Monster Energy driver Brittany Force claims
No. 2 qualifying position for Norwalk
NORWALK, Ohio (June 24) – Brittany Force put her fellow NHRA Top Fuel competitors on alert Saturday for tomorrow’s Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.
The driver of the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster led both qualifying sessions Saturday with two solid passes, and will stand on Friday’s qualifying effort of 3.714 seconds – a career-best elapsed time at the track – at 327.66 mph. That put her No. 2, which she held throughout Saturday’s two sessions.
But most importantly, she achieved consistent passes in weather conditions expected to be similar on Sunday. Her third-round pass of 3.770 seconds at 325.14 mph was the second-quickest Top Fuel pass of any driver of the day, topped only by her slightly quicker pass in the final round, 3.767 seconds at 325.85.
And if Saturday’s passes – one held in the early afternoon, one in the mid-afternoon – translate into Sunday, she could be tough to beat.
“Honestly, it’s been a great weekend for us so far,” said Force, who will face No. 15 and Ohioan Pat Dakin in the opening round of Sunday’s Summit Racing Equipment Nationals.
“We’ve had three of the best runs down the race track so far, out of an 18-car field. We were best of the session both runs Saturday. To get additional points that way is outstanding. Going into race day tomorrow, I think we have a consistent race car. That’s really important.
“I’ve got a great team behind me, with (consultant) Alan Johnson and (crew chief) Brian Husen and the rest of the guys. We’re ready to take on tomorrow.”
One extra reason to be motivated – Force opened this current four-race swing with a victory, at Epping, N.H. And where did she start? No. 2.
“No. 2 is an awesome place to be,” Force said. “That’s exactly where we want to be heading into tomorrow. We’re hoping we can end up where we did in Epping. We won the first in the swing, and we hope we can end up in the winner’s circle to end the swing. That’s what we’re going for.”
4-Second Reads:
Qualifying Round 1 (Left Lane): 8.414 seconds/80.69 mph; lost traction early and coasted to the finish (No. 15 of the session and No. 15 overall; no bonus points)
Qualifying Round 2 (Right Lane): 3.714 seconds/327.66 mph; beautiful pass straight down the track that put her at the top and set track ET record until the last pair of the session (No. 2 of the session and No. 2 overall; two bonus points in the session and two bonus points overall)
Qualifying Round 3 (Left Lane): 3.770 seconds/325.14 mph; solid pass straight down the track (No. 1 of the session and No. 2 overall; three bonus points in the session and five bonus points overall)
Qualifying Round 4 (Right Lane): 3.767 seconds/325.85 mph; another great pass for the quickest run of the day (No. 1 of the session and No. 2 overall; three bonus points in the session and eight bonus points overall)
This marks the second time this season and fourth time in her career Force has qualified No. 2. She also qualified No. 2 for the NHRA New England Nationals at Epping, N.H., which she went on to win.
This marks the first time Force has qualified No. 2 at Norwalk. Her career-best effort at Norwalk prior to this weekend was No. 3 in 2016.
Force’s matchup against Pat Dakin marks the sixth time the two will compete against each other, with the most recent matchup coming last season at Indianapolis. Force holds the advantage, 3-2, including a win in the only other matchup between the two at Norwalk in 2015 (also in the first round).