JOHN FORCE LOOKING FOR FIFTH FUNNY CAR TITLE AT US NATIONALS

BROWNSBURG, IN (August 30, 2016) — The winningest driver in NHRA history would like to add another chapter to his storied career at the NHRA’s most prestigious race. This weekend 16-time Funny Car champion John Force will be racing a dual sponsored Chevrolet/PEAK Antifreeze Camaro SS Funny Car looking for his third win of the season and fifth win at the Chevrolet Performance US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

“This is like Daytona or the Indy 500. You have gotta win it. The sponsors are watching. We have won this race a lot and dominated. We haven’t been dominating but we have turned the corner. We are coming to Indy with a focus,” said Force during a pre-race test session. “You do everything you can in testing for Indy and you take your best combination to the race. You take all your best stuff and you try and qualify. We want to bring the thunder for the night run. Bottom line is you want to hit that race running.”

Last week Force spent two days at the track along with a host of other NHRA teams testing in anticipation of competing in one of the toughest fields in US Nationals history. Throughout the season track records and national records have been obliterated in the Funny Car class. The 145-time winner knows that to keep up with the competition teams have to spend money and time testing and innovating.

“I am spending money on testing all four teams. Some of my race cars are fast and some are having some breakage issues. You have to look at the big picture. We can compete with anybody. There is a certain part of the race track from 60 ft. to 330 ft. where we are not running fast. We are working on making that faster. I don’t like winning races by being lucky. I like to win races by being fast. This new Chevrolet Camaro is really working. I have the money to test and run thanks to all my sponsors like PEAK, Auto Club, Traxxas, Monster Energy, Chevrolet, Lucas Oil and Mac Tools. I am moving ahead,” said Force.

The last time Force hoisted the Wally at Lucas Oil Raceway was 2002 when he outran Tommy Johnson Jr. Since that race he has raced to two more finals losing in 2010 to daughter Ashley Force Hood and in 2014 he lost an incredibly close race to Alexis DeJoria.

The nostalgia of competing at the biggest race on the biggest stage is not lost on Force. The ultra-competitive driver and fan favorite still enjoys the peace and quiet of the race track late at night to stir up the passion to chase the dream.

“I drive out to Lucas Oil Raceway sometimes and I want to get that mood. I come out at night too because we qualify at night. You listen to the music and you have that dream to stand on the starting line. Then you get out to the track and you remember all that you dreamed. It gets me motivated to be out on the track remembering those times of being out here at 9 o’clock at night dreaming of having one shot to get into the race,” explained Force. “It’s the hard work that gets put in that makes it all happen. Sometimes the work beats you down, but if you have that dream for those moments it gets you through it. Once you get into the race and the fight, the dreaming is over.”

The fight is still in front of Force as he winds down the regular season. Force and the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro are No. 7 in the Mello Yello point standings and he is looking to move up for the Countdown. With points and a half on the line at the US Nationals Force thinks he could move up to the No. 6 or possibly the No. 5 points position. Force won’t just be racing for his ego but also the over 100 employees from the team’s Brownsburg based shop.

“Indy is going to be great. Just the word Indy, I-N-D-Y, that is what it is all about. We are going to come in here with our 100 employees and everyone from the chefs to the office help to the PR and marketing people to the guy that is working the bottom end know that the fight starts on Friday of Indy,” summed up Force.

BIGGEST RACE OF THE YEAR BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN ROBERT HIGHT

BROWNSBURG, IN (August 30, 2016) — Last year Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team came up just a few hundredths of a second short winning their fourth Chevrolet Performance US Nationals. The most prestigious race of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series has been a feast or famine for the 2009 NHRA Funny Car world champion.

Since his rookie year in 2005 Hight has qualified in the bottom half of the field just one time, a 9th place starting position in 2014, and has raced to six final rounds. The amazing stat for a driver and race car that have enjoyed so much success is that if the Auto Club Camaro isn’t going to the final round it doesn’t get past the first round of eliminations. In eleven races Hight has the six final round appearances, four first round losses and one quarterfinal finish.

Last year Hight was coming into Indianapolis with the momentum of winning the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, locking up the final guaranteed spot in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout and a successful test session. The Auto Club Camaro was the No. 2 qualifier and blasted through the field to set up a face-off with Jack Beckman. It was the third time Hight had faced Beckman in a US Nationals final with two previous victories in 2008 and 2013. Beckman took the win but the feeling of optimism coming into the race is something Hight wants to build on this season.

