COURTNEY FORCE EAGER TO GET BACK ON TRACK IN BRAINERD
BRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) — Following a first round collision with the guardwall at Pacific Raceways in Seattle Courtney Force is eager to get back on the track at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals this weekend. In the first round against Jeff Diehl Force pedaled her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car in the left lane and just past the mid-track point the 10,000 hp Funny Car swung to the left making hard contact with the concrete safety barrier. Force exited her Funny Car under her own power but was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. She was cleared and released later that day and has spent the past two weeks rehabbing and preparing to return to racing action.
“I am excited to get back in the seat. After how I last left the track (in Seattle) I am definitely ready to get back in the car and go down the race track. I have been going through physical therapy every day. I have been working with Dr. Ortmeyer who is the same doctor that worked with my dad after his crash. I am seeing huge progress every day with my knee,” explained Force the Wednesday before the race. “ I have gone from being on crutches the first couple of days to getting comfortable walking on it to being able to bend it all the way now. I definitely feel good enough to be back in the race car. That’s my throttle leg so I will be ready to pound on the throttle for sure.”
Force has not had much success in the Land of 10,000 Lakes but the fifth year pro knows that momentum can start rolling at any time. With her win in Houston plus two runner-up finishes getting back into the racing groove is critical for the 2012 Rookie of the Year. She was also looking at the very small bright side from her Seattle incident.
“I didn’t want to lose out on racing Brainerd because this is the time to get everything in order for Indy and the Countdown. We had planned on front halving my Traxxas Chevy after Seattle. If anything if you had to crash a car that was a good time to do it since we were already planning on doing a lot of work between races. You never want to crash but thankfully I have great guys at the shop in Indy that were ready to go to work on it. Since my team had to do so much extra work I sent them a “Man-Crate” full of beef jerky and different kinds of nuts to say I was sorry for crashing the car,” said Force.
Last year a winless Force was looking to secure a guaranteed spot in the Traxxas Shootout and battle her way into the Top Ten at the Lucas Oil Nationals. She was able to compete in the Shootout thanks to the fan vote and lottery but missed the Top Ten for the first time in her career. In 2016 a whole new attitude has enveloped Force and her Traxxas Camaro SS Funny Car team.
“This is a huge turnaround from where we were last year. I think this is the best shot at the championship we have ever had. We are hopefully going into the Countdown in the No. 2 spot. We are trying to hold onto that position right now with two races left. Being in that spot would give us a lead going into the last six races of the rest of the Top Ten for the championship,” said Force. “This is definitely a huge difference from where we were a year ago. I love the team that I with and the crew chiefs I am working with. The car they have given me definitely feels like the most consistent race car I have ever had in my five years of racing Funny cars. I am thrilled about that as a driver. This is the best time for me to really be on my game with reaction times. I have really been trying hard to be the most consistent that I have ever been before. If we can get everything right we definitely would have the full package. I think we have a great shot of going after the championship this year. I am not going to let that slip away.”
Finally Force will be in a brand new look Funny Car for the next two races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The wild multi-colored Camaro has been retired and Force will roll into Brainerd International Raceway with blue Camaro that should be as quick as it is eye-catching.
“I am going to run a cool blue Traxxas Camaro for Brainerd and Indy. It is kind of an electric blue with lightning bolts running through it. It is a nice change from the multi-colored Funny Cars which I also loved. It gets people talking about what is coming next,” summed up Force.
Force has teased the look on her social media platforms and fans will get their first full look during at the track on Friday.
ROBERT HIGHT DETERMINED TO GET BACK TO BACK WINS IN BRAINERD
BRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) — Last year the pressure on Robert Hight heading into the last race of the regular season was mounting on a variety of fronts for the 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion. Hight who had never won at Brainerd International Raceway was winless for the season and staring at the possibility of missing a guaranteed spot in the Traxxas Shootout unless he picked up a win at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. The 2005 Rookie of the Year dialed in and raced to victory as the No. 6 qualifier beating Ron Capps, Brian Stewart, Tim Wilkerson and Tommy Johnson Jr. In the pressroom afterwards an obviously relieved Hight talked about what the win meant to the Auto Club team. The win was Hight’s 35th of his career and moved him into a tie on the all-time Funny Car win list with Don Prudhomme and Cruz Pedregon.
“Brainerd has been a horrible race for me; the worst one on tour. To finally get a win here will give me a little confidence coming back here next year. Bristol was a killer for me too for a while. We got in the Traxxas Shootout with that win which is big. To have my name mentioned with Don Prudhomme and Cruz Pedregon that is impressive,” said Hight in the Brainerd pressroom.
This season Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro have taken an eraser to his personal record books at almost every race. In four of the last six races Hight has posted elapsed times quicker than he has ever run in his career. Two weeks ago during a historically quick Northwest Nationals Hight was shockingly the No. 9 qualifier with a 3.894 second qualifying effort and in the first round of eliminations Hight ran a career quickest at 3.862 at over 331 mph to get the win over Chad Head.
“You see the performance numbers and you have to shake your head. In Seattle we ran a 3.8 and didn’t have lane choice in the first round. Last year in Brainerd you saw a ton of low numbers and I think you will see more of that this weekend. These Funny Cars a handful now to drive. They carry the front end and it is a lot of fun. The competition is very tough too. You have to have a total package to get a round win. You need a quick car, a great reaction time and you have to keep it in the groove,” said Hight.
