Monster Energy driver Brittany Force chases
first U.S. Nationals title from No. 8 spot
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Sept. 3) – A wide smile came to the face of Monster Energy driver Brittany Force’s face when she thought of the possibility of winning the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.
Force certainly has that chance, as she qualified No. 8 and had the third-quickest run in the final qualifying session Sunday.
Force would love to add her name alongside her father John, who has four U.S. Nationals wins, and older sister Ashley Force Hood, who has won The Big Go twice.
“I can’t even wrap my head around that,” Force said. “It’s something this whole team wants, it’s something that’s on my bucket list, something I want terribly. I’ll get it one of these days. We’re going after it this weekend. That’s the plan, and it would just be incredible to have a Wally and a U.S. Nationals win. Indianapolis is the biggest race on our circuit, and to bring that home would be outstanding.”
Force’s best pass in qualifying came in Q3, when she slowed in the lights with a run of 3.734 seconds at 269.83 mph. In Q5, run in the heat of Sunday, Force made a run of 3.749 seconds at 330.23 mph to earn two bonus points and give her a good setup heading into race day.
“I feel great after Q5,” Force said. “We struggled a little bit: Have a good run, have a bad run, just back and forth. With five qualifying sessions, we’re trying to figure out this track, figure out this car and run as hard as we can. It always feels good to end on a good note in Q5. Awesome run right down the race track, and it ran a .74. I feel good going into race day tomorrow. It’s the U.S. Nationals, the biggest race of the year.”
Force will battle No. 9 qualifier Shawn Langdon, who had a best pass of 3.748 at 274.00 mph.
Elimination rounds begin at 11 a.m. Eastern on Monday. Fox Sports 1 will provide two hours of live eliminations at 11 a.m., while Fox will provide three hours of live eliminations at 1 p.m.
4-Second Reads:
Qualifying Round 1 (Right Lane): 3.830 seconds/244.21 mph; got a little swirly in the final 300 feet and shut car off early (No. 12 of session and No. 12 overall; no bonus points in session)
Qualifying Round 2 (Right Lane): 3.747 seconds/329.26 mph; solid pass and moves safely into the field, and the top half no less … lost to Tony Schumacher in the first round of the Traxxas Shootout, despite exact same elapsed time; slightly slower reaction time, and Schumacher won on a holeshot (No. 4 of session and No. 7 overall; one bonus point in session and one bonus point overall)
Qualifying Round 3 (Left Lane): 3.734 seconds/269.83 mph; clicked off early despite strong launch (No. 7 of session and No. 8 overall; no bonus points in session and one bonus point overall)
Qualifying Round 4 (Right Lane): 4.638 seconds/158.80 mph; smoked the tires about half track and slowed (No. 10 of session and No. 8 overall; no bonus points in session and one bonus point overall)
Qualifying Round 5 (Left Lane): 3.749 seconds/330.23 mph; terrific pass from A to B (No. 3 of session and No. 8 overall; two bonus points in session and three bonus points overall)
This marks the first time this season and 10th time in her career Force has qualified No. 8. The last time Force qualified No. 8 was last year’s finale at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in California. She is looking for her first finals appearance from the No. 8 position.
Force has a record of 5-9 in 14 elimination rounds from No. 8. She has won four of nine first-rounds from the position.
This is the first time Force has qualified No. 8 at Indianapolis. She has qualified in the top half of the field in all five appearances at the track.
Force’s first-round matchup against Shawn Langdon marks the 13th time the two will compete against each other, with both drivers winning six races. Force has won the last three meetings, including two this season (Epping, N.H., and Sonoma, Calif.).