“Last year we came off a win in Brainerd so we had some momentum coming in here. We went to the finals of the Traxxas Nitro Shootout and the finals of the race. I don’t think we are far off with my Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS. We are just a little off. We are missing some consistency and power,” said Hight. “That is why we were in Indy last week testing for two days. We learned some things and I think we are headed in the right direction. I have said this before but if you are hunting for a combination at this time of the year you are in trouble. I don’t by any means think we are lost. We just have to dial it in and be a little bit more consistent.”

The focus of race day will be equally evident for Hight in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout. The past two seasons Hight has raced to a runner-up finish in the $100,000 to win Funny Car race. That is a trend that Hight would like to stop this season and he feels like his Mike Neff tuned Auto Club Camaro is in a position to win the three rounds necessary for hoist the Traxxas Shootout trophy.

“For sure winning the Traxxas Shootout would be big. I have been the finals the past two years. It would be huge to win $100,000 in one race. It is another race that you deal with at Indy. If I had to pick between the two, the US Nationals is the race I would want to win for the points and the Wally,” summed up Hight.

With a 150,000 square foot machine and fab shop in Brownsburg, Indiana, just ten minutes from the race track the US Nationals is a home race for the nearly 100 John Force Racing employees. As president of JFR Hight wants to celebrate with the organization on Monday in the winner’s circle.

“In 2013 when we won Indy it was such a great winner’s circle celebration with all the folks from the fab shop, the machine shop, and the paint shop. Those guys are behind the scenes but they are equally as important as every one of my crew guys working on the race car. They work hard back at the shop and they don’t get to enjoy these wins when they happen in Seattle or Gainesville or wherever. To get a win in Indy and include them all in the winner’s circle is pretty special,” said Hight.

WITH THE PLAY-OFFS ON THE HORIZON COURTNEY FORCE LOOKING FOR STRONG FINISH

BROWNSBURG, IN (August 30, 2016) — This season Courtney Force has been at or near the top of the Funny Car point standings on the strength of the consistency of her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car and her continued development as a tough competitor. With the Chevrolet Performance US Nationals starting this weekend Force will be looking to protect her No. 2 position in the Mello Yello point standings and pick up some historic hardware for her efforts. The entire team has been looking at this season as a chance to run for the championship and they have all been focused on the start of the play-offs and the last regular season race.

“I think our entire Traxxas team has been mentally preparing for the US Nationals starting with the Indy test session. You get your game face on. We are trying new things and working on details to get this Camaro ready for this race track a week from now. Coming off of the race in Brainerd when we went to the semifinals we learned a lot about this race car,” said Force. “That was a brand new race car from top to bottom. We brought that car to Indy and we also made runs with another new race car that will be our back-up car. We are trying a lot of new things so we are prepared for Indy and the Countdown to the Championship. The US Nationals is the biggest race of our season. It’s the Big Go. This is one of the most important races of the entire season. This is the one everybody wants to win. Mentally we are all getting ready.”

Force is still recovering for a tough accident in Seattle but her team gave her a solid race car in Brainerd and tested the back-up car last week at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis with strong results. The youngest Force daughter has a treasure trove of memories from the US Nationals most revolving around watching her 16-time Funny Car champion father collect the winning Wally as well as her older sister Ashley Force Hood.

“I have seen my dad win the US Nationals so many times. I have seen my sister (Ashley Force Hood) win it and also my other teammates (Robert Hight and Gary Densham). It would be huge for me. It is right up there with winning a championship. If you get a championship and a win at the US Nationals you have definitely accomplished a lot,” said Force. “The best drivers are out here and to be able to race them and get a win would be huge for the Traxxas Chevy Camaro team. That is our goal going into this race. I think we have a great race car and it has been performing well. I am excited to get out to the race. I grew up coming to this race and this is one of my favorite tracks. It would mean a lot to be able to get a win at the same track where I saw my dad get some of his biggest wins.”

The 2016 Houston national event winner has had some up and down efforts in qualifying at Indy starting the race from the No. 1 spot her rookie season but twice starting from the bottom half of the field including last year’s start from the No. 11 spot that saw her eliminated in the second round. Seeing four win lights on Monday would be something that the 2012 Rookie of the Year has dreamed about her whole career and it is something she will rely on her two-time US Nationals winner Ashley to help her navigate.

