HIGHT ROCKETS TO No. 1 AT NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS

 

EPPING, NH– The Auto Club Ford has been dominating the winner’s circle this year with four wins but on Friday at the 2nd annual Auto Plus New England NHRA Nationals Robert Hight got back to his dominating qualifying roots. The 2009 Funny car champion has 45 No. 1s in his career but none in 2014. Tonight he raced to the top of the Funny Car field with a track record elapsed time of 3.988 seconds at 321.58 mph. It was not a surprise to Hight that his Auto Club Mustang ran so well.

 

“That was pretty awesome. We made a nice run the first run. Mike Neff told me when we were going up there we were not going to be cowards tonight. We are going to get after this thing. He honestly figured there would be a few other cars running in the 3s. He said he was tired of all those guys having all the fun,” said Hight in the pressroom.  “It wasn’t like we didn’t know how to do it. We ran some 3.98s in Pomona. Neff is not a real aggressive racer. He doesn’t get a lot of no. 1 qualifiers. He goes a lot of rounds because he races smart. Tonight he said he was just tired of it and we put a different super charger on it. It was unbelievable. It was one of those runs where it is so fast and so smooth that you don’t know how fast it was going. I crossed the finish line, hit the chutes, glanced at that scoreboard and saw that 3.98. That was pretty exciting.”

 

It was total team effort to get to the top spot. Track specialist Lanny Miglizzi was instrumental in keeping all the JFR crew chiefs up to date on the improving track conditions throughout the day. Miglizzi was raving about New England Dragway as far back as last year during the inaugural event.

 

“Lanny (Miglizzi) told us that last year that this was a really good race track but there were some issues last year with the heat. He said this year if we got good air we would run fast. We saw the Pro Stock cars running track records and I think you will see track records in Top Fuel here. It is a great race track and the air is unbelievable. We wanted to put on a good show for these fans here in Northern New England. We have AAA of Northern New England with us this weekend. We have to show off for them a little bit,” said a thrilled Hight.

 

“We knew last year that if conditions were good you would see awesome runs. I told all the fans last year that they should be very proud of having one of the best race tracks in the country here. We just didn’t have good conditions because it was so hot. The cool weather gave the fans a real treat. The fans should be really proud right here in their backyard they have one of the greatest tracks in the country,” added Hight.

 

When Hight was asked about improving on his record run he reverted to his team mantra of racing smart. The team has been consistent in qualifying but on race day they have been nearly unstoppable racing to six straight final rounds earlier this season.

 

“Jimmy Prock, John Force’s crew chief, is one of those guys that picks every single run apart. Mike Neff will look at that run for a few minutes and move on to tomorrow. Tomorrow’s conditions will be different. It will be warmer. Tomorrow is really what we will be faced with on Sunday. Tomorrow is the big day. Mike Neff won’t be picking this run apart.”

 

Courtney Force is picking up where she left off last year at New England Dragway and continuing her success at this track. Force, who is celebrating her 26th birthday today, posted two strong runs on the first day of qualifying putting her in the No. 3 spot going into Saturday.

Last year’s inaugural New England NHRA Nationals event winner posted a 4. 129 ET at 310.20 mph in the opening session today, briefly setting her in the No. 8 spot.

 

“It feels good to be back here in Epping where I got the inaugural win in Funny Car last year. It feels great to come back to a track that’s familiar to me and my team. We had a good day of qualifying. We made a good pass the first run out, but I’m glad we could improve on it,” said Force.

 

The winner of the 100th professional event win for women in the NHRA came back in the second session to top her previous numbers. The now 26-year-old driver posted a 4.031 ET at a track speed record of 323.35 mph. By the end of the day, that run would be good for the No. 3 spot and one bonus point for third-quickest of that qualifying session.

 

“On the second run, everyone was going for it. We had great conditions out here. I think it was a great show for the fans. We ran a 4.03. That wasn’t exactly what my crew chief wanted to run, but I was happy. All eight of my birthday candles were lit! But Ron Douglas was hoping to run in the 3’s. It didn’t quite make it there, but I think we have a good race car. Definitely can’t be unhappy finishing third in qualifying today, picking up a bonus point and setting a track speed record on my birthday. It’s definitely a cool feeling to know you’re in the top half. I’ll be able to sleep better tonight. We’ll see what we can bring to the table tomorrow,” said Force.

 

John Force and his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang made a strong run on the second qualifying session. His 4.092 second pass run at 311.70 mph down the historic New England Dragway put the veteran Funny Car pilot solidly in the field in the No. 8 spot. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion has been struggling the last few races and on his first qualifying run, the massive Goodyear slicks lost traction about 100 feet past the starting line.

 

“We smoked on that first pass but Jimmy Prock (crew chief, Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang) and the rest of the guys tuned up my old hot rod before the second session. We know it would have run faster than 4.09 but Jimmy wanted to be conservative so we could make a good clean run,” said Force, runner-up at the inaugural New England Nationals last year.

 

Now that the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang is qualified in the top-half of the field, the team will try to step up the performance during the two qualifying sessions on Saturday. Under the watchful eye of Jimmy Prock, he we try to step up Force’s 8000-horsepower Mustang even more.

 

“The 4.09 pass on that second session wasn’t as good as we wanted to run but we needed to get down the track. We’ve been struggling a little bit and on the first run, it just smoked the tires and part of the reason was the clutch issues. But, we can work on it and we’ll improve on that performance,” said Jimmy Prock, crew chief, Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang Funny Car.

 

“I’ve got a lot of changes in my operation right now but everyone is running very good so New Hampshire is starting out good. With this being Courtney’s birthday, it would be great if she was number one qualifier but Robert Hight ran that big number and set the track record,” said John Force.

 

Of all the drag strips on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule, New England Dragway is like going back in time with its vintage timing tower and bleacher grandstands. The fans are probably some of the most passionate and that fuels John Force even more.

 

“I raced up here in Epping with Castrol over 25 years ago and we won a lot of races before they had the big nationals. The fans are great and we did a great autograph session over at our midway trailer. The lines were long but the fans here are awesome,” said John Force.

 

At last year’s NHRA New England Nationals, John Force would end up qualifying number one and would go all the way to the finals in which he would face daughter Courtney. She would go on to defeat her father that day but John Force is hungry for his 140th career victory and a win this Sunday at New England Dragway would be a nice addition to hi
s already impressive career.

 

Brittany Force and her Castrol EDGE Dragster made two great qualifying runs today and showed the fans and the competition she’s ready for her first win. The Castrol EDGE Dragster was hitting on all eight and pumping out 10,000 horsepower as it blasted the fans in the stands with an impressive 3.776 second run at 325.45 mph during the evening session. Even though she wasn’t the quickest, she was the fastest race car in the pits at New England Dragway and grabbing the fourth qualifying spot. 

 

“I was excited to get the car down there, it made a good clean pass and it ran a 3.77 so I’m very excited about that. This probably our best chance to run a good number and out it on the board because the weather and track conditions were excellent and we did just that. We moved up to the number four spot so I’m very happy,” said Brittany Force.

 

In the first session, Brittany had run 3.830 seconds at 321.58 mph that place her in the eighth spot. Crew chief Todd Smith and Dean “Guido” Antonelli wanted to play it safe on the first session and make a good clean run.

 

“I was really excited after our first run. The 3.83 pass was solid and I knew we would step it up and improve from there,” said Brittany Force.

 

The Castrol EDGE team had only made five runs down New England Dragway last year so it was critical to get some good data from the first run so they can make the necessary adjustments and improve Brittany’s qualifying position going into the evening session.

 

“We wanted to have a conservative approach going into that first session so we tuned to run a 3.81 or a 3.83 and it did. We made some adjustments as we knew the conditions would improve in the second session,” said Antonelli.

 

After Brittany’s disappointing first round loss last weekend at Bristol, she’s been pumped about coming to Epping. She’s motivated her crew and knows that they are ready to get that first Top Fuel win for Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing.

 

“Coming to Epping for the second time, the playing field is definitely pretty level. Because all the teams including us have only been here twice, we basically have the same amount of runs and data in our books to tune from. We’re all starting at the same place so the Castrol EDGE team has the same chance as some of the other teams who have been racing for years,” said Brittany Force. 

 

FOCUS ON CONSISTENCY FOR HIGHT HEADING INTO NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS

EPPING, NH (June 17, 2014) — On the heels of a tough outing last weekend at the Ford Thunder Valley Nationals Mello Yello Funny Car points leader Robert Hight and the Auto Club team are looking to get back to early season form at the 2nd annual New England Nationals. With four wins to his credit already in 2014 Hight wants to add a fifth win and extend his points lead.

“Last year we lost in the first round in Epping. I don’t want a repeat of that this season. We went to six straight finals earlier this season and I know we can get back to that kind of consistency with one good weekend,” said Hight.

Last year Hight and the Auto Club team qualified No. 5 before being upset in the first round by veteran Del Worsham and the DHL Funny Car from Kalitta Racing. His JFR teammates went on to battle it out in the final round with sister-in-law Courtney Force earning the win over 16-time Funny Car champion John Force. Hight would like to make this year’s final an all JFR affair again.

“it is always fun when you can race your teammate in the final round of a race. It takes all the pressure off and you can just go up there and let it all hang out. We had a pretty good streak of final round appearances for the team snapped a few races ago so I would like to get that streak going again. It is tough to win in this category so we know our work will be cut out for us,” said Hight, the 2009 Funny Car champion.

John Force Racing had a streak of fifteen races with at least one JFR Funny Car in the final broken in Englishtown. For Hight his road to a second Funny Car championship will be an uphill battle. He has had a string of six consecutive final round appearances so far this season and only two first round losses. Over that stretch of six races he picked up four wins including three in a row. The Auto Club team has a commanding lead in the Mello Yello point standings but Hight and the rest of the team are not looking at the scoreboard they are focused on the finish line.

“We have gotten off to fast starts before but we didn’t finish. This season is all about focus and finishing strong. I have a great crew chief in Mike Neff along with the other JFR crew chiefs and we are racing smart. I have a lot of confidence and we are just racing as hard as the track allows us,” said Hight, a 33-time national event winner.

The John Force Racing Funny Car trio led by Hight at the top of the points followed by 16-time Funny Car champion John Force in second place and a surging Courtney Force are all solidly in the Top Ten as well as locked into the prestigious Traxxas Nitro Shootout. Every year of Hight’s career he has won multiple national events and he has only not led the points at least one week of the season only one time in the past decade.

“I have had great equipment and great teams behind me since I started racing in 2005. You don’t win 33 times without a great team and I don’t take mine for granted. I know how hard they all work and as a former crew man I know how hard these cars are to work with. We all work together on this Auto Club team to do everything right so there are no fire drills and no panic. The focus we have as a team comes from being confident in the teammate beside you and that is one of the things that is great about JFR we are all one team working together,” said Hight.

For Immediate Release

JOHN FORCE IS READY FOR AN EPPING FINAL ROUND REDO  

John Force and his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang are locked, loaded and ready for Epping. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion has been anticipating heading back to New England Dragway for the second annual Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals. He has also been looking forward to having an opportunity to go to the final round, this time for a win. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champ would like to get his 140th career victory while adding the NHRA New England Nationals to the impressive list of events he has won in his fabled career.

“The New England Nationals is a great new market for NHRA and Mello Yello. The event also brings in many fans from Canada, which is also very cool. Auto Club is also up there, so I’m excited to be coming back to Epping,” said John Force.

During the inaugural Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals, and for the fourth time in John’s illustrious career, he squared off with one his daughters in the final round. This time, it was Courtney Force, and neither driver showed the other any mercy as their 8,000 horsepower Team Castrol Mustang Funny Cars flew down New England Dragway side-by-side. When the clutch dust and nitro fumes cleared, it was the 2012 NHRA Rookie of the Year who crossed the finish line first just ahead of her dad.

“Last year, we came off a win at Bristol on Father’s Day weekend and went into Epping thinking I could get another win but Courtney beat me in the final. I had beat her earlier at Bristol, so I guess it was revenge for my little girl,” said John Force

As the 2014 season reaches the halfway mark, the reigning NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champ knows he needs to start going rounds and winning races if he’s going to a 17th Mello Yello World Championship. They also know they can’t continue going down the path of first round defeats if they are going to stay in the hunt for the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Legendary racer John Force is on the case, and hopefully this weekend’s second annual NHRA New England Nationals will be race where he turns it around.

“We have all the horsepower in the world, and I have a great team. We’ve put aside our first round defeat at Bristol last week and have moved on and addressed the problems, so we’ll turn it around at Epping,” said John Force.

The 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champ is working even harder in chasing another world title, and shows no signs of slowing down. However, the competition has been tough and when you combine this with the mechanical gremlins the Castrol GTX High Mileage team has been chasing for part of this season, it’s easy to see that it has been a challenging first half of the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello season for John Force.

“We’ve been struggling with our hot rod, but I’ve got Jimmy Prock (crew chief), Danny DeGennaro (assistant crew chief) and the rest of the guys sorting it out. We need to keep our sponsors like Castrol, Auto Club, Traxxas, Ford, Mac Tools, Peak and BrandSource happy, and that’s what we’ll do,” said John Force.

John Force is still in second place with 640 Mello Yello Championship points. He trails his teammate, son-in-law and current leader, Robert Hight, by 265 points. More important, John Force knows the gap between him and the rest of field behind is tightening up, so he knows it’s imperative that he goes rounds at this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals.

With his win at this year’s NHRA Winternationals, and final-round appearances at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida and the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, we’re confident we’ll be rooting Mr. Force on to victory this weekend.

