Robert Hight’s ‘fun run’ leads strong JFR
contingent on Bristol’s first qualifying day
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 16) – Robert Hight led a strong trio of John Force Racing Funny Cars in Friday’s two qualifying sessions for the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the 11th of 24 races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series circuit.
Hight took the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS to a run of 3.918 seconds at 324.28 mph for the No. 2 qualifying spot, second only to Tim Wilkerson’s top run of 3.895 seconds at 328.22 mph. Like most of his Funny Car competitors, Hight’s pass came in the second session, negating a first-round pass which saw him overpower the track before the midpoint of the drag strip.
“That was a good run, especially based on the fact that when you don’t go down the track on the first run, it kind of cripples you on the second run,” Hight said. “If we had made a solid first run, we would have tried to get after it more. But we did what we had to do. I thought when I ran it, we’d be top five. But we ended up No. 2, so good job to the Auto Club team.0
“We didn’t want to go into Saturday, despite it being a 16-car show, looking at and facing a bottom-half scenario. That puts you behind all weekend.”
The run, Hight said, was the second-round pass “was actually a really fun run” because of a change in setup on the car.
“We have taken some weight off the front of this thing when it’s hot out, and this track is really bumpy,” Hight said. “Out in the middle of the track, it was carrying the front end, bouncing up and down, and both the front tires were off the ground, going 324 mph. But it was going straight, so it was a fun run and fun drive.”
Though Saturday’s qualification sessions are scheduled in the early and mid-afternoon, when ambient and track conditions are hotter, Hight didn’t downplay Saturday’s qualifying efforts. Despite expecting slower times and speeds than Friday’s efforts, Saturday conditions will be similar to those on Sunday.
“Tomorrow we’re going to be facing race day conditions,” Hight said. “We don’t need to do what we did early in the day and screw up tomorrow. We need to make two good runs tomorrow, and that will put us in good shape for Sunday.”
Hight’s JFR teammates weren’t far behind. Courtney Force, in the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, was No. 3 with a second-round pass of 3.952 seconds at 324.90 mph, while team owner John Force turned in a pass of 3.983 seconds at 322.96 mph for the No. 4 position. Force also recorded the top speed in the first round of qualifying, evidence that his PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro has regained much of its early-season form.
Brittany Force, in the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster, was No. 14 in her class, with a best pass of 4.628 seconds at 167.97 mph coming in the first round.
The first of two qualifying sessions Saturday begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, with the final round scheduled for 4 p.m. A one-hour highlights package will be broadcast at 11 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. Elimination rounds begin at noon Eastern Sunday, with FS1 coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m.