Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet driver Courtney
Force surges to Sonoma Nationals semis
SONOMA, Calif. (July 30) – Courtney Force took the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to the NHRA Sonoma Nationals semifinals on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, completing a solid weekend for Force and her John Force Racing team.
“It was a big turnaround weekend going to the semifinals for our Advance Auto Chevrolet team,” Force said. “I think we definitely learned some stuff about our cars this weekend. To go out there and qualify in the No. 4 spot, have a little bit of consistency, run a 3.90 in the first round – that was a killer run for us.”
Force reached the semis for the first time in five races, solidifying her spot in the top six of the Funny Car points standings. The top 10 qualify for the Countdown to the Championship, which begins in four races, after the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.
Force made a blistering pass in the first round, 3.901 at 331.69 mph, to knock out Jim Campbell. Her second-round run wasn’t as quick, though it was much more exciting.
Against Tommy Johnson Jr., both cars went up in tire smoke, and both drivers tried to ease back in the throttle and gain traction.
Force ended up being the best, and her run of 6.038 seconds at 219.54 mph was enough to get past Johnson’s 7.044-second run at 135.02 mph.
“In the second round I had to pedal my car to get around him and get that win,” Force said. “It’s pretty exciting. The car wasn’t performing quite like we wanted and we still managed to hang on and get the win.
“We had the early part figured out, that we didn’t in the second round, but down track it started spinning the tires. So we fixed one problem and it kind of created another.”
Force then raced Tin Wilkerson on the semifinals, but as Wilkerson sped to a 4.085-second run at 287.05 mph, she slowed to a pass of 5.044 seconds at 161.85 mph.
Still, Force left with a smile on her face, ready to race in the NHRA Northwest Nationals next weekend at Pacific Raceways near Seattle.
“I’m really thrilled because we had Big Machine Records on board this weekend and we were really excited to be able to show them what we do out here,” Force said. “To have a successful weekend, it wasn’t a bad time out here in Sonoma. Obviously, I wished we had gotten the win and I thought we had the car that could do it this weekend but Wilkerson got around us.”
4-Second Reads:
Best Qualifying Effort: 3.889 seconds/327.03 mph (Round 1, Qualified No. 4)
Elimination Round 1 (Left Lane): 3.901 seconds/331.69 seconds, def. No. 13 Jim Campbell, 4.022 seconds/313.37 mph; got the jump and never looked back in fastest pass of her weekend; vs. Campbell – now 6-3 all-time; 3-3 this season; 1-0 at Sonoma
Elimination Round 2 (Quarterfinals, Left Lane): 6.038 seconds/219.54 mph, def. No. 5 Tommy Johnson Jr., 7.044 seconds/135.02 mph; both struck tires and had to pedal several times, before Force got it to hook up to take it to victory; vs. Johnson – now 9-6 all-time; 1-0 this season; 1-0 at Sonoma
Elimination Round 3 (Semifinals, Right Lane): 5.044 seconds/161.85 mph, lost to No. 8 Tim Wilkerson, 4.085 seconds/287.05 mph; got the early lead but lost traction around the 330-foot mark and pedaled, then chased Wilkerson to the end; vs. Wilkerson – now 9-4 all-time; 0-1 this season; 0-1 at Sonoma
Now 146-125 (271 rounds) all-time in elimination rounds (.539)
Now 22-15 (37 rounds) all-time in elimination rounds after qualifying No. 4 (.595)
Now 10-5 (15 rounds) all-time in elimination rounds at Sonoma Raceway (.667)
Now 15-14 (29 rounds) this season in elimination rounds (.517)
Funny Car Points Standings: 1. Ron Capps 1,276; 2. Matt Hagan 1,093; Jack Beckman 1,049; 4. Robert Hight 1,035; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr. 982; 6. Courtney Force 874; 7. John Force 821.