About Castrol

BP Lubricants USA Inc. markets premium lubricants and business–building programs directly to independent lube operators, service providers, new car dealers and leading retailers. Our leadership brands include Castrol® GTX® – a premium conventional motor oil; Castrol® GTX® High–Mileage™ – a premium synthetic blend designed for vehicles with over 75,000 miles; the Castrol® EDGE ® line of advanced full-synthetic super premium motor oils that offer unsurpassed strength and performance; as well as our range of commercial transport lubricants. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please call 1–888–CASTROL or log on to

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–BRISTOL HEAT MELTS JFR’S CHANCE TO REPEAT

June 18, 2014 ARP Trish

B. FORCE STAYS No. 1; HIGHT No. 4 AT BRISTOL

BRISTOL, TN – For the second time in her career, Brittany Force and her Castrol EDGE Top Fuel Dragster will race from the number one qualifying position this Sunday at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The 2013 Auto Club NHRA Rookie of the Year has secured her second number one qualifying position within the last three NHRA races with a stellar 3.82 second run at 317.94 mph.

“The Castrol EDGE team is excited, pumped and ready for race day tomorrow. My guys have really worked hard on this Castrol EDGE Dragster and it’s really coming around,” said Brittany Force.

Brittany Force will run Top Fuel veteran and racing legend Chris “The Greek” Karamesines in the opening round on Sunday. This will be the first time these two drivers have faced each other in competition and you couldn’t ask for a more diverse match up. Brittany, who is 27 years old and in her sophomore year behind the wheel of her Castrol EDGE Dragster and Chris Karamesines, who is well over 80 years old and has been racing since the 1950s.

“It’ll be awesome to run in the lane next to the legendary Chris ‘The Greek’ Karamesines. I’ve read so much about him and what he’s accomplished in drag racing over the 50 years. It will be a good show for the fans,” said Brittany Force.

With this being Brittany’s second number one qualifying position in the last three races, it’s not a fluke the Castrol EDGE team has done their homework and is working as a cohesive unit. Brittany’s also been improving as driver and her third qualifying run today of 3.874 seconds at 316.60 mph drives that point home.

“We made three great runs here and we’re looking to go rounds tomorrow. Every time I make a pass in this dragster, I’m learning as a driver and the runs we made today and yesterday will gives my team something to work with come race day,” added Force.

With four races in a row and the second number one qualifying position in the last three races, Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE team has done a complete transformation from this time year.

“With this second number one qualifying run in the last three races, it just builds the whole team up, not just me. The crew chiefs and the guys are pumped for race day. Going in tomorrow, our confidence will be high and the guys will be even more aggressive and motivated,” said Brittany Force.

With Father’s Day this Sunday, Brittany Force would like nothing more than to present her legendary dad and 16-NHRA Mello Yello World Champion, John Force, a win tomorrow.

“I love coming to Bristol Dragway, its beautiful and one of my favorite tracks. It’s loud, intense and it is a cool place to race. It would be the ultimate Father’s Day present to my dad if I could win this race tomorrow. That would be a pretty awesome Father’s Day gift,” said Brittany Force.

The hot conditions on Saturday threw a number of the teams curves balls but Robert Hight’s Auto Club team handled the tricky conditions and feels confident going into race day. In the first session today the Auto Club Mustang got loose at half-track posting a pedestrian 6.777 second elapsed time. In the final session crew chief Mike Neff set the Funny Car up to make a conservative run to get data for race day and his strategy worked perfectly as Hight drove right down the middle of his lane in 4.210 seconds at 305.49 mph.

“The conditions changed quite a bit from yesterday to today but we made a great run in the first session and then Neff is doing his usual deal working his way to a race day tune-up. It was really hot today and the track was tricky but all the crew chiefs are getting together. John (Force) made three good runs so we are all sharing info for tomorrow. I want to get back into the winner’s circle and we’ll ready,” said Hight, the current Mello Yello points leader.

Hight settled into the No. 4 qualifying position based on his 4.074 second pass on Friday. He will race Justin Schriefer of Grand Park, Illinois in the first round. They have met twice before but not since 2010 with Hight holding a 2-0 record.

Courtney Force took her Traxxas Ford Mustang to the No. 6 spot in qualifying this weekend at Bristol Dragway and will have lane choice over Jack Beckman in the first round on Sunday. Force posted a 4.077 during Friday’s night session and the time held through both of Saturday’s sessions to give her the No. 6 spot. This is the first time the Traxxas Ford Mustang driver has qualified in the top half of the field at the Thunder Valley Nationals.

“It’s great being out here in Bristol and to see that we have a consistent race car. We got in down the track on every run in qualifying except one. Obviously for the last run we were going after a better number to see if we could improve and we just weren’t able to get it down there,” said Force.

On Saturday, Force posted a 4.20 ET for their first run of the day with a cylinder out and slowing the car, and smoked the tires in the follow-up run in the heat of the day. 

“We’ve been slowed by having cylinders out in some of those runs so I’m hoping tomorrow on race day we can get everything together, get the momentum going and not have some of the problems we’ve had in qualifying. I think we will get them all sorted out. Either way, we have a quick race car qualified in the top half of the field so I’m proud of my guys; my whole Traxxas team for getting me there and I’m looking forward to race day tomorrow,” said Force.

Force is 4-2 against Beckman, winning their last three meetings. The pair met three times during Force’s Rookie year in 2012 and three times last year in 2013, but this is the first time they have lined up beside each other this season.

“It’s going to be fun being out here with my dad on Father’s Day. He’s qualified in the top half of the field as well and I won’t see him until the semis if I do get to race him. I’m excited. I have a tough first round match up with Jack Beckman. We’re going to give it all we got,” said Force.

John Force and his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang will be hopped up and raring to go on race day. The reigning NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car Champion qualified No. 7, making three solid and consistent qualifying runs on a hot race track, picking up six NHRA Mello Yello Bonus Qualifying Points and ending up in the top half of the field.

“We’ve been struggling these last few races but the guys have obviously pulled this race car back. Working together with Mike Neff (Crew Chief/Auto Club Mustang) and all our teams, we just needed to slow my hot rod down a bit. Even at that, it still runs in the top four or five, so it’s more about strategy than just power, and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow,” said John Force.

During the last few races, the Castrol GTX High Mileage team has had clutch issues, but crew chief Jimmy Prock and the crew have fixed it, as Force’s Funny Car ran 4.099, 4.144 and 4.148 right down Bristol Dragway. With his confidence renewed, the 2013 Bristol winner is still not taking his first round opponent lightly.

John Force will face Alexis DeJoria in round one tomorrow. These two fiercely competitive drivers have squared off against each other 12 times in the past, with John winning eight times. However, John knows there are no easy rivals and any driver can hand him loss a very quickly if he and the Castrol GTX High Mileage team don’t come out swinging on race day.

“I’m really proud of all my drivers, but especially Brittany. That team has really pulled together over there, as Todd Smith (Crew Chief/Castrol EDGE Dragster) and Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli (Assistant Crew Chief/Castrol EDGE Dragster) and those new kids have a lot of heart, and heart is what this game is all about,” said John Force.  

Going into Father’s Day this Sunday, it will be very special for John Force. It was racing that took him on the road for many decades and away fr
om his children, but now, years later, it is racing that brings them together.

“That’s why I’m still out here, so I can be with my kids. I was alone so many times and when I lost, I really missed them. It was the crowds that got me through the day when I failed, but to be racing with my kids is awesome,” said John Force.

John Force and his teams are in a building stage, as fresh faces have given renewed energy to this racing dynasty. It’s this energy that keeps John Force motivated and chasing his 140th career win and even another NHRA Mello Yello World Championship.

“We added PEAK this year and we want to keep winning races and showing our sponsors what we can do for them. I was in Charlotte on Monday for a PEAK appearance on their Stock Car reality TV show. You see the passion of these kids and it motivates me,” said Force.

HIGHT LOOKING TO MAKE NOISE AT FORD THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

BRISTOL, TN (June 10, 2014) — With four wins to his credit in 2014 Robert Hight is looking to equal his best career win total of five with a second victory at the Ford Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals this weekend. In 2011 Hight recorded his first and only win at the historic track and it was in that same season that he picked up five national event wins. Unfortunately, his second NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car championship eluded him at the end of the season.

“Getting that win in Bristol was big. This is a race that I always wanted to win because there is so much history here. We won five times but finished third in the points at the end of the season in 2011. I want to dominate all season and win the championship,” said Hight.

Hight is well on his way to dominating in 2014. He has had a string of six consecutive final round appearances so far this season and only one first round loss. Over that stretch of six races he picked up four wins including three in a row. The Auto Club team has a commanding lead in the Mello Yello point standings but Hight and the rest of the team are not looking at the scoreboard they are focused on the finish line.

“We have gotten off to fast starts before but we didn’t finish. This season is all about focus and finishing strong. I have a great crew chief in Mike Neff along with the other JFR crew chiefs and we are racing smart. I have a lot of confidence and we are just racing as hard as the track allows us. We lost our final round streak in Englishtown but that just means we have to start another streak in Bristol,” said Hight, a 33-time national event winner.

The John Force Racing Funny Car trio led by Hight at the top of the points followed by 16-time Funny Car champion John Force in second place and a surging Courtney Force are all solidly in the Top Ten as well as locked into the prestigious Traxxas Nitro Shootout. Every year of Hight’s career he has won multiple national events and he has only not led the points at least one week of the season only one time in the past decade.

“I have had great equipment and great teams behind me since I started racing in 2005. You don’t win 33 times without a great team and I don’t take mine for granted. I know how hard they all work and as a former crew man I know how hard these cars are to work with. We all work together on this Auto Club team to do everything right so there are no fire drills and no panic. The focus we have as a team comes from being confident in the teammate beside you and that is one of the things that is great about JFR we are all one team working together,” said Hight.

 

COURTNEY FORCE WANTS TO GRAB SECOND WIN OF SEASON IN BRISTOL

BRISTOL, TN (June 10, 2014) —- Courtney Force has competed at Bristol Dragway twice in her short professional Funny Car career. During her rookie year in 2012, the Traxxas Ford Mustang driver qualified No. 13 and came back in 2013 to qualify No. 11. The 2012 Rookie of the Year suffered unfortunate first round losses in the first round both years, first to Ron Capps and then to her father, Funny Car legend John Force.

“I feel like we’ve turned our luck and confidence around a lot lately and being that we haven’t done well here in the past, I’m excited to get back to Bristol and improve from the past couple years. We’ve had tough first round losses here since our Traxxas team was put together, but I think if we can get our car figured out early in qualifying we can turn our luck around,” said Force.

Last year, Force was ousted in the first round by her father, John Force, en route to his first event win of 2013. The margin of victory for John was just .003 seconds. Courtney’s time was the second quickest Funny Car ET of the first round.

“We’ve got a competitive race car and I’m ready for another Father’s Day match-up on the track, against my dad. I think it’s time to give the Bristol fans a great show this Father’s Day weekend,” said Force.

The Traxxas Ford is the fastest Funny Car ever to negotiate the eighth mile course at 325.34 mph and has posted top speed at four of nine races this year. She has also gone to the final round in back-to-back races for the first time in her professional driving career. She was runner-up at Atlanta and took home the 100th professional win for women in the NHRA at Topeka when she dismissed Cruz Pedregon in the final.

“It feels great knowing that we have got one of the fastest hot rods on the circuit. We may not be winning every race, but we are pushing in the right direction by making this car more consistent on the track with these top speeds. Being that we’ve been in back to back finals lately gives my Traxxas team a boost of confidence going into Bristol,” said Force.

With the Topeka win Force also locked up an all-important spot in the third annual Traxxas Nitro Shootout. This is the second year in a row that Force will not have to rely on fans and the lucky bounce of a lottery ball to race for the $100,000 grand prize during the U.S. Nationals. Having a spot secured took a fair amount of pressure off the third year driver.

“You definitely want to represent your sponsor in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout but I have some added pressure since my sponsor is Traxxas. They have been with me since I started racing professionally and I want to get that trophy for my team and also as a show of thanks to Traxxas president Mike Jenkins for his faith in me. We have a race car that is running really well and I like our chances going forward,” said Force.

BRITTANY FORCE BOUND AND DETERMINED FOR BRISTOL WIN  

Despite having a weekend off from doing battle on drag strips across America, all Brittany Force thought about these past few days was getting on the road and heading to Bristol Dragway. The 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year may have been in Southern California with her family and friends this past week, but her mind was behind the wheel of her 10,000 horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster. This 27 year-old driver, who worked her way up through the Sportsman classes, is determined to bring home her first Top Fuel win at this weekend’s Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

“I think I perform better when we’re constantly on the move and have back-to-back races. It keeps my focus in the right place. Luckily it’s only one weekend off, so it shouldn’t faze any of us and it won’t be that hard for me and the crew to get back into our routine when we arrive in Bristol,” said Brittany Force.

After coming off a strong finish two weeks ago at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals, in which Brittany drove her dragster to a top-ten qualifying position and quarterfinal finish, she wants to keep the momentum going. Her sophomore year in the Top Fuel class has seen a dramatic improvement from her rookie season.

So far this year, Brittany Force has made it to the finals and has even claimed a number one qualifying spot – both of which are huge milestones for Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing. The Castrol EDGE Dragster has been getting more consistent at each race, and the crew and Brittany are working even more as a cohesive unit.

“This Castrol EDGE team is so much stronger than it was last year. Todd Smith (crew chief) and Dean Antonelli (assistant crew chief) and the rest of my guys have been doing awesome this season. We’ve been qualifying great, going rounds and looking stong,” said Brittany Force.  

