CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
MOPAR EXPRESS LANE NHRA SPRINGNATIONALS
HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK POWERED BY PENNZOIL
POST-RACE RECAP AND WINNER TRANSCRIPTS
SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2019
John Force Racing teams with Chevrolet for Houston sweep
No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force earns ninth Top Fuel victory
Funny Car points leader wins for the third time in five races
No. 1 qualifier John Force reaches third Funny Car semifinal
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 14, 2019) – Robert Hight, who five minutes earlier won for the 48th time in his National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car career, greeted Brittany Force with a big hug as the Top Fuel winner climbed from her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet dragster.
John Force Racing and Chevrolet swept the pro categories in the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park.
Force, the No. 1 qualifier for the second time in five races this season, became the second driver in 31 years of the event (Doug Kalitta in 2015-16 the other) to back-to-back races.
“We’ve been so close all season long and coming out as the No. 1 qualifier it’s because of this Advance Auto Parts team,” said Force, who was runner-up at Las Vegas a week earlier. “We’ve just been consistent all weekend long, made awesome runs and to come out here and win is outstanding.”
In 2016 at Gainesville, Florida, Force picked up her first Top Fuel win and Hight also visited the winner’s circle.
Hight’s victory, after finishing runner-up in 2017 and ’18 at the track, tied Andrew Hines (Pro Stock motorcycle) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) for 13th on the all-time NHRA victory list.
“Houston holds a special place in my heart. Back in 2005 I came in here as a rookie and got the first win. We love coming to Houston,” said Hight, who recorded his third win in the five NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events to start the season.
To reach his 74th Funny Car final, Hight had to get past teammate John Force in the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil/BlueDef Chevrolet Camaro SS, who was the No. 1 qualifier and motivated to secure his 150th career victory. Hight recorded a 3.924-second pass to end the day for Force, who ran 3.932, in their 50th meeting.
It was the fourth consecutive head-to-head victory by Hight over the team owner. Force, who registered his 100th career win among seven at Houston, reached his third semifinal in five races.
Austin Prock, the No. 7 qualifier in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, earned the second elimination round win of his young career. He fell in the quarterfinals.
Chevrolet Pro Stock drivers, who have visited the winner’s circle in all four of their NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races, are off until the May 17-19 Virginia NHRA Nationals.
Philip Giles of Flatonia, Texas, advanced to the semifinals of Super Stock in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro. Brian Massingill of Houston drove his COPO Camaro to two wins in Stock Eliminator.
The NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on April 26-28 at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, is the next event on the schedule. FS1 will telecast eliminations and finals at 6 p.m. ET April 28.
An interview with Top Fuel winner BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (2017 class champion; No. 1 qualifier; ninth career Top Fuel victory; competed in 149th race; runner-up in last race at Las Vegas; won the race in 2018):
WOW. YOU’RE ENTIRE WEEKEND.
“Wow is a good word for it. No. 1 qualifier. That 3.66 that this Advance Auto Parts team put on the board was just unbelievable. We’ve just been consistent all weekend long, made awesome runs and to come out here and win is outstanding. Big thank you to David Grubnic, Max Savage, all my guys. They are incredible to work with and this is our first win together with Advance Auto Parts.”
YOU WERE ON A MISSION.
“Yes, all of John Force Racing was on a mission. My dad and I No. 1 – first time father/daughter ever qualified No. 1 at an event – so that was pretty awesome for all of us. That’s something very special that my dad and I will share. We were looking for a win with him, but to do it with the Auto Club car is pretty awesome.”
IT TOOK A COUPLE OF RACES TO GET ACCLIMATED AND JELLING. ARE YOU THERE?
“I think so; we’re in the winner’s circle so it’s definitely a good start but we still have a long season ahead of us and it really boils down to staying in the top 10 and those Countdown races to get to another championship.”
HOW SPECIAL IS IT TO START THE DAY STANDING HERE WITH YOUR DAD AND ENDING THE DAY STANDING WITH YOUR TEAMMATE?
“Very special. I felt good sitting behind Robert when he turned a win light on because my first win I doubled up with Robert. We won a championship together, so I was feeling pretty good when I saw him turn that light on. I said, ‘OK, we got this.’ “
IN THE SEMIFINALS, WHEN ROBERT WAS RACING YOUR DAD, WHO WERE YOU PULLING FOR?
“It doesn’t matter; it’s both of them up there and means that JFR is going to the finals so I’m happy either way.”
THERE WERE A LOT OF CHANGES IN THE OFFSEASON. GOING INTO THE SEASON, WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS?
“That happens every season, I feel. There’s big change; there’s something huge going on. This year it was coming out with Advance Auto Parts. This weekend is huge, it’s our first win together as a team.”
WHAT IS IT ABOUT HOUSTON THAT HAS BECOME SO SPECIAL FOR YOU?
“I love Houston. I love this racetrack. That win for us last year was huge for us. This year, we did it with a whole new group of guys so it’s special. It’s the first win of the season but we’re looking for more.”
An interview with Funny Car winner ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF TEXAS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (2017 class champion; class points leader; earned first Funny Car national event win at track in 2005; runner-up at track in 2017, ’18; No. 5 qualifier; 48th career win to tie for 13th on all-time list; 74th career final):
YOU’RE EXTENDING YOUR POINTS LEAD. HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR TEAM IN THE GAME?
“They keep me in the game; these guys are unbelievable. Tiger Woods wins today (The Masters), an old guy can still do this.”
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PLACE?
“Houston holds a special place in my heart. Back in 2005 I came in here as a rookie and got the first win and this is my third win. We love coming to Houston. What a difference 24 hours makes. Basically, going into Saturday morning I’m hoping it doesn’t rain because we weren’t qualified and then this Triple A Texas team just gave me a great race car yesterday, got us up to the top of the field and the rest is history.”
YOU’RE THE ONLY PERSON IN NHRA HISTORY TO BEAT JOHN FORCE FOUR TIMES IN A ROW.
“That changes in a hurry, trust me. This is a humbling sport. John is chasing 150 wins and I think he got 100 right here at this racetrack. He can beat me the next six times. That’s the way it goes. We’ve got a great team; we work together and we share and you can see it’s paying off. We’re going rounds both teams. PEAK is going to win some races and, trust me, coming to the end of the year John is going to be in the hunt for that championship.”
THIS HAS BEEN A PRETTY GOOD SEASON FOR YOU.
“It’s going well; this is what you dream of a season like this. I still believe Funny Car is the toughest class out here. A lot of great drivers, the cars are very close and to get three wins in five races it just shows these guys are digging a little deeper. Going to the last day of the season (2018) and not getting it done, these guys worked hard over the winter. They didn’t like that feeling and we’re trying to put ourselves in a better position going into the Countdown this year.”
DID YOU EVER DOUBT YOURSELF (OF NOT BEING QUALIFIED THROUGH TWO ROUNDS)?
“No, definitely not. Nor my team. You just dig. Two years ago we won the championship and we weren’t qualified until the last run (of the final race of season), we were 15th, we’re chasing Ron Capps and everybody just put their head down, did their job, focused and we ended going out there getting the job done. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and today is definitely a top up.”