Brittany Force hopes Monster Energy
team stays on Brainerd hot streak
BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 15) – Brittany Force will be gunning for her third consecutive final round – and second straight victory – at Brainerd International Raceway with her Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster team.
Force won the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series race at Brainerd in 2016 and raced to the final round in 2015.
“Brainerd’s definitely been good to the Monster team,” Force said. “We seem to like that track, we seem to have been able to figure it out and run pretty well there. We did it last year and got to the winner’s circle and our plan is to do it again.”
The win in 2016 was her third career victory and capped two terrific back-to-back races at Brainerd. In 2015, she beat Dave Connolly, Doug Kalitta and Antron Brown before falling to Richie Crampton in the final.
But last year, Force beat Terry Haddock, Kalitta, Shawn Langdon and Brown en route to the win.
“That was pretty awesome,” Force said.
Force currently sits fifth in the Top Fuel points standings with one race before the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis and two races before the Countdown to the Championship starts.
Force has won victory and one No. 1 qualifier in 2017 but has been remarkable consistent as of late. She’s won at least one round in nine consecutive races and has raced to the semifinals in five of the last eight races.
Plus, she’s qualified sixth or better in the last nine races.
“We’ll get a few things figured out,” Force said, “and once Indy comes around, it’s game on.”
The NHRA Nationals begins Friday with two rounds of qualifying at 3:30 and 6 p.m. Central (television coverage beginning at 9 p.m. Central Eastern on Fox Sports 1). The final two rounds of qualifying are scheduled for 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Central on Saturday (television coverage at 9 p.m. on FS1).
Elimination rounds are scheduled for 11 a.m. Central on Sunday (three hours of live finals coverage at 1 p.m. Central).
4-Second Reads:
Brittany Force has competed in five races at Brainerd International Raceway and every race since 2013, her rookie year.
Force is looking for her second victory at Brainerd. She is the defending race winner, having defeated Antron Brown during last year’s finals.
Force is looking for her third consecutive final-round appearance. She also made it to the finals in 2015.
Force is 7-4 in 11 elimination-round races at Brainerd, and 2-2 in first-round matchups.
Force’s best qualifying effort came in 2016, when she qualified No. 3.
Force is currently fifth in Top Fuel points standings, and as a result has clinched a spot in the Countdown to the Championship.
In 2017, Force has one victory, a 22-15 elimination-round record, and one No. 1 qualifier.
In her career, Force has four victories, 109 elimination-round wins and seven No. 1 qualifiers.
Force’s most recent NHRA victory – 2017 New England Nationals in Epping, N.H.
Force’s most recent No. 1 qualifying effort – 2017 NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Ill.
Force’s best time/speed at Brainerd – 3.711 seconds (2016); 326.00 mph (2015)
Force’s best time/speed of career – 3.674 seconds (2017 Topeka Q3); 333.66 mph (2017 Topeka E1)
Force will participate in a media luncheon on Thursday, August 17, at 1 p.m., in Brainerd. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Jenn Goethel, 574-320-7956, jgoethel@nhra.com.