During last year’s Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Brittany Force and her Castrol EDGE Top Fuel Dragster began to head in the right direction, despite having no race data, as it was the team’s first time at Bristol Dragway. On the fourth and final qualifying session, she was the second quickest and earned two qualifying bonus points. She also won her fourth competitive round for her 2013 NHRA Rookie of Year bid. It was one of the most successful races during her Top Fuel rookie season with Brittany qualifying in the top h
alf of the field and then advancing to her second quarterfinals in a row.

It was in the second round in which Brittany Force faced fellow Top Fuel competitor Spencer Massey. As both dragsters left the starting line, it was a side-by-side battle all the way down Bristol Dragway, with Massey just nudging past Brittany with his 3.864-second time to her 3.871-second pass.

Currently eighth in the NHRA Mello Yello points chase, Brittany’s happy with the direction her team is heading. Even tough she was disappointed in her quarterfinal loss at the NHRA Toyota Nationals, she’s still very pleased with how her team has stepped up its game with strong and consistent qualifying performances at the last few races.

For now, the always-optimistic 27 year-old Brittany Force and her team are looking forward to getting their first win at Bristol Dragway. With what they’ve learned these past twelve months, it could happen. Right now, Brittany’s focused on her reaction times, qualifying in the top half of the field, getting lane choice and going rounds on race day.

“I’m very proud of my guys, and we ran great at Englishtown. I was hoping to make it to the finals but we have another chance at Bristol Dragway this weekend,” said Brittany Force.

JOHN FORCE EAGER TO TURN THINGS AROUND AT THUNDER VALLEY

Legendary drag racer John Force may have been in a slump these past few races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, but rest assured, it’s making the 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champ work even harder in chasing another world title. Eager to turn things around at this weekend’s Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, John Force knows his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang has the horsepower to win races and a crew who are the best in the business.

However, the Castrol GTX High Mileage Team knows that getting snake-bit by mechanical gremlins on race day can be frustrating for even the most experienced teams. They also know they can’t continue going down that path if they are going to stay in the hunt for the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

“We are struggling with the clutch setup in the car. It’s been real inconsistent, but I’ve got my brain trust working on it. Jimmy Prock (crew chief), Danny DeGennaro (assistant crew chief) and the rest of the guys will get the clutch issues fixed before Bristol. Lately, this hot rod hasn’t done a good job for our sponsors like Castrol, Auto Club, Traxxas, Mac Tools, Peak and BrandSource. That needs to change, and fast,” said John Force.

Nevertheless, the veteran drag racer is always optimistic and doesn’t dwell on the last race. John Force knows all too well the legacy of his accomplishments at Bristol Dragway. If history can repeat itself, this weekend’s Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals could be the race in which John Force breaks out of the slump and starts going rounds again.

With a weekend off before heading to Bristol, John Force didn’t just sit back and relax. He was on the move and doing what he does best, promoting his brand.

“We took our travelling road show up to Canada. It was on display at the Hardcore Horsepower Shootout at St. Thomas Raceway Park over in London, Ontario. We showed the fans some of our cool hot rods and they really liked them,” said John Force.  

John Force loves branching out to new venues, but his heart is still behind the wheel and strapped into his 8000 horsepower Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang. He also knows it was at the Ford Thunder Valley Nationals last year that his 18-month drought, in which he had been winless for 31 races, would finally end.

John ended up qualifying sixth with a strong 4.071 second run, and went all the way to the finals on race day, winning the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals for the fourth time. It was also at this event that John Force secured a spot in the second annual Traxxas Shootout.   

During last year’s Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, John Force to had race daughter Courtney in the opening round. It may have been Father’s Day, but Courtney wasn’t going to hand a win over to her father. She was going for the win, and despite her .088 reaction time advantage to his .092 and the great side-by-side race they gave the fans, Courtney just came up short as John crossed the finish line first.

John Force would go on to defeat the 2011 NHRA Funny Car champ Matt Hagan and newcomer Blake Alexander before squaring off against rival Cruz Pedregon in the final round, ultimately claiming his fifth win at Bristol Dragway.

Once again, this year’s Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Sunday eliminations will take place on Father’s Day. Racing legend John Force would like nothing more than to be surrounded by his family in the winner’s circle at Bristol Dragway as he lifts the iconic Wally over his head for claiming his 140th career victory.

With his win at this year’s NHRA Winternationals and final-round appearances at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida and the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, we’d like to think the chances are in his favor to receive the best Father’s Day present this weekend.

 

HIGHT, J. FORCE STILL 1-2 IN POINTS AFTER ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ — For the 74th time John Force Racing will leave a Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event 1-2 in points.  For the eighth consecutive event Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang sit at the top leading teammate and boss John Force and his Castrol GTC High Mileage Ford Mustang. Courtney Force has surged up the Funny Car point standings positioned No. 6 and only eight points out of 4th place. While JFR is dominating the Funny Car category Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster continue to improve and hold steady at No. 8 distancing themselves from the drivers behind them in the point standings.

Today at the 45th annual Toyota Summernationals Robert Hight raced to a semi-final finish losing to Del Worsham in a close race which Hight led until his Goodyears hazed the track at the top end. Hight entered the race as the No. 3 qualifier and took out Bob Tasca III in the first round.

“Getting that first round win was huge. Once you get past the first round this Auto Club Funny Car has been pretty strong. There are a lot of tough Funny Car still left but I am hoping to go some more rounds today,” said an excited Hight at the top end following his opening round win.

Hight would square off with one of the toughest drivers he has faced in 2014, Alexis DeJoria. Hight dropped two final round races to her earlier this year before getting his first round win over her in Houston on the way to his 32nd career win. Hight’s solid 4.086 second winning elapsed time was good enough to give his Auto Club team lane choice in the semi-finals versus his long-time friendly rival Del Worsham.

Hight took a solid starting line advantage from Worsham in the semi-final race but a tricky left lane bit the Auto Club Ford Mustang just past half-track opening the door for Worsham to advance to his first Funny Car final since the 2010 installment of the Toyota Summernationals.

With a strong qualifying effort and consistent performance, Brittany Force still came up shy of winning the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals. Her Castrol EDGE dragster looked strong all weekend and was a contender to win today.

Brittany Force had qualified fifth with a stout 3.777 second run at 324.44 mph earlier in the weekend. Racing from the top-half of the field, Brittany had lane choice going into the opening round in which she would face Spencer Massey. It was Massey that that put Brittany on the trailer in the semi-finals during last weekend’s NHRA Kansas Nationals in Topeka, Kansas. Brittany was looking to even the score. As the lights on the Christmas tree came down, Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster blasted off with strong 3.789 second run and took the win.

“I was excited to get that win against him (Massey) in round one. He got us last weekend so it was our turn this weekend for the Castrol EDGE team to beat him. We were hoping to go some rounds and we had lane choice going into round two so I was very excited because that number we ran in round one was awesome,” said Brittany Force.

During the quarterfinals, Brittany Force lined up with Morgan Lucas. Once again she had lane choice and it was the first time these tough young competitors have faced each other. At the first hint of green, both dragsters left the starting line side-by-side. Brittany’s Castrol EDGE dragster was charging hard on the top end then the tires broke loose around 600 foot mark.

That’s when the Goodyear slicks started to smoke and her car began to slide around. All she could do was watch Lucas drive away and get the win. It was a tough break for the 2013 NHRA Auto Club Rookie of the Year who has working hard on achieving her first Top Fuel win for the Castrol EDGE team and John Force Racing.

“I’m very disappointed in how it did in the second round. We had a strong car all weekend and we were running 3.77 and it was pretty consistent. We were in the left lane which had been the better lane during the first round of eliminations. I felt just as long as the car went down the groove, we’d be okay. I felt the tires break lose and I tried to pedal it. It did hook back up but it wasn’t enough to get past Morgan Lucas,” said Brittany Force.

No losses are easy to take for any professional drag racer, regardless of how many passes they’ve made down the strip. However for Brittany Force, she doesn’t dwell on her last round of competition. Brittany stays positive and focused for the next race on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. 

“It was still a good weekend since we got past the first round. That was always tough for us last year, right now we’re moving in the right direction and going rounds. The Castrol EDGE dragster is running really strong and Todd Smith, Guido Antonelli and the rest of the guys are doing a great job. I’m ready to head to Bristol and get back in the cockpit of my dragster,” said Brittany Force.

Brittany Force is currently in eighth place with 462 NHRA Mello Points Top Fuel points.

It wasn’t a good day for drag racing legend John Force as the three-time 2014 finalist lost in the opening round. Persistent clutch issues have plagued the Castrol GTX High Mileage team for the last few races once again sidelined the seasoned veteran in round one. Force had been hoping to claim his 140th career victory and end his thirteen year drought of being winless at the NHRA Summernationals.

“My car had run 4.01 in qualifying and we pushed it harder, we’d thought it could run faster today. We had been running big speed but unfortunately the clutch disintegrated within 100 feet. We’re going to address these issues. Luckily, we remain second in points,” said John Force.

The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion had made a solid run in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang on Friday with a 4.015 second pass at 310.48 mph and he qualified fourth. John Force drew Matt Hagan in the opening round on race day and had the advantage of lane choice. These two have done battle eighteen times and faced each other in the finals at the season opener NHRA Winternationals.

John had a slight reaction time advantage over Hagan and did a great driving job to reel his Mustang back into the groove at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Unfortunately he couldn’t catch Hagan.

“We build big power, that’s why when it runs, it runs good. That’s why we have the NHRA national record. Maybe that’s the problem, we’re too fast and it’s hard on the clutch. We ran good earlier in the season and despite struggling these last few races, we’ll fix the clutch problems and get this Castrol Hot Rod in the winner’s circle,” said John Force.

“It’s even tougher losing early at Englishtown because this is Castrol’s home track. Their headquarters are just up the road in Wayne, New Jersey and we had many of their folks out here with us this weekend in our pits and up in the stands seeing our hot rods making some noise and Robert Hight going to the semi-finals,” said John Force.

The Castrol GTX High Mileage team leaves the NHRA Summernationals still in second place with 601 NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car points. They’ll have a weekend off and head back to the shop in Brownsburg, Indiana to regroup and work through the clutch issue before heading out on the road again. The next race will be the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

“We just need to keep the faith, never give up, never look back just keep looking ahead,” said John Force.

Courtney Force qualified in the top half of the field this weekend in the No. 7 spot and had lane choice going into the opening round against fellow Ford racer Tim Wilkerson on race day. Despite Force’s 7-1 winning record against Wilkerson in previous events, the Traxxas team posted a 4.116 ET at 312.78 mph to the Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang’s 4.073 ET at 301.33 mph and handed over the win.

“We
came out this weekend off of a win and had a strong race car. We went down there, made a decent pass running a 4.11, and just got outrun. We didn’t expect Wilkerson to come out and lay down such a great number in that right lane. That was a tough lane to run in. Good job by him and his team,” said Force.

The 2012 NHRA Auto Club Rookie of the Year who picked up the 100th pro win for women last week, slipped one spot in the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car points with this first round loss, and will go into Bristol in the No. 6 position.

“It was tough for us, but we’ll come back next weekend in full force. We’re just happy that we have a consistent race car and thinks are looking up for this Traxxas Ford Mustang team. We’re going to move forward with our heads up,” said Force.

 

JFR FIRED UP FOR SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS IN ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – After two days of qualifying at historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park the four drivers from John Force Racing are ready to take on the tough competition that awaits them on race day. Led in qualifying by Mello Yello points leader and Summernationals No. 3 qualifier in Funny Car Robert Hight the trio of JFR Ford Mustang Funny Cars will all have the all-important lane choice in the first round. Castrol-backed John Force will have his pick of lanes as the No. 4 qualifier and most recent winner Courtney Force and the Traxxas Funny Car will also be able to select her path to hopeful victory as the No. 7 qualifier. In Top Fuel Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE dragster continued to impress with a strong No. 5 qualifying effort on the heels of her No. 1 effort last weekend in Topeka.

Brittany Force, the 2013 Auto Club Rookie of the Year, made a two solid qualifying runs and is poised to claim the first Top Fuel win for Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing.

“I think the Castrol EDGE Team is definitely on a roll. My crew guys led by Todd Smith and Dean Antonelli have really put an awesome race car together. We ran that 3.77 last night and to come back today and run that 3.78 on our last qualifying past is impressive. I actually had to back pedal my car a little bit as it was starting to spin the tires on the top end. I know we can run even better so I’m pumped and excited for tomorrow,” said Brittany Force

Earlier during today’s first session, the track couldn’t handle the 10,000 horsepower the BOSS 500 engine was pumping out. Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster smoked the tires down the track and could only manage to run a 4.571 second run at 159.70 mph. This didn’t discourage her or the crew as they quickly regrouped and made the necessary adjustments to the clutch on other components on the dragster.

“Our first run wasn’t that good my dragster smoked tires 400 feet out. It obviously wasn’t what we were looking for but my guys got it figured out before the last session,” said Brittany Force

On her fourth and finally qualifying session today, Brittany was in the tricky right lane that had surface issues at the 700-foot mark. It had been throwing the other Top Fuel teams curve balls but crew chief Todd Smith had a handle on it. Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster went right down the groove and lit scoreboard up with a strong 3.78 second pass at 313.66 mph. Even though she didn’t improve from her Friday run of 3.777 seconds, she showed the competitors her race car is consistent and ready for Sunday’s eliminations.

“The car almost made it down the track but there’s a bump near the finish line and it’s a little tricky to drive through this rough section of the track. I was going around 300 mph when I felt the car jump and take a right turn so I had to wrestle the steering wheel and it felt like it the tires were going up in smoke so I lifted early before the finish line. Still, it ran a good number and we’ll be ready for tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

Brittany Force will face Spencer Massey in round one on race day. She is 2–5 against Massey in prior match ups and she’ll be looking to avenge her semi-final loss to Massey during last weekend’s NHRA Kansas Nationals.

