PEAK Chevy driver John Force aims for fifth Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals win from No. 4 qualifying spot

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Sept. 3) – John Force will attempt to win his fifth Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway, the 18th race of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule, from the No. 4 qualifying position.

The driver of the Chevrolet Performance/PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS, Force recorded a best pass of 3.849 seconds at 336.74 mph on Friday, both of which were at the time track records. Force also advanced to the semifinals of the Traxxas Shootout on Sunday.

The No. 4 qualifying position for Force is the highest he’s qualified at Indianapolis in more than a decade. The last time he qualified fourth or better came in 2006, when he earned his fourth consecutive No. 1 for drag racing’s most prestigious race. It is also the first time Force has ever qualified No. 4 at Indianapolis.

Overall, Force made three qualifying passes under four seconds, and added a 3.954-second run in his second round of the Traxxas Shootout semifinal round, which was won by teammate Robert Hight. That puts him in prime position to add to the U.S. Nationals titles he won in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2003.

The additional incentive in win Monday’s race – 30 points per round victory instead of the normal 20, and 60 to win instead of the normal 40. The more points, the better chance to start the upcoming Countdown to the Championship in a better spot.

“We’ve got a good race car,” said Force, whose car is sporting a special Chevrolet paint scheme for this race. “Our Funny Cars are 2-3-4, and (daughter) Brittany (Force) is top half in Top Fuel. We didn’t get the win in the Traxxas Shootout. We don’t think about the money – it’s not the way we think, we just want to win – but it would have been nice. Right now, what we’re looking at is trying to win Indy. We’re all right there, so I think we’re good to go for the race.”

Force will face No. 13 Del Worsham in the first round of eliminations, which begin at 11 a.m. Monday. 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): 3.849 seconds/336.74 mph; strong start to the weekend with then track records in time and speed, which was then the ninth fastest Funny Car run in history (No. 4 of session and No. 4 overall; one bonus point in session)
Qualifying Round 2 (Right Lane): 4.389 seconds/196.16 mph; hazed tires about 330 feet down track (No. 10 of session and No. 4 overall; no bonus points in session and one bonus point overall)
Qualifying Round 3 (Left Lane): 4.523 seconds/189.28 mph; clicked car off at about 660 feet and coasted to finish (No. 12 of session and No. 4 overall; no bonus points in session and one bonus point overall)
Qualifying Round 4/Traxxas Shootout Round 1 (Right Lane): 3.949 seconds/309.98 mph; straight down the track for strong run … defeated Matt Hagan in the first round of the Traxxas Shootout, never trailing after a solid .034 reaction time (No. 8 of session and No. 4 overall; no bonus points in session and one bonus point overall)
Traxxas Shootout Round 2 (Left Lane): 3.954 seconds/314.24 mph; identical reaction time (.070 seconds) to teammate Robert Hight, but fishtailed in the final 300 feet and lost by about a car length
Qualifying Round 5 (Left Lane): 3.907 seconds/299.73 mph; another solid run in the heat (No. 6 of session and No. 4 overall; no bonus points in session and one bonus point overall)
This is the first time this season and 51st time in his career Force has qualified No. 4. He is looking for his 10th victory from the No. 4 position.
Force’s last victory from the No. 4 position came in 2005 at Phoenix. He is 96-41 in 137 elimination rounds from the No. 4 position.
This is the first time Force has qualified No. 4 at Indianapolis. Of his four previous victories, three of them have come from No. 1 or No. 2.
Force’s first-round matchup against Del Worsham marks the 87th time the two will compete against each other. Their 86 previous matchups rank third only to Cruz Pedregon (101) and Tony Pedregon (88) for most head-to-head races against an opponent. Force holds a 57-29 advantage all-time, with a 4-0 record this season (all first-round matchups).