CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS
BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY AT MORRISON, COLORADO
JULY 24, 2016
New Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car Quickly Records First Victory
• 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force earns 144th career win
• No. 1 qualifier and track record-holder Courtney Force is event runner-up
• Vincent Nobile rise from No. 9 Pro Stock qualifier to second-place finish
• Ryan Montford wins Stock Eliminator category in Chevrolet COPO Camaro
MORRISON, Colo. (July 24, 2016) – Two brief months, encompassing seven National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) events, after unveiling the Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car body at the team’s Indianapolis headquarters, John Force Racing reached the winner’s circle with a dominating performance at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.
John Force’s emotions soared considerably higher than the 5,800 feet above sea level of Bandimere Speedway as he thrust the Wally into the air after defeating daughter Courtney Force on a holeshot in the first all-Force final since spring 2015 at Las Vegas.
“It’s incredible what this team and Chevrolet have done in a short time,” said the enigmatic Force, who picked up his record-extending 144th career Funny Car victory in his 698th race.
“We went testing (last week) to figure out some things, and we figured it out, came on this hill and found a little bit of magic. Hats off to Chevrolet.”
The 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion introduced the 2016 Funny Car body, which carries the styling signatures of the sixth-generation Camaro SS front- and rear-end designs, at the NHRA Kansas Nationals in late May. Teammate Robert Hight was on track with the new car two weeks later, and Courtney Force made her debut in the 2016 model two weeks ago at Joliet, Illinois.
Among the aerodynamic elements of the car, which is lighter than the team’s previous Camaro bodies, is a new integrated front splitter that directs more air over the body to increase downforce. More than a year of computational analysis and wind tunnel testing went into the aerodynamic design.
“We are thrilled for John Force and everyone at John Force Racing for clinching the win today in their all new Camaro SS Funny Car,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet’s U.S. Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “It’s extra special because it’s the first victory with the new race car.”
John Force has won a national event in 29 consecutive seasons, which is a record for all motorsports series. All three John Force Racing Funny Car drivers now have a victory this season, and Brittany Force has two Top Fuel wins.
“I needed this win,” said Force, who won for the seventh time in 10 final-round appearances at Bandimere Speedway. “I didn’t have a monkey on my back; I had a gorilla. The competition is the best I’ve seen and this was no time to choke.”
Courtney Force reset the track elapsed time record of 3.917 seconds in the second round of qualifications — about two hours after her father became the first Funny Car driver to register a sub-4-second pass at the track at 3.959 seconds — and earned her first No. 1 qualifier position of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and 10th of her Funny Car career.
She reached the final round for the second time in the past three races, and climbed to second in the Funny Car standings. John Force cut a 0.38-second light and had a pass of 3.965 seconds at 319.45 mph to her 3.963-second (314.75 mph) run. Hight, driving the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS, advanced to the semifinals for the third consecutive event before falling to Courtney Force.
“It’s been a big weekend for Chevrolet Racing with the new Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car earning the top two qualifying positions, Courtney Force setting the Bandimere Speedway elapsed time record, and Courtney and John Force racing each other in the final round. Congratulations to both, and especially John Force, the heart of the team and a true champion,” said Roger Allen, Chevrolet Racing’s NHRA Program Manager.
“Along with their John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight advancing to the semifinals for the third event in a row, the results are a testament to the dedication and talents of everyone from Chevrolet Racing, the team and partners who have been involved in the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS program.
“We all knew the new car would be quick, and with on-track testing and performance data analyzed since the body was introduced two months ago, this is only the beginning of great things to come in Funny Car competition for Chevrolet and John Force Racing.”
KB Racing’s Pro Stock winning streak ended at 14 races as No. 4 qualifier Jason Line and No. 6 qualifier Greg Anderson, both driving the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS, fell in the semifinals. Line, who marked his 47th birthday, tripped the red light against Vincent Nobile. Anderson, who registered his 695th career round win earlier in the day, lost on a holeshot.
Nobile, driving the Mountain View Tire Chevrolet Camaro SS, registered his ninth runner-up finish in 135 career Pro Stock events and first this season. Allen Johnson, who reached the final round at Bandimere Speedway for the 10th consecutive year, won for the seventh time at the track.
Alex Laughlin, who claimed his initial Pro Stock No. 1 qualifier position less than 15 hours earlier in the Gas Monkey Garage Chevrolet Camaro SS, No. 5 qualifier Bob Butner (Butner Auto Sales Chevrolet Camaro SS), and Chris McGaha (Harlow Sammons of Odessa Chevrolet Camaro SS) also were first-round winners.