“We’ll have lane choice over Spencer Massey for round one tomorrow and I think the left lane might be better but that call is ultimately up to my crew chief. I’m looking forward to going rounds so we’ll see what happens tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

Robert Hight and the Auto Club team will be racing for their first victory at the Summernationals and he will have to face fellow Blue Oval race Bob Tasca III in the first round. Hight posted the third quickest qualifying run of the event a blistering 4.014 second pass on Friday night.

“That run on Friday was great but we wanted to get down the track twice today to get ready for Sunday. Our first run was good and in the last session I think we were just a little too aggressive. I am not worried. Mike Neff will set this Auto Club Ford Mustang up great,” said Hight.

In the opening session today Hight was running beside Tim Wilkerson and ran 4.093 seconds which was only one of six runs that session in the 4.0 range.

John Force was looking to improve during today’s qualifying sessions but tricky track conditions and mechanical gremlins prevented him from improving from yesterday’s 4.015 second run. Despite having two opportunities to move up in qualifying, the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang will start Sunday eliminations from the fourth position.

“Right now we can’t seem to repeat and conditions tomorrow could possible make it a one-lane race track, especially if the sun comes out. That right lane could be a problem but we’ll see what happens,” said John Force. 

Even with mild temperatures and partly cloudy skies shielding some sunlight from hitting and heating up the temperamental track surface of Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, John Force continued to struggle in getting his Funny Car’s performance consistent and repeatable.

“We’ll take it one run at a time and see if we can’t get past Hagan in round one. Like always, we’re excited as Brittany, Courtney and Robert all ran well and we’re all in the show. I’m excited to see if Brittany can get her first tomorrow so we’re going to keep on trucking and put some hot rods in the finals,” said John Force.

While this may present challenges for some teams, the Castrol GTX High Mileage brain trust of crew chief Jimmy Prock, assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro and the rest of the crew member will have John’s 8000-horsepower Mustang ready for Sunday.

“We went back to the old clutch disc we had been running two races ago. Unfortunately, it was engaging a little harder than we wanted it on that first qualifying pass. With the changing conditions in the afternoon, we were shooting for a 4.0 run on the second session but we just miscalculated,” said assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro.

On Sunday, the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car Champion will face Matt Hagan in the opening round. These two have squared off against each other a total of 18 times with each driver claiming nine wins. He last faced Matt at the season opener NHRA Winternationals where John defeated him in the final round.

Tomorrow, John will be focused on one thing, driving his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Mustang to the winner’s circle for his 140th career victory and ending his 13 year NHRA Summernationals drought at Englishtown, New Jersey. 

Courtney Force posted a stout 4.030 during Friday’s night session to take her into today’s qualifying passes. The Traxxas Ford Mustang followed up with two great passes today to put the team in the No. 7 spot for Sunday’s eliminations.

“It’s exciting coming out to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park here in Englishtown, New Jersey and to have this Traxxas team go out and make some consistent runs. That’s exactly how we wanted this weekend to start before going into race day on Sunday,” said Force.

In the third qualifying session, Force posted a 4.080 ET at 306.33 mph, followed by a 4.045 ET at 319.14 mph in the fourth and final session. The Traxxas team’s 4.045 was second-quickest of that session, awarding the team two qualifying bonus points.

“We went out and laid down some 4.0s and it took us to the top half of the field. We finished off qualifying with a 4.04 to pick up two bonus points for being the second-quickest car in that session,” said Force.

The 25-year-old will have lane choice over Tim Wilkerson in the opening round. Force is 7-1 against Wilkerson in previous match-ups.

“It feels good having a consistent race car going into race day. We’ll be matched up against Tim

Wilkerson, so we’ll do the best we can. We’re feeling confident right now and we’ll see what we can lay down tomorrow,” said Forc
e.

JFR FLEXES MUSCLES ON FRIDAY AT ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – John Force Racing did not waste excellent track conditions at the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals on Friday night. In qualifying the team was led by second year driver Brittany Force who posted the second quickest time in Top Fuel equal to Texan Steve Torrence whose speed was a hair faster and secured him the No. 2 spot while Force settled into the No. 3 spot. In Funny Car it was Robert Hight No. 3 (4.014), John Force No. 4 (4.015) and Courtney Force No. 6 (4.030) at the top of the field behind Cruz Pedregon’s 3.959 second pass which was the quickest pass in Funny Car history.

Brittany Force showed her fellow Top Fuel competitors that her number one qualifying performance from last weekend’s NHRA Kansas Nationals was no fluke. In the second session at today’s Toyota NHRA Summernationals, her Castrol EDGE Dragster rocketed to a 3.777 second pass at 324.44 mph that solidly placed her in the third qualifying spot. She was also awarded one NHRA Mello Yello bonus point for that run. This is Force’s best back-to-back qualifying performance in her Top Fuel driving career and it’s looking like it won’t be her last. 

“It’s excited to come out and be qualified third. The Castrol EDGE team is super pumped about it and that fact we were number one qualifier last weekend in Topeka says a lot about the hard work my guys have put into this dragster,” said Brittany Force.

Day one for Brittany at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals didn’t start very well. On her first run out of the box, her race car ran a lack luster 4.506 second run at a lazy 158.89 mph.

“On my first pass, the car just went out there and smoked the tires around 400 feet. I felt it in the seat and it threw me forward. The car was also very sluggish and felt like it wasn’t making any power. I was going to pedal it to see if it would hook up but I didn’t see the point as it was the first run and we could have broken some parts,” said Brittany Force.

On the second qualifying run, it was a whole different story as the Castrol EDGE team found their mojo from Topeka. Brittany was lined up against Steve Torrence and on the first flicker of green from the Christmas Tree; both dragsters rocketed down the track with matching 3.777 second times and nearly identical speeds. Steve Torrance just barely nudged Brittany out of the number two spot by running 324.51 mph verses Brittany’s 324.44 mph.

“On that pass, the Castrol EDGE Dragster went right down the track. There’s a little bump down there were the NHRA officials made some changes trying to fix the track surface. It felt like the car was starting to spin and that was my concern at the 700 foot mark on the drag strip. However, it drove right through it and the car went a 3.77 and I’m pumped about that. We’ll do our same routine tomorrow and see if we can get the number one spot and pick up some more bonus points,” said Brittany.

The Castrol EDGE team is also getting their groove on as crew chief Todd Smith and the guys have really dialed in Brittany’s new dragster. They have become a formidable threat to some of the other teams and are primed to bring Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing their first NHRA Top Fuel win.

“It’s a contribution by everyone on this team and taking the time, effort and runs to get it there. It’s been showing promise for the last few races and we’re finally getting to that point that the Castrol EDGE Dragster has its full potential,” said crew chief Todd Smith. 

The Auto Club team played it smart in the Friday night session posting an aggressive but not excessive 4.014 second elapsed time. The Ford Mustang Funny Car smoked the tires in the first session and opted to not risk smoking the tires going into Saturday.

“We wanted to be smart out there. There was no real reward but a lot of risk to being super aggressive. We needed to get a time and be at the top of the field. Mike Neff did that and we are in great shape going into Saturday. Tomorrow we will work on a race day tune-up and also try and get some of those qualifying bonus points. We picked up one tonight,” said Hight.

Hight’s Auto Club Funny Car has been the picture of consistency on race day and Hight is looking to bring some of that consistency to qualifying. On race day going back to the final three rounds of Atlanta where the Auto Club Ford Mustang got its 33rd win running 4.053, 4.074 and 4.049 it has averaged 4.053 seconds on it last seven runs down the track on Sunday.

John Force is looking to end his Toyota NHRA Summernationals drought. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champion hasn’t parked his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang in the winner’s circle at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park since 1999. Despite a runner-up appearance in 2004, he’d like to claim his 140th career win this weekend.

To get there, the team is looking to get the car consistent and repeatable on each run but with 8,000 horsepower at John Force’s command and tricky track conditions, it can be difficult. However, crew chief Jimmy Prock and assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro got the set up right today as John Force ran a 4.015 second pass at 310.48 mph to seize the fourth qualifying spot during the second session.

“Well, I wish we had gone down the track earlier as Robert and I could have pushed it harder but we had to get in tonight. My car spun and it probably would have run in the 3.90 second range but it spun at the bad spot down on the track. ” said John Force.

After dealing with mechanical issues and a first round loss last weekend at Topeka, the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion is still looking to improve his qualifying spot and get some extra NHRA Mello Yello bonus points. If the team can get a handle on the clutch gremlins that send the massive Goodyear slicks up in smoke, they’ll start to rounds on race day.

“We’re learning and every day is a learning process. But I’m excited to be here with Castrol and we’ve been having a ball for 28 years,” said John Force.

John’s lively spirits can be attributed to his team working out the kinks in his Castrol EDGE Machine and improving on its early run of 5.810 seconds at 123.71. It was on this pass that John’s Mustang got out of shape early in the run and he had to shut the car down early.

“We’ve been struggling with the clutch set up this year and haven’t been able to run like we did late last year. Our set up is quite conservative compared to last year but the car still puts up good numbers. For the two sessions tomorrow we’ll be going after consistency than trying to experiment with the set out with hope a picking up a little. The weather conditions will change so we just want to get the car so it will go rounds on Sunday,” said assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro.

Courtney Force, driver of the Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car, came out today No. 5 in the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car point standings. Force’s hot rod smoked the tires in the opening session today, but recovered in the last run of the day with a stout pass for the No. 6 spot. The 25-year-old driver posted a 4.030 ET at over 319 mph.

“In the night session we were able to go out and lay down a 4.03. It put us No. 6 in qualifying so we’re excited about that. We have a fast car out there and it makes us feel good to start on a good note. We’re excited to go into tomorrow and see if we can get some clean, consistent runs down this race track here in Englishtown,” said Force.

Force picked up the 100th pro win for women in the NHRA last weekend in Topeka, Kansas. The Traxxas Ford Mustang team has two sessions tomorrow to try to pick up some bonus points and move up the ladder to prepare for race day.

“Coming off a win, we’re excited to run in the low 4.0s, but there are a lot of teams out there that are doing the same thing. There are so many great women racers out here right now. It could have been any one of us to get tha
t No. 100.  I’m very proud of my Traxxas Ford Mustang team and we’re showing some strong performance so far this weekend so I’m looking forward to the rest of it,” said Force.

CASTROL AND JOHN FORCE RACING DEDICATE KEY REHABILITION TOOL TO ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL
 
WAYNE, NJ (May 29, 2014) – Castrol and John Force Racing today dedicated the delivery of a WT-960 TRAN-SIT® Car Transfer Simulator to be used at St. Joseph’s Hospital. A numerous dignitaries from Castrol and St. Joseph’s Hospital were on hand for the momentous occasion.
The state-of-the-art and high-tech WT-960 TRAN-SIT® Car Transfer Simulator will forever change how patients can reclaim their independence by providing them a convenient and safe method of regaining their basic driving skills within a controlled environment.

 “The simulated car or vehicle that we have on the unit will allow our patients the freedom and ability to get back on the road as well as feel safe about it. They will also be safe for other passengers and other drivers. The fact that John and Brittany Force came out today to support this product and show that there is a need for rehabilitation equipment like this. We are very grateful to them and Castrol BP,” said Dr. Massod, Medical Director of the Acute Rehabilitation Unit.

“Today’s dedication enhances our offering of services for patients trying to improve the quality of their lives and helping them get back to doing what they do every day,” said Dan Kline, St. Joseph’s Site Administrator
Daryl Benton, US Marketing Director with Castrol, was also in attendance spoke about the importance of the who talked about the Castrol EDGE brand and how it ties to “Performance” and “Driven Stronger”.
“I’m thrilled to be here having a chance to represent Castrol EDGE. A brand like Castrol EDGE is all about driving performance and by introducing John and Brittany Force that drive these high-performance vehicles, it’s a natural fit,” said Daryl Benton. “For John to tell his story about recovery and rehabilitation and how he worked with a vehicle simulator that help to bring him back to win two more NHRA Funny Car championships is inspirational.”
Castrol sponsored drivers John Force and Brittany Force were also on hand for the dedication.
The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion John Force spoke of his accident during the 2007 NHRA Fall Nationals in which his race car was involved in a horrific crash. He acknowledged how important the rehabilitation process was that allowed him to eventually get back into his 8000-horsepower Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang Funny Car and win two more NHRA championship in 2010 and 2013. John mentioned his motivating and stirring anthem of “Never Give Up, Never Back Down, Never Quit!”
“When I had my accident in 2007, the doctors told me I’d be lucky to walk, let alone drive a race again. I was even more determined to prove them wrong and began going through recovery and rehab on car simulator just like this one. Since then, I’ve won two NHRA Funny Car Championships,” said John Force.                   
Brittany Force, the 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year and driver of the Castrol EDGE Dragster, also gave an inspirational and heartfelt talk about what it was like to see her father, John Force, fight back the odds of never racing again after his accident in 2007. She also spoke on how this piece of equipment Castrol is dedicating to the hospital is important in getting patients back on their feet and maintaining their ability to drive again.  
“We were worried about my dad after that horrible crash and questioned if he’d ever race again. After seeing is hard work and determination, he’s inspired all of us,” said Brittany Force.

NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES TELECONFERENCE: COURTNEY FORCE

The following are excerpts from a teleconference featuring NHRA Funny Car racer Courtney Force who secured the 100th win by a female in NHRA history with her victory in Topeka over Cruz Pedregon.

