JOHN FORCE STEPS UP ON SATURDAY AT NORWALK
NORWALK, OH – Conditions warmed up today at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals and the race cars of John Force Racing kept pace posting some of the quickest runs of the day in Funny Car and Top Fuel. Team leader John Force made the biggest improvement qualifying No. 11 after struggling on Friday. Robert Hight and Courtney Force held onto their No. 3 and No. 4 spots respectively with Hight earning two bonus points in the third session. The Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster remained No. 3 and was consistently quick again for the fourth year pro Brittany Force.
Coming into the final day of qualifying John Force was looking to turn his luck around in Norwalk. Luckily for the 16-time Funny Car champion his Jon Schaffer tuned PEAK Antifreeze Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS stepped up the performance numbers today during both qualifying sessions. Force posted a strong 4.049 second run at 316.52 mph in the opening session to secure the No. 12 qualifying spot which was important to not have a first round match-up with a JFR teammate.
In the second session under slightly cooler but still hot conditions Force stepped up even more running 3.979 seconds at 324.12 mph to move up to the No. 11 spot in qualifying. Force’s run was also third quickest of the final session and sets him up with a first round match-up against Matt Hagan. The run was a big boost for the 143-time winner who had struggled on Friday wrestling his Funny Car through two tough qualifying runs.
“I like tell the fans read the manual when you buy a new Chevrolet. It helps. Now we are coming around with this young team. We are starting to show some promise and this Chevrolet Camaro body is working good. We keep putting this PEAK Advance Auto Parts in the show because that is my job. I am excited to get this hot rod in the show and I am looking forward to race day tomorrow,” said Force who holds a 16-14 record versus Hagan.
Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car were the second quickest Funny Car of first session today. He lit up the scoreboard with a 4.008 elapsed time that crew chief Mike Neff felt was a little off from what he was expecting.
In the final run of the day in Funny Car Hight ran beside friend and reigning Funny Car champion Del Worsham. Both Funny Cars crossed the finish line in 3.99 seconds with Hight getting the edge 3.991 to Worsham’s 3.994. Worsham had no parachutes and took his Camry through the sand trap but escaped unharmed as Hight made the turn off with no problems.
“This Auto Club Camaro is coming around. Mike Neff and these crew guys are doing a great job. It was really hot today and we made two great runs. We are getting the consistency we need and I am excited to be driving this new Chevrolet. We ran four flat and 3.99 today in the heat and those are numbers that can win rounds,” said Hight.
The 2009 Funny Car champion will race Brandon Welch for the first time in the opening round of eliminations.
Brittany Force and Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster ran 3.873 seconds at 313.22 mph which was quick enough to be the third quickest in the heat in the opening session. In second session Force stepped up with a solid 3.848 at 317.72 mph run to go into race day against Chris Karamesines for the second race in a row. Force outran the legendary driver in the first round last week in Bristol.
“It has been a tough weekend here in Norwalk because the temperatures are just through the roof. It is a struggle for this Monster Energy team and all the teams out here. We have made four great passes straight down the race track and especially our two runs today,” said Force. “Those are the runs we really need to get ready for Sunday. It is going to be really warm tomorrow so those will be similar conditions. I feel good we will be set up for tomorrow after two great passes today. We are hoping to turn on a lot of win lights and we have Chris Karamesines first round. We’ll see what the Monster Energy team can do.”
Courtney Force made two passes on Saturday, but neither trumped her 3.889 second pass from Friday’s evening qualifying session. She opened up today with a 4.242 ET at 225.60 mph in the heat and followed up with a 4.010 second pass at over 318 mph in the final qualifying session.
“Our Traxxas team laid down a 3.889 early in qualifying to put us in the No. 4 spot and we’ve managed to hold onto that throughout the weekend. In Q3 today we didn’t get all the way down the track. My Traxxas Chevy started spinning down there so I had to get out of it early. In Q4 we were on a really good run in the heat and it dropped a hole so it slowed us down a little bit at the end of the run, but we still managed to get a 4.01 out of it,” said Force.
The 28-year-old Traxxas pilot will line up beside John Hale in the opening round on Sunday morning. This is only the second time the pair have met in eliminations and the first time this season. Their last meeting was Brainerd in 2015 when Force’s Traxxas Chevy smoked the tires allowing Hale to get the first round win.
“We’re really looking forward to tomorrow. We have already gone back and looked at the data needed for first round. We’re looking forward to matching up with John Hale and we’re hoping for some first round luck here in Norwalk,” said Force.
Force took her Traxxas team to the final round on race day last year at NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals after qualifying in the No. 9 position.