Laughlin, competing in his 21st Pro Stock event, became the 62nd different No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock history and the 16th in 38 years of Pro Stock competition at the racetrack. Butner was the 61st to earn the No. 1 qualifier position at Phoenix in February.
In Top Fuel, Brittany Force was the No. 3 qualifier in the Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster, which extended her streak of qualifying in the top four to seven races. She fell in the second round of eliminations.
Ryan Montford, who qualified 20th of 41 entries, drove the Omaha Track Chevrolet COPO Camaro to victory in the Stock Eliminator category. Tyler Cassil was the No. 1 qualifier in the Ward Munkres Chevrolet COPO Camaro and reached the second round of eliminations.
The three-event western swing continues July 29-31 with the Toyota Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California.
“Congratulations also to Vincent Nobile, who rose from the No. 9 qualifier spot in Pro Stock to reach the final round, and Ryan Montford, who drove a Chevrolet COPO Camaro to victory in Stock Eliminator,” Allen added. “It’s been an exciting time in the mountains, and we’re looking forward to the second stop of the western swing this week in Sonoma, California.”
An interview with Funny Car winner JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, REALTREE PEAK ANTIFREEZE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE BACK IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE?
“It feels real good. I was runner-up here the past two years to Jack Beckman and Robert Hight. At the end of the day, I am young. I will fight this thing until I drop. But I have new sponsors like PEAK and with Realtree camouflage. And Chevrolet is like, ‘is there something wrong with our car ’? I told them ‘no, it’s me, I’m screwed up.’ We went and tested to figure out why. And Courtney (Force) was there helping me, Robert (Hight) was there helping me. We got through it, we came on this hill and we found a little bit of magic. Everyone on the team has been winning except me. I needed this real bad and I told Courtney, ‘hey, you are my baby, I love you and I know you want to do good for Traxxas, but I am giving this everything I got.’
“Great day to come here on God’s mountain and look like we know what we are doing. I give credit to Mike Neff, who heads my program in Funny Car and Jon Schaffer that runs my Funny Car with a bunch of kids. Have to thank Daniel Hood that runs Courtney’s car, too.”
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO WIN THE FIRST RACE LIVE ON FOX?
“That is pretty cool. You look at Tony Schumacher and he hasn’t won either, but he is 30 years younger than me. He is still climbing that hill with all of those championships. You look at me and I have already climbed that hill. I am at the Peak, like this shirt says. And I am hanging on. So it was good for me to get a win. But it (being on FOX) is awesome. Being on live television and I did not go political. I do not do that. I made a statement about FOX and how they are going to fix our sport and fix racing. It will when it’s live. I am already getting calls from people saying that it’s awesome what is being done. What we got to do is protect these cars. I hurt a motor but we contained the oil and didn’t slow the show down. It seemed like everything went okay. Even God moved the clouds past us.”
AFTER 144 WINS, AND TO HAVE THAT KIND OF ENERGY IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE, HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
“I just love it. It’s probably to the point of being stupid, but every time I drive these cars … I was all giggly, until I threw up. I was giggly with my kid and she was like ‘what is wrong with you and why aren’t you serious?’ Because that is how I play the game. Everyone has their own deal and my deal is to try and find my heart, go up there, get my kid out of my mind and I completely forgot I was racing her. I needed to get rid of that, because that will slow me down. I have won a lot of championships and I am going to win more races and I am going to win some more championships. What I am saying is I know that father time is going to get me but I am stuck for five more years. But the point is this. I love doing it, I work out hard. I don’t come naturally built like (Tony) Schumacher. I am not even close. I never looked like Schumacher even in my best day. But what I am saying is that I still do what I have to, to train my mind and train my legs. Brittany (Force) and Courtney have done it. Allen Johnson put them on it. You have to get those legs stronger so that you can react. In the midst of it, I can still do this game. And that is why I love it. I don’t have anywhere to go. I could go fishing with (Don) Schumacher, but he would use me for bait. I know how that drill is because he already told me. The old man, not the kid. He has invited me, but I am going to keep doing this. I am going to help build this sport. We lost Eric Medlin and so many things were just wrong in my life. I was like, ‘why am I even here?’ Then I got hurt and then I thought there was a reason for me. Why would the good Lord want to keep a dummy around like me? He has kept me talking and kept me driving for the young kids that are coming up. And we will make racing in the NHRA great again.”