MODERATOR: From the first win by a female in the history of the NHRA by Shirley Muldowney in 1976 to today, 14 women different women have earned victories to make up that 100 wins. This was the first win of the season for Courtney and the fourth of her career. During the event, she was also the No. 1 qualifier going into Sunday. During the day she defeated Dale Creasy, Jr., Jeff Arend and Tommy Johnson, Jr. in the first three rounds before outrunning two-time world champion Cruz Pedregon in the final to take the win. Courtney, we saw you in Atlanta racing your teammate Robert Hight in the finals. Obviously very emotional when you got out of the car. From that day going forward, were you really concerned you maybe had let something slip through your fingers by losing that tight race to Robert?

COURTNEY FORCE: Yes, definitely. You know, I tried to hide the emotion. I tried to get out of the car and really make an escape to the tow truck to get back to my pit. I was really bummed out. My crew chiefs, Ron Douglas, Dan Hood, it’s been a little bit of a struggle for us since the start of the season. I feel like we’ve really started to turn things around. We’ve started to get this car turning around, running more consistently. To get all the way to the final round, getting my first win of the season, there was a lot of pressure, a lot on the line. Robert, who has been kicking everyone’s butt, running consistently, I knew it was going to be a tough race no matter what. Yeah, I mean, we came that close. It really was kind of an upsetting loss for me. We were going after our first win, wanting to get into the Traxxas Nitro Shootout, and with all that, the 100th win for women was on the line. There was a lot of pressure. I tried to do my job. To not see that win light turn on, it was a little upsetting. Unfortunately, that did show through on ESPN. I tried to hold it back, but this is drag racing, and I couldn’t hold it in. That’s just how I felt. You could just tell it was a tough loss. At that moment I was thinking, This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. That opportunity to be number 100 will never come around again. I say that because it was never a longshot that a female was going to win it. It could have been anybody. I really thought that was my one chance and it’s never going to be me again. You never know it’s going to happen. Erica Enders (Stevens) is running consistently. She’s number one in points in Pro Stock. I thought especially Pro Stock running before the Funny Car class, for sure she was going to get it. Alexis (DeJoria), Angie Smith, Leah Pritchett, my sister Brittany (Force). There were so many different females in these classes that could have totally gotten the number 100. That’s why you could see I was so upset in Atlanta because I just kind of thought that milestone that I was so close to reaching will never come back around. Honestly, coming out into Topeka, Kansas, what’s funny, I actually wrote on the plane a little thing in my phone. I started having flashbacks about the run in Atlanta. I was thinking what it felt like when I got out of the car. My eyes were burning, I was trying to hold back the tears. I started writing on my phone.

Going into Kansas I finished off this little personal note to myself. I described every detail from making the run to getting out of the car to trying to hold back my tears to feeling that big moment slip through my fingers. I end it with, ‘We’ve got another shot in Topeka, Kansas.’ Little did I know that story was going to have a really good ending. Going number one qualifier with my sister Brittany in the Top Fuel class, the Funny Car class, was already history in the making. I feel upset that that got overshadowed with this big win with the number 100 for women. I’m proud of my sister for what she accomplished. At the end of the day, going into Sunday, the top of our classes with my sister, was a very proud moment for me and my sister and our family. Then to go rounds, go all the way to the final and have to compete against DSR (Don Schumacher Racing) cars, Arend, Creasy and then Cruz, it was a tough day for us. It definitely wasn’t an easy win. But I’m very proud of my team for sticking through it and giving me a consistent racecar most importantly, turning that win light on. It was a very memorable moment for me to get that milestone and have my name in the history books. Really need to thank Traxxas for all their support because I really couldn’t be here without them and really believing in me from day one.

Q.           Two quotes from the past that have a lot of meaning. I was interviewing Angelle Sampey 10 years ago and George Bryce mentioned to Angelle, ‘The bike doesn’t know you’re a girl.’ Could you comment on that?

COURTNEY FORCE: You know, that’s really funny you say that. From the start of me being in the Funny Car class, that’s what I always told people. People are like, What’s it like being out there racing against those guys? I just looked at them and I said, My Funny Car doesn’t know if it’s a male or female behind the wheel. You just got to be strong enough, passionate enough and have the drive in order to drive one of these cars. They’re tough to drive. But you know you’ve got to give it your all. It doesn’t care if you’re a girl or John Force, Matt Hagan, anybody. It’s going to drive how it wants to drive and you have to be the person behind the wheel that has the strength to control it.

Q.           I asked Mario Andretti about talented kids racing in go-karts, if he could see talent. He smiled and said, Not all kids are created equal. Do you think in your past you felt you had the driving talent all along?

COURTNEY FORCE: You know, I don’t know if I ever thought I had the driving talent. Honestly, I had the passion. I think that was the most important thing. I had the drive. I was a kid telling all my elementary classes that I was going to grow up and be a racecar driver and compete against my dad (John Force). Everybody kind of thought that was a pipe dream. My parents for sure thought it was, too. They thought this little girl, she loves coming out to the racetrack, but they thought the dream is going to fade, she’s going to get older, go to college. I got my bachelor’s degree, they thought it would fade away. When I turned 16, I was adamant about getting my driver’s license. A month later, I was in Frank Hawley’s school getting my drag racing license. I wasn’t the best driver, but I learned throughout the categories. Because of racing in the different categories for the six years that I did it, I have become the driver that I’ve become. I really did learn through going through Super Comp and A/Fuel Dragster, then coming into the Fuel Funny Car class, I learned a lot from my sister Ashley and from my dad especially. When I got into the Funny Car, I was terrified. It was a dream of mine. But I thought, Dad, what if I get in this car and I can’t do it? He said, you’ll be fine. I’ve seen how you drive in A/Fuel. I picked up a win in the Top Alcohol dragster class. Sometimes it’s just a natural ability. He even told me, I thought I got lucky with Ashley, and I was really nervous when I was jumping in the Funny Car because there’s no way in heck this could happen twice, let alone three times with my sister Brittany. It is cool. Maybe it runs in the family. I’m not sure. We definitely all have the passion and drive for it. We work hard. We do have a great team behind us. We owe it to my dad and our sponsors. This whole John Force Racing system, it’s not just my team, it’s all the teams that come together, work hard, build us a good chassis and good parts, give us a safe racecar day in and day out. I put all my trust into them and vi
ce versa. You just try to do your job. You learn from your mistakes. I definitely have made mistakes in the past. I think that’s what makes you a better driver, is the passion you have for it. As long as you come back and try again the next weekend, I think that’s the most important thing.

Q.           When you started winning your rounds, when did it start to sink in that this was going to be the week that you could win it? How did you control the emotions? Did you have to make any adjustments going from round to round?

COURTNEY FORCE: I mean, honestly I was excited the weekend before we had reached a final. I thought, ‘Man, it’s about time,’ we finally got this car coming around. It felt good. That was definitely the confidence and boost that we needed. To come out again the weekend right after, I thought, ‘I don’t really know if I’m going to get that opportunity to go after that number 100 two weekends in a row.’ It’s not very common to go to two finals back-to-back. Honestly, I took it round by round. I tried to keep my cool and stay focused and not get too ahead of myself. But I think the biggest moment was going into the final round against Cruz. I know he beat my teammate, who has been on a roll, Robert Hight. That was going through my head. I don’t want to screw up as a driver. You want to do your job. I didn’t get to overwhelmed, I guess, excited about the whole 100 thing because I was afraid it was going to slip through my fingers again. I was like, ‘I don’t want to go through that emotional rollercoaster like I went through last weekend.’ I thought, ‘It will be what it’s going to be. If it’s meant to be, it will.’ Lucky for me we were able to take home that win and get that huge accomplishment. It wasn’t until that win light came on that I started going, ‘Oh, my gosh, we just did that. I can’t believe I just won. We just became number 100.’ There was so much going through my head at the time. But it was definitely a huge accomplishment for my team. I tried not to think about it round by round. I tried to focus on each of my competitor’s one round at a time.

Q.           Courtney, you’ve been around other motorsports series. NASCAR had a black winner in 1964. IndyCar had one female winner six years ago. What is it about drag racing and NHRA that’s so inclusive? Is it the sport itself, the atmosphere, you can get into it cheap? What is it about drag racing that makes everybody feel comfortable in the pits?

COURTNEY FORCE: I think all of the above. Coming into the sport, I think you can start at the beginning. There’s so many different classes within the NHRA, I think that’s kind of what makes it a lot more inviting to people. You can start in Junior Dragsters at the age of I believe eight or nine, kind of start off going that way. It’s drag racing. It’s side-by-side racing. I grew up a part of this sport so I’ve always loved it. I think the attraction is it’s pretty simple, it’s a simple race. Whoever has the better racecar that the team puts together, whoever has the better driver that’s going to get down to the other end first, is the winner. You have four rounds of that until you get to the end of that 16-car ladder. I think that’s what makes our sport so exciting. I mean, you’ve got such great racecars. These cars are winning down to thousandths of a second. We’re going over 320 miles an hour. They’re 10,000 horsepower cars, and we’re launching at over four Gs. It’s a lot happening in a short amount of time. You don’t really need a long attention span for it, which is kind of cool. The fans have pit passes with any ticket they purchase. I think that’s one other highlight that our sport of NHRA has. The fans can come in, come up to the ropes, watch our teams tear apart the motor, put it back together, get it ready for the next round in just under an hour. There’s so much to see in the midway displays, Mello Yello’s display, John Force, Traxxas. The kids can come up and play with these radio control cars, get a full experience. That’s another thing. The coolest part about Traxxas, having them as a sponsor on my racecar, being we were number one qualifier, then being the fastest name in radio control, us having the fastest Funny Car in the class on both Saturday and Sunday. It’s an honor to have them sponsor me, giving me this opportunity. It’s huge not only for me and my racing career but the sport as well. They’ve really brought a lot to the table. They’re bringing a lot for the females, too. Not only in NHRA, but Radio Traxxas cars, coming out with pink bodies, making it a lot of fun. I’m fortunate to have a great sponsor with Mike Jenkins. It’s what this sport is all about. It’s a family sport and I think that’s what makes it so great.

MODERATOR: Courtney, you mentioned family. The Force family and Pedregon family are strong families within the NHRA. Your dad and Cruz, your dad and Tony have a long history. Any interesting facts about you having to battle Pedregon for that 100th win?

COURTNEY FORCE: Yes. I mean, as a kid growing up watching my dad race, his biggest competitor out there was Cruz Pedregon. He and Cruz always had that back and forth, wanting to get that win. They both had good cars. They were both great drivers. I mean, I kind of felt like I was being a part of history, always watching him race my dad. Then to have me in the lane next to him, all my childhood is flashing before my eyes. I’m thinking, ‘This is the guy my dad used to race. He beat up on my dad a heck of a lot of times, and vice versa.’ It was cool to have him in the lane next to me. Obviously, you could tell I was nervous. He screwed me up a little bit, I was so nervous racing him, it kind of got to me and I screwed up staging. I threw myself off my game. I was just thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, what did I just do? I accidentally rolled in. That’s not what I meant to do at all.’ You could tell my nerves had gotten to me. Luckily we were able to get away with it that day and get that win. Anytime I have to go against Cruz, he’s one of the toughest guys out there and it’s always nerve-wracking running against him.

Q.           Courtney, did any other previous drivers from the past, female drivers, reach out to you after this win?

COURTNEY FORCE: You know what, the biggest thing that I thought was cool was actually after my loss in Atlanta in the final round, Alexis, she reached out to me, and Erica Enders reached out to me. They both said, ‘We’re really sorry. We thought you had it. We really did want you to have that.’ They’re girls. Obviously, they want to get the win for the number 100. Everybody wanted that. It was really cool to see them show their support, kind of try to make me feel better after last weekend. Then to come out again this weekend and to get the win, I mean, Alexis, I love her to death. She was texting me before the run, ‘You can do it. You can get this. I know you’re going to do it.’ Seriously, it’s the coolest feeling knowing there’s these girls out here that I’m competing against that are that supportive of me. Everybody was so excited to be a part of it, to know one of us was going to get number 100. It was really cool to see that support coming from the other drivers. Erica wrote me on Twitter congratulating me, as well as her team congratulating me. It was really cool to see such positive energy coming out of these girls that I know wanted to get it for themselves. My sister Brittany, she ran into the media center jumping up and down, she was so excited. Funny Car runs before Top Fuel. She was like, I hope you get it, I hope you win it. My sister was an amazing person, just being so positive, really pushing me forward to really try and get that win.

Q.           What did Graham Rahal, your boyfriend, say to you after this historic win? He had a bad day at the Indianapolis 500.

COURTN
EY FORCE: He said, ‘Well, at least one of us won something today.’ He had a tough weekend. I was bummed out I couldn’t be there to support him, especially after his electrical problems in his car, not being able to have the day that he wanted. That was on my mind, too. There’s always a lot on my mind going into race day. To know he was having a bad day over in Indy, one of the biggest races of the year, he worked hard all month long. It was tough to see him have a bad day like that. He definitely was very positive and supportive, was congratulating me, happy that I got it. It was really cool. He goes, ‘At least you could cheer my day up a little bit by getting that win,’ so it was cool.

Q.           You’re fifth in points behind Robert and your dad. What are you going to have to do to become the first female Funny Car champion?