At the season’s third race Hight picked up his 37th career Funny Car win adding a third Gatornationals “Wally” to his trophy case. The win secured his spot in the Traxxas Shootout and moved Hight into the points lead. Following that race Hight held the points lead for two more races before relinquishing it to teammate Courtney Force in Houston. Since Houston Hight has raced to three more semifinal finishes but has yet to pick up another final round appearance or win.
“We have been consistently quick and we are winning rounds but we haven’t been able to put together a complete race day since the Gatornationals. We have two more races before the playoffs plus the Indy test session before the U.S. Nationals. I feel good about how we are running and how I am driving. We won in Brainerd and were runners-up at the Traxxas Shootout and U.S. Nationals last year. I feel confident about our chance in Brainerd and beyond,” said Hight.
BIG WEEKEND IN STORE FOR BRITTANY FORCE AND MONSTER ENERGY
BRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) — Last year Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster were looking for their first win and first double up win for JFR at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Going into the final round Force had just seen her teammate Robert Hight take out Tommy Johnson Jr. and only Lucas Oil teammate Richie Crampton stood between the 2013 Rookie of the Year and her first victory. Crampton, the No. 1 qualifier, made the third quickest run in NHRA history to get the win but Force left Brainerd even more motivated to chase down her first win.
This season at the historic Gatornationals Force once again saw teammate Robert Hight pick up a win in front of her she would not be denied a second time, winning for the first time in Top Fuel and securing the first double-up win for John Force Racing. It took Force 75 races to get her first Top Fuel win and then two races later she picked up win No. 2 at the unique Four-Wide NHRA Nationals in Charlotte. The lone JFR driver in Top Fuel led the Top Fuel points for four races and has been a fixture at the top of the point standings all season.
“I am just so proud of this Monster Energy team. We almost got the win in Brainerd last year but we just had to wait a little bit. Brainerd has been a fast and quick track and I think you’ll see great numbers there this weekend. We set the national ET record earlier this season and I think you could see record numbers at Brainerd International Raceway this weekend,” said Force.
It was at the Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka that Force and the Monster Energy team grabbed the performance headlines running to the No. 1 spot in qualifying with a national record 3.676 seconds time. It was Force’s first national record and the importance of writing her name into the record books was not lost on Force who joined father John and sisters Ashley Force Hood and Courtney Force as national record setters.
“I think it is neat to be able to join my family with their list of accomplishments. The fact that we all now have set a national record at one time or another is cool,” said Force.
“It is still pretty unbelievable to think about that record. It is exciting to set a record like that with this Monster Energy team. I have to thank Alan Johnson, Brian Husen and all my crew guys. That record is something we are all really proud of and we’ll always be able to hang onto that memory.”
This weekend Force will be getting the race started with multiple appearances for Monster Energy on Friday before heading to the track for Friday qualifying.
JOHN FORCE READY TO CONTINUE WINNING IN BRAINERD
BRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) — No other driver has had the kind of success John Force has enjoyed at Brainerd International Raceway. The 35th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals will be contested this weekend and Force will be looking to race into his 16th final round and possibly pick up his 12th win. Since 1986 Force has picked up 74 round wins and has won in three different decades. Those kinds of stats are not lost on Force who is looking to pick up his third win in four races as the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series winds down the regular season.
“I have had a lot of success at Brainerd and I love racing there. I get a lot of energy and motivation from the fans at every track but the fans in Brainerd are awesome. I am looking forward to getting up there and racing this PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevy Camaro. We have been putting up so great numbers on the track and I know we’ll have good conditions in Brainerd. This PEAK Chevy team will be ready to hurt some feelings,” said Force.
Force has experienced a resurgence of success in the past month winning the first two legs of the Western Swing before dropping a tough first round race against Tommy Johnson Jr., in Seattle. The wins in Denver and Sonoma catapulted Force from the bottom of the Top Ten into the middle of the pack and a guaranteed spot in the Countdown to the Championship. For the 32nd consecutive season Force will finish in the Top Ten and he will be in the thick of the NHRA Funny Car championship battle, chasing his unprecedented 17th Mello Yello NHRA Funny Car championship.
“Getting the wins in Denver and Sonoma were key for this PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS team. We are in the middle of the fight and I don’t think we were ever out of the fight. We just needed to get a win and then we got another one. (PEAK crew chief) Jon Schaffer has been doing a good job leading this team and we are working really well together. You see the excitement from these young guys when we win and that gets me even more excited. I loved being on FOX and being able to thank all the sponsors and our fans,” added Force.
Heading into Brainerd Force will be starting to focus on the end of the regular season and the start of the Countdown. One last hurdle for the winningest driver in NHRA history will be earning a berth in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout. For the first time under the current Traxxas Shootout parameters Force will be in the fan vote. While Force is one of only a four drivers with multiple wins he was not one of the first seven Funny Car drivers to win in 2016 and will have to leave his chances of grabbing the eighth and final spot to the fans and fate. Fans will be able to vote on the NHRA’s Facebook page following the race in Brainerd until the Tuesday before the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.
“We got wins but we just didn’t get them early enough. I have won a lot of Shootout races and I want to race in this one with Courtney and Robert and the rest of the Funny Cars. One of our sponsors Traxxas puts up the money and I won the first one. I would love to be the first two-time Traxxas Shootout winner. I’ll be voting and I want all my fans to vote too,” said Force.