125.90 mph
TOP FUEL – Antron Brown, Brownsburg, Ind., US Army/Matco Tools dragster, 3.887, 310.48 def. Leah Pritchett, Avon, Ind., Gumout dragster, 4.202, 260.41 mph.
PRO STOCK – Jason Line, Mooresville, NC, Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro, 6.606, 211.33 mph def. Greg Anderson, Mooresville, NC, Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro, 8.628, 114.39 mph
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – Hector Arana, Milltown, Ind., Lucas Oil Buell, 7.236, 162.47 mph def. Eddie Krawiec, Brownsburg, Ind., Screamin Eagle Harley Davidson V-Rod, 10.107, 85.28 mph.
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JOHN FORCE RACES TO SEMI-FINALS IN ATLANTA
COMMERCE, GA — John Force and the Peak Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car raced to a semi-final finish today at the 35th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Force outran Jeff Diehl and teammate Courtney Force before dropping a close race to eventual race winner Tim Wilkerson in the semi-finals.
After Force got the first round win over Jeff Diehl the seven-time Southern Nationals champion was thrilled to advance as the No. 2 qualifier.
“That was a good run. Any time you go down the race track you feel good. I am back in the blue Peak Chevrolet and at the end of the day we are going to unleash the beast out here with Monster Energy,” said Force, who picked up his 1,208th round win for his first round effort.
In the second round Force had to line up beside his daughter and 2014 Southern Nationals runner-up finisher Courtney Force. Force was in the preferred right lane and made a solid 4.146 second pass as Courtney hazed the tires in the left lane as she was pulling away from the 142-time winner.
In the semi-finals Force did not have lane choice against the veteran driver Wilkerson and he was relegated to the left lane. Wilkerson was racing a virtual bracket car that had posted 4.0s almost all weekend but he slowed a bit in the race versus Force he ran 4.163 seconds. Force could not transfer his Chevy power to the track and got loose at mid-track crossing the finish line and lighting the scoreboard with a time of 4.265 seconds.
“We closed the gap and moved up in the Mello Yello points. There are just a couple rounds between me and third place. Jon Schaffer and this Peak team gave me a good race car. It was hot this weekend but the fans were great and I loved spending time with them,” said Force, the perennial fan favorite. “Robert and the Auto Club Chevy will get their hot rod figured out and Courtney just ran into me in the second round. You hate to race a teammate but I carry Traxxas on my race car too. I have to thank all the sponsors from Peak to Auto Club to Traxxas and Lucas Oil to Mac Tools. We are getting into the heat of battle and I am excited.”
Courtney Force qualified in the No. 10 spot this weekend at Atlanta Dragway, the seventh stop along the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello series tour. The 2012 NHRA Rookie of the Year made four full, consistent passes down a hot race track before going into race day against competitor Chad Head, her 28th different competitor in Funny Car.
“I’m very proud of my guys this weekend,” said Force. “They did an amazing job. Everyone worked together as a team, especially after the first round of eliminations this morning when I had a little explosion at the top end. They all came together quickly, got the car put back together and got us ready for round two.”
This was the first time the youngest Force daughter had matched up against Head, but she raced his father, Jim Head, during her rookie year in 2012 at Las Vegas and she turned on the win light in the first round. Today, Force also took the first round win and moved to the second round against her father, 16-time champion John Force.
The father-daughter duo has now raced each other in eliminations fourteen times, but this is their first time squaring off in 2015 and their first time at Atlanta. It is only the second time they have raced in the second round.
The 26-year-old lost to her father, teammate and boss with a 4.330 ET at 249.21 mph to his 4.146 ET at 311.92 mph and he evened their head-to-head score to 7-7.
“I think a positive coming out of Atlanta this weekend is our Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car was very consistent all weekend long. I think we got down on every pass except for in the second elimination round against my dad. We got it down there, but it just spun the tires at the end and he drove around us to get the round win. They gave dad a run for his money, but at least team Force went on to the semi-finals, carrying all of our sponsors.
”We’re just going to have to fight hard next weekend. Our car is definitely improving since Houston since we made some changes. We’re going to keep fighting every weekend to keep running consistent and we’re going for a solid position in that top ten,” added Force.
It was a tough weekend all around for Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet team. They qualified No. 14 after making four qualifying runs that lacked in the team’s trademark consistency. Hight has a history of feast or famine at Atlanta Dragway. In eleven appearances he has raced to six finals or been ousted in the first round five time. The three-time Southern Nationals winner came up on the losing side of the equation to No. 3 qualifier Jack Beckman today in the first round.
“We just didn’t get a handle on this Auto Club Chevrolet this weekend. We just had some things go on that kept us from being consistent. Luckily we only have one week and then we go on to Topeka. We are going to hit it hard there.”
The lone highlight for Hight and the rest of the JFR team of Camaro Funny Cars was the release of the 2016 Camaro street car. The new look Camaro has captured car enthusiast’s attention around the world and the excitement was not lost on Hight this weekend.
“I think the new Camaro is tremendous. We were fortunate and we were able to get a sneak peek at it a while ago. It is an awesome car and it will be even better when you see it on the race track next year as our Funny Car,” exclaimed Hight over the PA system from the starting line of Atlanta Dragway.
The debut of the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster also captured much of the fans’ and media’s attention this weekend. Brittany Force made two strong qualifying runs and went into race day as the No. 10 qualifier on the strength of a Friday afternoon run of 3.912 seconds. In the first round against Richie Crampton and the Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster the Monster Energy Top Fuel machine stepped up dramatically with a weekend best 3.839 second run but it wasn’t enough to out run Crampton’s 3.784 second pass.
“We made a good run and we stepped up from qualifying. I am so proud of my Monster Energy team. We had so much going on and we still ran good in qualifying and we made a good run in the first round. I am ready to go to Topeka and go some rounds for Monster Energy.”