COURTNEY FORCE: I mean, consistency is key. Looking at it right now, I mean, my dad and Robert both have such a huge gap on everybody, they’re really making it tough. But luckily come Indy, you know, once top 10 is set, which I’m hoping we’re all still in it at that point, once it’s set, that’s when you really have to chase after everyone, the last half of the season. My focus right now is just to continue pushing forward and taking it round by round, pick up those bonus points throughout qualifying, really make it happen on race day. You have to have a consistent racecar. If you don’t win every race, at least try to go some rounds every weekend, try to make your way up to the top. We started, I don’t know, what, seventh or eighth at the start of this weekend, and moved all the way up to I believe fifth. I’m just trying to create a gap right now between me and the number 11 spot. That’s my biggest goal. To be a champion, I mean, you just got to take it one race at a time. That’s definitely where I ultimately want to be. I want to get my first championship for myself and for women. You got to work hard. There’s some tough competitors out here, my teammate being the toughest one at this point right now. We’re just going to work hard and hopefully have a consistent racecar and keep my focus all season long because that’s definitely our ultimate goal.

Q.           In speaking to your dad before the start of the season, he indicated John Force Racing was going to turn around the season a little bit because of the contract situation, that you wanted to start off strong, land a sponsor before the end of the fiscal year. You started off strong. Is this surprising to you that you have done this well?

COURTNEY FORCE: No. I mean, I think we’ve got a good car and a good team. All of us are good cars and good teams. Brittany has improved already from last season. She’s already been a to a final round, a semifinal round this past weekend, she picked up number one qualifier for the first time. Her team is really coming around in that Top Fuel dragster. But for all of our Funny Car teams, it really is about the support of the teams, working together. I think that’s exactly what we have and that’s exactly what you need to win. That’s what we’re trying to let sponsors know, that we’ve got good teams here, good cars here, strong ones, we can win. We’re showing that by being top of the points, picking up wins a lot already this season. That’s exactly what you need to go after these sponsors. Really, you got to stand out, and that’s what we’re trying to do. Dad won the championship last season. Right now, our focus is really trying to shine a light over on us so sponsors take notice and hopefully want to come over and join.

COURTNEY FORCE WINS HISTORIC 100th NHRA FEMALE VICTORY

TOPEKA, KS (May 25, 2014) — Courtney Force raced into the history books today at the 26th annual NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka winning the Funny Car title and securing the 100th victory for female professionals in the premiere NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. It was Force’s second attempt at earning this important win. Last week Force fell to red-hot teammate Robert Hight in the Southern Nationals final round in Atlanta. Today against Cruz Pedregon the third year driver was not going let this opportunity slip through her Simpson Racing gloves again.

“This is huge. You could see the emotion on my face after I lost last weekend. It is a big deal and it is a milestone for women. Every girl out here wanted to get it. It was close every girl put her heart out there to try and get it. I was crushed after last weekend because I thought to myself that opportunity will never come again and that chance to get 100 will be gone forever,” said an excited Force. “I am still trying to soak it in right now. I have to thank my team and all my sponsors. Once my dad and Robert went out today you could see all those colors coming over to our pit area and thrashing on my car. I want to thank all them and all the crew chiefs. They gave me a good consistent race car all weekend and that is what we were missing from the start of the season.”

The win was not without some self-inflicted drama. Force admitted that nerves and pressure were at an all-time high as she rolled her Traxxas Ford Mustang up to face the two-time Mello Yello Funny Car champion. As she tried to give herself every starting line advantage she inadvertently lit the pre-stage and stage bulbs before Cruz had a chance to pre-stage. This racing faux pas weighed heavily on Force both before and after she ran.

“I almost screwed up on the starting line. I almost failed at my job. I was so nervous and the pressure was through the roof. I was pulling up to the starting line and all I was thinking was Cruz got a hole shot on Robert (Hight). I didn’t want to lose on a hole shot, too,” said Force. “There was a lot on the line. I wanted to roll in a little deep on my pre-stage. I screwed up and rolled it too much and lit both bulbs before he was even staged. Luckily, I left when I needed to. I apologized to Cruz and I sure as heck wasn’t trying to screw him up. I screwed myself up. Luckily we got away with it today.”

This was Courtney Force’s first win in three final round meetings with Cruz Pedregon to whom she lost in the final at the last race of 2012 at Pomona and the first 2013 race at Las Vegas.  It’s the second time she has gone wire-to-wire for a win as the No. 1 qualifier.  She also won from No. 1 at Pomona in 2013. This was the first time in her career that she reached back-to-back finals. It was the 231st Funny Car win for John Force Racing and continued a streak of 15 consecutive final rounds for the team and now four wins in a row.

“Last week I was in seventh place in the points and now I have shot up to fifth with a shot at the top three. Everybody is close together. All I am trying to do is create the Grand Canyon gap between me and the No. 11 driver. That is all I really care about,” said Force. “We are inching forward every weekend. Two go to back to back finals for my team is huge. I think this is a big weekend for women all together. Brittany and I were No. 1 qualifiers Erica Enders Stevens was so close today in Pro Stock. It just shows that we can dominate fields.”

The fact that she had come so close to getting the 100th win last week Force was asked in the media center if that loss entered her head before the final. The 2012 Auto Club NHRA Rookie of the Year was candid in her response to the media.

“I was thinking about it. That was all that was running through my head. I was thinking about going to another final and thinking about what happened last weekend. That sucked and you don’t want that to happen again. I was telling myself to not lose my focus,” added Force. “Don’t think about the 100th win. So now I was already thinking about it. You try and not screw up. You try and clear your mind. You look at the fans and think I am in the greatest place on earth. I get to be at an NHRA track and I get to drive one of these hot rods and there are little girls coming up to my ropes to wish me luck.

Fourteen women have contributed to the victory total. Four in Funny Car, one in Pro Stock, three in Pro Stock Bike and six in Top Fuel. Shirley Muldowney secured the first pro win June 13, 1976 so it spans 38 years. There have been four wins by women this year prior to Courtney; two each for Erica Enders Stevens (Pro Stock) and Alexis DeJoria (Funny Car).

Force was the No. 1 qualifier, set low ET and Top Speed on the way to her fourth career win which ties her with sister Ashley Force Hood. The Traxxas Ford Mustang driver defeated Dale Creasy Jr., Jeff Arend and Tommy Johnson Jr. to reach her final round race with Pedregon.

For Brittany Force and her Castrol EDGE team, it looked like it was going to be their weekend to win her first Top Fuel event. As she started race day from the number one spot, a first for Brittany Force, she was on track to get that trip to the winner’s circle and potentially claim NHRA’s 100th pro female driver win milestone.

“I’m so happy at how we did this weekend. We were the number one qualifier and we’ve never done that before. We ran a career best 3.74 ET and were super pumped about that so to come out here and go rounds is what we wanted to do,” said Brittany Force.

Unfortunately, a catastrophic engine failure during the semi-final round of eliminations ended her day, but it didn’t dampen Brittany’s spirits or enthusiasm one bit. She’s ready to get strapped into her Castrol EDGE Dragster and hit the drag strip.

“Obviously we wanted to go all the way, make it to the finals and be in the winner’s circle, but our day got cut a little short. However, I’m so proud of my team and we turned it around this weekend and we have a great race car. I’m anxious to get to Englishtown and see what happens,” said Brittany Force. 

In the opening round, No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force lined up against Luigi Novelli. This was the first time these two drivers had faced each other in eliminations. At the first hint of green on the Christmas tree, Brittany left the starting line and never looked back. Her Castrol EDGE Dragster ran a 3.872 pass while her competitor in the next lane had difficulties with his car and had to shut it down early in the run. Brittany’s car also some mechanical issues as her car crossed the finish line but she still got the win and advanced to the next round were she would face Khalid alBalooshi.

“Being the number one qualifier, there’s actually a little more pressure and it can be overwhelming but I try to keep my same focus. I’ve also been working on my lights and they’re getting better,” said Brittany Force.

In the second round, Brittany did not have lane choice but he didn’t matter as once again her 10,000 horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster planted its Goodyear slicks on the pavement and streaked to a 3.828 second run at 322.88 mph over the alBalooshi who smoked the tires almost immediately. Then Brittany was ready for her semi-final match up against Spencer Massey, who she had faced many times in prior races.

During the semi-finals, Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster was on a good run until it hit the lights. That’s when the BOSS 500 engine started to self-destruct and burst into a huge fireball. Massey was able to hold on for the win while Brittany was fined ten NHRA Mello Yello Points for oiling the track. It was a tough break for the 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year who has working hard on achieving her first win for the Castrol EDGE team.

With Brittany Force being the seventh female driver to qualify No. 1 in Top Fuel in NHRA history, she knows the rac
ing community is looking at even more closely as she’s begun going rounds and hanging tough in the top-ten of the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel points chase.  Leaving Topeka, Brittany’s still in the Top Ten at 8th place, but now she has a 137 point lead over Bob Vandergriff who is in 11th place.

Points leader Robert Hight’s day ended much earlier than anticipated when his Auto Club Ford Mustang was ousted in a first round upset to Cruz Pedregon. Hight took responsibility for the loss and will exit Topeka with his points lead and a determined attitude heading to Englishtown.

“We just have to get back on a roll here. We have everything in place to do that. My Auto Club team did a great job and they gave me a great car. I should have had a better light.  An .081 light is not a terrible light but when you go up there and race Cruz Pedregon you have to dig a little deeper,” said Hight, the No 3 qualifier. “He is a two-time world champion for a reason. Luckily we don’t have an off weekend and we will get right back at it in Englishtown. We’ll start another roll next weekend.”

Hight’s team was on a six race streak of final round appearances and a three race win streak. This was the first time Hight was eliminated in the first round in 2014. His round record is now 22-4 for the season.

Hight had one of the most consistent race cars in qualifying at the Kansas Nationals running 4.091, 4.040 and 4.055 seconds and in the first round Hight posted another solid 4.073 second run. Going back to the final three rounds of Atlanta where the Auto Club Ford Mustang got its 33rd win running 4.053, 4.074 and 4.049 it has averaged 4.053 seconds on it last seven runs down the track.

Despite qualifying number one on Friday, and just barely getting bumped from the pole position on Saturday by daughter Courtney, John Force’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang looked like it was poised for another victory at Heartland Park Topeka.  Unfortunately, mechanical gremlins once again appeared during eliminations and ended his day early with a round one loss at the NHRA Kansas Nationals.

“We are just struggling. I don’t like it but we will get it fixed. We are consistent and you have to have a good race car if you are going to win rounds. We got some points in qualifying, but you need round wins to stay ahead out here,” said John Force.

The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion was hoping to get his 140th career victory and get back in the points chase with teammate and son-in-law Robert Hight today, but he’ll have to wait for next weekend’s NHRA Toyota Nationals in Englishtown, New Jersey.

“We won’t get hurt too bad but we can’t keep having weekends like this. I have sponsors like Castrol, Ford, Mac Tools, Traxxas, BrandSource, Auto Club that expect us to win races and that is what we need to do,” said John Force.

To say this first round loss is a disappointment for John Force would be an understatement. However, he will huddle with his crew guys and address the problems that have had him losing early during the last few races.

“I have a brain trust and we will get to work on it right now. The good news is Robert and I will stay No. 1 and No. 2 in the points no matter what but I will be ready for Englishtown. I am going to go root on my girls now,” said John Force.

The crew that works tirelessly on John Force’s 8000 horsepower Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang is just as frustrated to see their efforts go up in smoke on race day. Like their driver, they are under pressure to make the right calls on how the Funny Car is set up on qualifying and race day.

“We are still figuring out this clutch pack. It is just not consistent. We thought we had it going in the right direction and then on that run it didn’t wear the clutch at all and was way too aggressive. We will keep working on it and get ready for Englishtown,” said assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro

The team leaves Topeka with 566 NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car points and still in second place. With NHRA Toyota Nationals next weekend, John Force and the crew will head to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park for another chance of going rounds and possibly getting his 140th career win.

“The good news is Robert and I will stay No. 1 and No. 2 in the points no matter what but I will be ready for Englishtown. I am going to go root on my girls now,” said John Force.

TOPEKA, KS – Brittany Force’s Castrol EDGE Dragster proved to be the dominant Top Fuel dragster at the NHRA Kansas Nationals as she ran a career best ET and top speed 3.746 seconds at 329.75 mph and claimed her first ever number one Top Fuel qualifying spot. She will share the top qualifying limelight with her sister Courtney Force who raced around her 16-time champion father John Force to grab the Funny Car No. 1 spot. This is the first time sisters have qualified No. 1 at the same Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event. All three JFR Funny Cars hold down the top spots for the 11th time and first time since Houston 2010. This is also naturally the first time John Force Racing has had No. 1s in Top Fuel and Funny Car.

“I’m just so excited. This really shows the Castrol EDGE team’s hard work is finally paying off. We struggled all of last year and then to come out here and go to number one is awesome. I really didn’t expect that as it’s a brand new car so to get it down the track and run like that makes us so excited. I’m so proud of my team,” said Brittany Force, the 2013 Rookie of the Year.

Force’s team had to swap out engines after the first qualifying session and due to a quick turn-around time they did not have time to warm the motor. For Brittany Force and her Castrol EDGE team, the quick turnaround didn’t rattle them one bit when she fired up her car on the starting line.

“It was pretty crazy before the run as we didn’t get to warm up the car and the turnaround was so quick. I was suiting up in the tow vehicle on the way up to the lanes. I thought my crew guys were just trying to rush me figuring there’d be a few cars ahead of us but when I got up there. I was shocked as when we pulled up we were literally the next pair of dragsters on the starting line. So I threw my stuff on and jumped in the car, got suited up and went right up there. I wasn’t expecting it to run a 3.74,” said Brittany Force.

With this being Brittany’s second season behind the wheel of the Castrol EDGE Dragster, she now has her first number one qualifying spot to her career. The 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year has attainable goals for herself. She also knows she’s part of talented family of NHRA record holders yet, she doesn’t feel intimated by their accomplishments because she shares the same last name.