“It is great having that resource like a sister, like Ashley, that has gone through the stress and the nerves of being pulled in so many different directions. She won this race back-to-back and it will be to my benefit to talk with her. She has done it before and been through it. I will be looking to hopefully pick up some tips on anything that can help me get a win at Indy,” added Force.

While Force will be determined to get the big win on Monday, Sunday holds a special place on her heart when you consider she will be racing the Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout. On the biggest stage at the sponsor’s biggest race Force knows she will have to have her game face on for those three critical rounds of racing.

“Once you are in your race car you are in the zone and ready for the race. There are a lot of distractions with media requests and sponsor events. The Traxxas Shootout comes into play because that race counts as a qualifying run for the US Nationals. There is a lot going on mentally but I have the faith in my team that we have a great race car. I just have to focus on driving the race car and pretend it is any other race. I think we are all ready. As a driver you have to block out all the distractions and get your game face on,” said Force.

“It feels great knowing we are already locked into the Traxxas Shootout. Last year we were trying to get in with the fan vote,” explained Force. “The nerves going along with that were a little bit of a distraction. I am really excited we have secured a spot with that win in Houston. That win was huge for us and that win was a game changer. We can just focus on what is important going into the race.”

WITH RACE WIN MOMENTUM BRITTANY FORCE EYEING FIRST INDY TRIUMPH

BROWNSBURG, IN (August 30, 2016) — This season Brittany Force has taken a bold-tipped Sharpie to her Top Fuel To-Do list picking up her first career win, then her second win and most recently a tough third win at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. The fourth year pro rolls into the Chevrolet Performance US Nationals with momentum, confidence and a feeling of excitement the 2013 Rookie of the Year has never experienced.

“There is a lot of pressure going into the US Nationals. It is the biggest race of the season. It gets so much attention and there are so many fans there. It is two races in one weekend so there is a lot that you are banking on. You want to go out there and do your job and hopefully turn on some win lights,” said Force. “You have to try and look at it no differently than any other race weekend. You are still doing the same things. You are driving your race car to the 1000 ft. finish line. You have to shut out the distractions. There is the extra attention and I think that gets you more excited since it is a bigger event. That just pumps you up. You have to shut out all the craziness and do your job.”

Last year at the NHRA’s biggest race of the season Force was on a roll on race day before being upended by eventual winner Morgan Lucas. Force qualified in the top half of the field, something the young Top Fuel driver has done every year of her pro career in Indy, and then she outran Pat Dakin and Billy Torrence before smoking the tires in the semifinals. Coming close to getting the win has stuck with Force and this season she would like to take the next step and win the biggest race of the year.

“That is just a dream come true. To be able to hold that trophy in the winner’s circle at Indianapolis would be incredible. I remember coming to this race as a kid watching my dad win it. There were years and years of cheering him on from the stands or the tow vehicle. We used to blare in the tow car ‘We are the Champions’ on the way to the winner’s circle,” said Force. “I remember thinking this is so cool because this race is so huge. There is so much history around it and I never thought I would be driving a Top Fuel dragster much less at Indy. We are capable of winning Indy and we are going to go after it. It is one of my goals. I hope we get it this year.”

With the pressure of the overall race looming Force also has the added excitement of the Traxxas Nitro Shootout. The Monster Energy team was one of the first dragsters to lock up a guaranteed spot in the $100,000 to win race. This will be the third Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Force and she has never had a better chance to win the big check.

“It is definitely a relief that we are in. We know going into the race we get to play the game. We don’t have to worry about trying to get in and the stress of all that. We are in the Traxxas Shootout. We know our plan of action for the weekend. It is nice to not have to worry about that,” said Force, who last year had the highest fan vote percentage but lost in the selection lottery. “When we go to Monument Circle on Wednesday there is no extra stress. We get to just enjoy it this year. Now we have to get competitive with it. We always took it seriously but now we know we are in the Shootout so that is a focus now.”

Force’s Monster Energy team will have a new look at the Chevrolet Performance US Nationals with the addition of Top Fuel consultant Alan Johnson and crew chief Brian Husen. Force is enjoying the new leadership and trying to do her part as a driver. The combination has been a work in progress but Force continues to put in the effort because she is seeing the rewards in win lights.

“My crew chiefs had me change everything from how I staged and I completely started over. At first I didn’t like it at all. I wasn’t used to it. I was used to one way for the past three years and I came out here this season and it was almost like starting over,” admitted Force. “It was a challenge. In the long run I know why they had me do it and it makes sense. It has helped me as a driver with my staging, my reaction times and its helped get lane choice. All those things add up to round wins.”