“I definitely have a list goals that I want to achieve just this year.  But I don’t ever try to compare my goals to my sisters. That’s just my personality and how I am. I’m proud of them for everything they’ve accomplished but I have my own list of goals and that’s what I’m going after,” said Force, a two time No. 1 qualifier in the Lucas Oil Series in Top Alcohol Dragster.

Brittany did achieve one of her goals today with a number one qualifier but she’s also going for her first Top Fuel win and to be the 100th NHRA female pro driver to win a national event. To make this happen, Brittany has demonstrated to the racing community she has the skills and determination in reaching these goals.

After rain showers halted Friday’s second session, Brittany’s first qualifying run today was another strong and consistent pass despite having some issues down track. Her dragster lit up the scoreboard with a 3.811 second pass at 284.62 mph.

“On the first run today, the car left hard but I drove it a little bit out of the groove and once that happens, it sucks you right out. It happened right at the 800 foot mark. I also could feel the engine was having problems as the force threw me forward in the seat. Right then I knew the motor was hurt and I shut it down,” said Brittany Force.

Despite this, she still did a great job keeping the 10,000 horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster on the track and not getting it crossed up by either driving over the centerline or worse, contacting the retaining wall. It just shows Brittany’s skill as a driver keeps improving run after run.

“Each run you always learn something, especially when the car wants to do strange things. Sometimes I’ll make a run and I’ve never felt it pull a certain way or do something weird. Hopefully next time I get out the run sooner when the car starts pulling this way,” said Force.

Force has competed at Heartland Park Topeka in both classes and has a comfort level when she fires up her Castrol EDGE Dragster.

“I love Heartland Park Topeka. The fact I was able to set a new track record today is awesome. It’s a very comfortable track me,” said Brittany Force.

Brittany Force will face Luigi Novelli in the opening round on Sunday and despite everyone asking her about potentially being NHRA’s 100th pro female driver to win a race, it’s not playing on her mind. Brittany and the Castrol EDGE team know they just need to be focused on going rounds and a trip to the winner’s circle will eventually come.

On the heels of Brittany Force racing to the top of the qualifying field in Top Fuel her sister Courtney Force ran around John Force to grab the No. 1 spot in Funny Car for the second time this season. The youngest Force was in the third to last pair of Funny Cars and she blasted down the Heartland Park Topeka track in 4.009 seconds, the second quickest elapsed time of her career, to jump to No. 1. She had to wait for Alexis DeJoria, Tim Wilkerson, John Force and Robert Hight to run to see if she would hold onto the No. 1 spot.

“This is huge. The one thing you are looking for as a team is consistency. We seemed to have lost that at the beginning of the season. It felt good to go out there last week and go all the way to the final. I was hoping we really found something. To come out here and have consistent runs throughout qualifying is big,” said Force.

“We (lost a) run yesterday because of the rain. It feels good to get the Traxxas Mustang down the track run after run. We were running 4.0s and then that last run to run four flat was exciting to hear my crew chief come on the radio that we went four flat and were No. 1. I was in the staging lanes listening on the radio to my sister go No. 1,” said Force.

“That was cool. I tried to not get my hopes up. I hopped out of the car and I was thinking dad and Robert are coming up so you never know what is going to happen. They seem to ruin my day a lot lately. This Traxxas Mustang has been consistent this weekend and we will see what we can do tomorrow.”

This was the fifth No. 1 of Courtney Force’s career. She will face Dale Creasy Jr. in the first round. This will be the second time Force has faced Creasy in her career and she defeated the journeyman Funny Car driver in their lone meeting last year at the NHRA Kansas Nationals.

While much of the attention at the end of qualifying was focused on Brittany and Courtney Force the hottest driver in the Mello Yello Series continued to stay under the radar as Robert Hight will go into Sunday as the No. 3 qualified Funny Car. The four time winner this season posted quick runs all weekend and will face two-time Funny Car champion in the first round. Hight is 19-11 versus Pedregon and is 2-0 against him at the Kansas Nationals.

“We were happy with that run in the last session. We weren’t trying to set a track record. We were racing like we always do; try and get the best run out there. Mike Neff has this Auto Club Ford Mustang going down the track and I need to just keep doing my job as a driver,” said Hight. “It is cool that Courtney and Brittany are No. 1 but I think it is just as important that all three John Force Racing Funny Cars are 1-2-3 in qualifying. Hopefully we will all go some rounds tomorrow. We have all been working together to get all the Funny Cars running consistently. I am ready for race day and I will be going after my fourth win in a row.”

Hight and his Auto Club Ford Mustang Funny Car has a commanding points lead but also has a streak of six straight final round appearances this season to go along with his active streak of three wins in a row. They were the picture of
consistency this weekend posting runs of 4.091, 4.040 and 4.055 seconds and Hight had the only Funny Car other than Courtney Force to run in the 4.0s all three qualifying sessions. His average ET was 4.062 to Force’s 4.054 seconds.

John Force may have been knocked out of the number one qualifying spot by his daughter Courtney on the final session, but the fact that the 16-time NHRA World Champ and his Castrol High Mileage Mustang ran a stout 4.043 second pass at 317.72 mph during his last run of the day is very impressive. For the Castrol GTX High Mileage team, it appears they may have eradicated the mechanical gremlins that had been plaguing them the last few races. More important, the proud father got to see a milestone unfold in front of him at the NHRA Kansas Nationals.

“Even though I got knocked out, we were going for it. To see both my girls get No. 1 in Top Fuel and Funny Car; that will make the boys mad. It is good for our sport. There are other women out there fighting for it. They are all trying to get to the 100th. We ought to sign up for the lottery,” said John Force.

For the NHRA, this is an historical accomplishment that shows the diversity of the drivers that compete in the professional categories. For both Force sisters to qualify number one in the Nitro classes, this is history and John Force couldn’t be more proud.

“This is just one race and it is just something for the two of them to be No. 1 side by side. They stand for all the women that do this. I can see Shirley right now jumping up and down. To see them in these Mello Yello No. 1 qualifier hats is awesome,” said John Force.

The matriarch of the family, Laurie Force, is also delighted to see how hard her daughters have worked over the years in getting to this momentous occasion. It has also shown the racing community and the NHRA fans the Force girls are the real deal.

“I think they are doing an awesome job. I get nervous when they go up and run but every run that they make I know they are getting a better handle on these cars. To see them both go out there and do such a good job is great,” said Laurie Force.

During John’s first run out of the box today, he had a disappointing 8.054 second run at only 77.20 mph after striking the massive Goodyear slicks in a billowing cloud of smoke at the 300 foot mark. Fortunately, Jimmy Prock and the crew went to work and the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang was back on track for the final session with a 4.04 second pass.

John Force will race from the number two position on Sunday and he’ll face fellow Ford Mustang driver Bob Tasca III in round one.

 

 FORCES RULE SHORTENED FRIDAY TOPEKA QUALIFYING

TOPEKA, KS – After struggling during last weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals, John Force’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang has done a complete 180 and rocketed to the number one spot during the first qualifying session here at the NHRA Kansas Nationals. Force’s Funny Car scorched the pavement at Heartland Park Topeka with a 4.021 second run at 318.24 mph and set both ends of the track record.

“I’m glad we got one run today. We’ve struggled this year since Pomona, the car is just not consistent and (crew chief) Jimmy Prock and team is working really hard on but it seems that at the last three races, we only got one good qualifying run in but we would make the show. Today it looks like Jimmy got a handle on it,” said John Force, a nine time winner at the Kansas Nationals.

After dealing mechanical issues and a first round loss earlier this week in Atlanta, the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion can finally breathe a little and not feel his back is up against the wall during this Saturday’s final qualifying session.

“That 4.02 pass is good for us, as we’d been struggling during qualifying during Atlanta last week. Jimmy Prock swings for the fence but car has not been there for us. We had a malfunction last week in Atlanta and the guys found out what was wrong and fixed it,” said Force.  

Force’s 8000 horsepower Funny Car has seen some consistency and mechanical issues during the last few races but crew chief Jimmy Prock and crew quickly addressed them before the first run today.  For their hard work, Force and the Castrol GTX High Mileage team picked up three NHRA Mello Yello Bonus Points for qualifying number one on the first session.

Force knows the key for another victory is having a fast yet consistent Funny Car. With crew chief Jimmy Prock’s tuned up, the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang is making a lot of power but it also needs to get down the track and learn the strategy of the power curve of the BOSS 500 engine.

“We had a good race track and good conditions today. The car went right down the groove and I’m happy with that. I surround myself with good people and I have a good hot rod right now so let’s if we can do it tomorrow,” said John Force.

Rain showers forced the cancellation of the second Pro qualifying session. There will be two more qualifying runs tomorrow and John Force will be looking to hang on to his number one spot going into Sunday’s final eliminations.  

Robert Hight was beside Force in the last pair of Funny Cars in the first and only qualifying session. Mike Neff set the Auto Club Ford Mustang Funny Car to make a strong clean run down the Heartland Park Topeka track. As the scoreboard lit up with a 4.091 at 312.86 mph Neff calmly walked away from the starting line knowing he had a good handle on a workable tune-up.

“You have to have a strategy and we wanted to run 4.08 to 4.09 and then get a little more aggressive in the second session. The main thing is we wanted to get in the show since there was weather around the track,” said crew chief Mike Neff.

For Hight who is riding a six race final round streak and a three race win streak getting a good run right off the hauler was a good momentum boost.

“We have run well here and we want to keep running well. You never know how many qualifying runs you are going to get when the weather is as unpredictable as it is here this weekend. We did just what we wanted to and we will see what we can get done tomorrow,” said Hight, a two-time Kansas Nationals winner.

Before Force and Hight took to the track last weekend’s runner-up Courtney Force made a strong run in the Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car. Force was qualifying beside Jack Beckman and the third year driver outpaced the 2012 Funny Car champion with a 4.078 second run to his 4.095 second run. After the session a few sportsmen racers were able to continue running before the rain moved in and ended the day of qualifying.

“It feels good to go out there and start our weekend off with a good run. We were coming off a good run in Atlanta in the final and to get this Traxxas Mustang down there on the first round out of the box was big. It is a good feeling to go to the provisional No. 2 spot. We had some rain come in so we are losing out on a second run but I think we are in a good position. That is a good place to be heading into the race and we will just see what happens tomorrow,” said Courtney Force.

Brittany Force showed her fellow Top Fuel competitors that she means business as her Castrol EDGE Dragster ran a strong 3.824 second pass at 321.88 mph during the opening qualifying session at the NHRA Kansas Nationals. She is solidly in the field and currently in the number six spot

“Right now my focus is one thing, making sure I do my job as a driver and going after a win. I’ve made it to a final but have never taken home a Top Fuel Wally,” said Brittany Force.

The 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year is in her sophomore season driving the intense 10,000 horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster but a redesigned chassis that with make the care more consistent along with some new crew members has revitalized the team and they’re poised for their first win.

“I have a strong team standing behind me that I am so thankful for. My crew chiefs and crew guys have put they’re heart into this dragster and I know they want a win as badly as I do. I’m proud of the entire team and I know our win is right around the corner, hopefully this weekend here in Topeka,” said Brittany Force.

We today’s second qualifying run cut short due to rain, Force is very happy that her dragster ran a stout 3.82 second pass right off the trailer. She can go into Saturday’s sessions with even more confidence knowing her team is heading in the right direction.

“I was proud of that first run. We are solidly in the show and looking forward to making two more good runs tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

HIGHT EXTENDS WIN STREAK WITH TITLE IN ATLANTA

COMMERCE, GA —- After battling the elements and tricky track conditions for three days the Auto Club Funny Car team led by driver Robert Hight and crew chief Mike Neff shook off any Monday depression and won for the fourth time in 2014 and the third time in a row. Hight and the Auto Club team, the No. 3 qualifier at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, have raced to six consecutive finals this season and have a commanding points lead heading to the NHRA Kansas Nationals in Topeka.

Hight was racing his teammate Courtney Force for the first time in a final round and there was history to be made no matter who took the win light. For the youngest Force she was chasing the 100th win by a female NHRA pro competitor.  For Hight, who won his 300th round win with a victory over Bob Bode in the first round, it was extending his final round streak and also moving up in the all-time Funny Car win list. He is now only one win behind Cruz Pedregon (34) and two wins behind Don “The Snake” Prudhomme (35) out of 5th and 4th place, respectively.

“It’s kind of funny that Courtney and I have never raced in final, usually the boss (John Force) hogs it and he’s in there with the other one. Actually, the first non-John Force all JFR final was Eric Medlin and myself it had always been John with one of his other teammates. So, it’s pretty cool, you know, it would’ve been big win for Courtney but you know what, we have a lot of momentum, we want to make some history here this is six straight final rounds. I’ve never done this and six out of seven (races), I would’ve never guess this. I’ve won three in a row a few times but I want to win four or even five in a row.  I want to see where we can go. We got to take it one round at a time and that’s what we’re doing, it’s a total team effort,” said Hight.

This was the 42nd all-JFR final round and it assured the 230th Funny Car win for John Force Racing. This was the 14th straight race in which the JFR team has had a least one of its Fords in the final round. Courtney Force was the sixth different teammate Hight has opposed in a final round joining John Force, Neff, Eric Medlen, Ashley Force Hood and Phil Burkart Jr.

In Hight’s second round win over fellow Ford driver Tim Wilkerson Hight overcame an uncharacteristic driver error to advance to the semi-finals. Hight was distracted in the cockpit and had a 1.4 second reactions time.

“The car had such a vibration, I was actually afraid to hit the gas and was thinking ‘this thing is going to blow up,’ so, add all that up. So I staged and looked over to see if Tim Wilkerson was staged and all of a sudden, he left. My initial thought was he red-lit and then my brain just froze,” said a shocked Hight. “After that, we got in synch and we were back as a team again.”

“Mike Neff has a calming effect on me, you have a lot of confidence as driver with him out in front of you. Last night, when everything was going on with the starting line and cars weren’t making it down the track and crew chiefs were making rash decisions decide what they were going to do, Mike Neff was Mr. Cool. He stood back and said ‘I think the tracks getting better every round with every pair that runs. We’re not going to do anything until it gets to our turn then, then we’re going to see what we’re faced with,’” said Hight. 

“He helps me and I think it’s because he was a driver, he knows what I’m facing, the pressure, and he just takes that pressure away from me. Right now, we’re clicking and like I said down there on top end, ‘That Peak antifreeze can’t cool that Auto Club car down,’” said Hight in the Atlanta Dragway pressroom.

When he was asked about the historic nature of the match-up with his teammate Hight showed why JFR is one of the most competitive and supportive teams in motorsports history.

“She (Courtney Force) has a job to do for Traxxas and I have a job to do for Auto Club. She wouldn’t have wanted to win it any other way.  I believe that Traxxas car is starting to come around and Courtney’s going to have a shot at it. We’re on roll here and we go to two more races in row (Topeka and Englishtown) and Brittany’s Castrol EDGE car is starting to come around and to be honest, I’d like for Brittany get her first win and it would be the 100th female NHRA pro victory,” said Hight.

Courtney Force and the Traxxas Ford Mustang team broke through at Atlanta Dragway reaching the final round for the first time in 2014. It was a solid effort by the 2012 Auto Club Road to the Future winner and moved the third year driver from 10th to 7th place in the Mello Yello point standings. Force is just eleven points out of sixth place.

The three-time tour winner started her day by defeating two different two-time Funny Car champions outrunning Cruz Pedregon in the first round and then beating Pedregon’s younger brother and former JFR driver Tony Pedregon in the second round. The semi-finals set up another JFR vs. DSR slugfest with Force getting the best of 2011 Funny Car champion Matt Hagan running 4.135 seconds to his tire smoking 8.265 second run. Force had a spectacular .033 reaction time to give her team every advantage in this important round.

In the final it was another world champion this time in the left lane and that proved to be the downfall of the Traxxas team. They ran the best run in the toughest lane, a strong 4.117 second pass but it was not enough for Hight. An understandably disappointed Force was candid about missing her shot at winning the 100th NHRA pro national event by a woman driver.

“We’re improving every time we get a run out there and we’re trying to look at the positives. We moved up in the points, which is exactly what we needed but I really wanted to get that win but we didn’t get it,” said Force. “Another positive is the Traxxas team is starting to come around with this car and I think we’ve learned a lot, especially this weekend. It was a long weekend for my guys and I’m very proud for what they did. Hopefully we can move forward and go after a win in Topeka.”

Once again, the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car Champion will leave Atlanta Dragway empty handed as John Force and his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang lost in round one to fellow Ford Racer Tim Wilkerson.

At the hit of the throttle, John Force’s race car smoked the Goodyear slicks due in part to a glitch in the clutch system. John Force tried to pedal his 8000 horsepower race car with hopes of regaining traction and getting the win but it was to no avail. The 2013 NHRA Funny Car champ was looking to end his drought today as the last time he won the NHRA Southern Nationals was back in 2005. John Force has been to Atlanta Dragway winner’s circle seven times in his career.

“I had a malfunction with the clutch. It locked up right at the hit of the throttle and it was over. That’s the way the game is played,” said John Force.

During the weekend, John Force did struggle during qualifying but was able to make one good run which was a solid 4.077 second pass. He raced from the sixth spot today and had lane choice.

“All we can do is put this one behind us and head to Topeka for the next race. Right now we’ve got gremlins and we got to sort them out. Luckily, we have a little bit of a cushion in the NHRA Mello Yello points. But, if we stay like this, it isn’t good so we’ll fix it,” said John Force

The Castrol GTX High Mileage team leaves Atlanta with 524 NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car points and still in second place. With NHRA Kansas Nationals next weekend, John Force and the crew will head to Heartland Park Topeka for another chance of going rounds and possibly getting his 140th career win.

“Now we’re getting in a groove that we have three races in a row. I actually enjoy racing every weekend, we don’t have time to dwell on what went wrong,” said John Force.

Sunday’s
eight-hour rain delay also put a damper on Brittany Force’s hopes of getting her first Top Fuel victory and potentially being the 100TH NHRA Pro female winner. Being the third pair of race cars out on a relatively green track, Brittany’s 10,000 horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster immediately overpowered Atlanta Dragway’s tricky surface at the hit of the throttle. Her opponent, Pat Dakin, also experienced traction woes and both machines began to smoke their massive Goodyear slicks.

“I was the third pair and the car didn’t leave the starting line when I hit the throttle. It went up into smoke and it wasn’t going to run. I got out of it and I feel like I waited long enough for it to settle down. When you are up there on the starting line it feels like forever. I rolled back into it with the throttle. I have never felt the car not move or hook-up when you get back on the throttle,” said Force, the 2013 Rookie of the Year. “I hit the throttle four or five times inching my way down the track. I was racing Pat Dakin and he was doing the same thing. We were both just trying to get to the finish line but we weren’t budging. We have timers on our Castrol EDGE dragster for safety reasons and the timers got me. They shut the car off and deploy the chutes, which is what happened at about 400 feet. I would rather have that safety equipment in the long run even though it may have cost us that run. I feel safer in my car knowing I have that protection and that extra safety equipment,” said Force.

Brittany began to “pedal” her machine in hopes of catching Dakin, who had a slight lead, and beating him to the finish line. The 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year did everything she could in applying the right amount of throttle pressure to the supercharged BOSS 500 engine. She was on and off the throttle and tried in vain to reel her dragster back in the groove, but the track conditions were not compatible with the brute power of her Castrol EDGE Dragster.

Fortunately for Brittany, her first round loss will not impact her Top Fuel points standing. She’ll leave the NHRA Southern Nationals still in the top ten, with 336 NHRA Mello Yello points and in the eighth spot. She will also have a new personal best elapsed time as her team heads to Topeka.

“That was the most frustrating part about the weekend. We qualified well and we ended up No. 6. We had two awesome runs in a brand new car. We ran 3.78 and 3.777 which was a career best. To do that and then go out in the first round is really disappointing and not what we wanted. My whole team felt confident that we would go rounds. The weekend didn’t turn out like we wanted it to but luckily we will go right into Topeka,” concluded Force.

 

HIGHT TOPS FOR JFR GOING INTO RACE DAY IN ATLANTA

COMMERCE, GA – Robert Hight and the Auto Club Mustang started and ended qualifying on a high note at the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals. They were second quickest of the first session and on Saturday they made the quickest run of the category in the final session to go into race day with a lot of confidence and momentum. His best time of the weekend a blistering 4.03 second run has the 2009 Funny Car champion in the No. 3 position.

“Last night we didn’t really learn anything and we messed up last run in Q3. It is a must to go into race day with two good runs. We made a good run early on Friday. I am sure there is more out there than a 4.03 but Mike Neff played it smart and put the Auto Club Ford in a great spot going into tomorrow,” said Hight.

Hight is riding a streak of five finals in a row and three wins this season. He has won the last two races the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte and the Spring Nationals in Houston. Hight has had much success in Atlanta and his first round match-up with journeyman Bob Bode will not be an easy match-up.

During today’s third qualifying session, John Force ran beside fellow Ford Funny Car racer Tim Wilkerson. As John’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang left the starting line, the massive Goodyear slicks broke loose at the 100 foot mark and went up in smoke. In the next lane, Tim suffered a massive engine explosion at half-track that blew the body off the chassis. Luckily Force was not close enough to Wilkerson on the run for any ill effects. Wilkerson exited from his damaged Funny Car unharmed.

“Jimmy Prock and the guys keep a lid on us drivers, as we like to show off some, but I just rolled further up to the starting line and did my burnout a little bit longer. There was a quite show down there as Wilkerson’s car went off like a grenade and was throwing parts at me like you wouldn’t believe. I think when you don’t get hurt; it is good luck, no matter what happens,” said Force. “I was on the starting line last night when my daughter Brittany was racing Antron Brown. She smoked the tires and we said ‘Oh my God’, then Antron crashed and we again said, ‘Oh my God’. Luckily, he didn’t T-Bone my kid as he was in enough trouble down there but luckily he was okay.”

Hoping to improve on Force’s qualifying position, Prock hopped up the 8000 horsepower Castrol High GTX High Mileage Mustang even more to take advantage of the improving weather conditions in the final qualifying session. Unfortunately, at the hit of the throttle, Force lost traction on the Atlanta Dragway surface and went up in smoke.

“Not getting down the race track like I wanted to hurts us. We need more consistency, and we’re snake bit here a little, but we’re still second in the points and Robert’s in the lead. We’ll get this hot rod tuned up for tomorrow,” said John Force, who will face Tim Wilkerson in round one on Sunday.

Courtney Force and the Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car team stepped it up in the fourth and final qualifying session running 4.098 seconds which put the 2012 Rookie of the Year in the No. 7 spot. She will have lane choice over the No. 10 qualified car of Cruz Pedregon in the opening round on race day.

“This Traxxas team is pumped up. We’re ready; we’re excited for tomorrow. We had two good runs throughout qualifying which is big for us. We struggled a lot at the start of the season and it feels good to have a car sailing down the track and running a 4.09. It’s not the best run of the weekend, but we’re excited to see the car improving because that just means that we’re starting to get things figured out. It feels good to see two consistent runs. We’re building off them,” said Force.

In the first qualifying session to kick off the 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Force posted a 4.182 second elapsed time at a big speed of 310.48 mph and for a moment, had top speed of the meet in the Funny Car category until her brother-in-law and teammate, Robert Hight, took it away. The Traxxas Ford Mustang team came back in sessions two and three with tire-smoking efforts, which left the team in the No.  9 position before posting a quick 4.098 in the last qualifying shot of the day to put her in the No. 6 spot.

“Last night we pushed it a little too hard in the cool air and the car didn’t respond like we wanted. Tonight we came out and ran a 4.09 to put us in the top half of the field so we’re looking forward to tomorrow,” added Force.

In the past two years of Force’s Funny Car career, she has qualified No. 6 and No. 9 at Atlanta Dragway. The Traxxas Ford Mustang team is currently sitting No. 10 in the NHRA Funny Car point standings and looks forward to racing tomorrow’s events and possibly the 100th win by a woman in the NHRA.

“We’re just going to try to make little changes and see if we can continuously get this Traxxas Ford Mustang to improve each round and hopefully go as many rounds as we can tomorrow. Tomorrow is a big day, not only for all the racers competing, but for the female of our sport. We’re all going after that 100th win by a woman. There’s some tough competition. It’s going to be exciting with all of these females out here going for it, especially since the girls are running so strong. We’ll see what happens. We’re just going to focus on our first round tomorrow against Cruz and give him all we got,” said Force.

With a career best ET of 3.777 seconds at over 325 mph, Brittany Force and her Castrol EDGE Dragster came from the No. 10 spot to claim the No. 3 position during the third qualifying session at the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Along the way, Brittany also picked up two NHRA Mello Yello qualifying bonus points.

“I’m so excited to be able to come out and run a number like that. It’s a career best, and it’s so awesome and I’m just so proud of my Castrol EDGE team. We have a new car this weekend and after running Antron last night, I was right behind him and it scared me to see his crash, so I was a little nervous up on the starting line before this run. But for us to run this good says a lot about my guys,” said Brittany Force.

On the fourth and final qualifying pass, Brittany Force showed consistent performance as her Castrol EDGE Dragster ran a strong 3.783 second pass at 326.71 mph. Even with the new chassis and some fresh faces on her crew, the 2013 NHRA Rookie of Year has been rock solid, made two excellent runs and is set for race day. Also, despite going from the No. 3 to the No. 6 qualifying spot, Brittany will have lane choice for round one of Sunday’s eliminations when she’ll face off for the first time against Pat Dakin. 

“I’m very excited going into race day tomorrow. When you bring out a new race car, you never know what to expect. To come out on our first run yesterday and go 3.90 was pretty exciting. Then to improve and run a 3.77 and a 3.78, we have a fast race car and are looking forward to getting going. I’m learning about this car and getting comfortable as a driver, but this team is really going to have it together and we’re going to have this car running real good,” said Brittany Force.

With the 100th victory for a female NHRA Pro driver on the minds of some of the drivers this weekend, Brittany Force and her crew chief Todd Smith are focused on going rounds and making it to another final round appearance.

“Right now, my biggest concern is the first win for the Castrol EDGE team and that is my focus. Now, if we’re able to do that and also tie in the 100th female win, that would be pretty awesome, but for right now, all I want for this team is bring home our first win,” said Brittany Force.

For crew chief Todd Smith, who tunes the Castrol EDGE Dragster, this milestone can also be a daunting challenge; he doesn’t let it skew his judgment when making sure the car is ready for race day.

“It’s on our minds, as we

JFR SOLID ON FRIDAY AT ATLANTA

COMMERCE, GA – John Force Racing came out swinging at the 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. In the opening session John Force and Robert Hight were the two quickest Funny Cars with Courtney Force just a shade off the quick pace. Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster were in the top half of the field going into the second session. At the end of the day all four JFR entries would carry qualifying times over into Saturday’s final day of qualifying.

As the Mello Yello points leaders Hight and Force had their Auto Club and Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang Funny Cars at the back of the pack for the first qualifying session. Being able to see all their competitors make runs proved fortuitous for the championship drivers as Force blasted down the track in 4.077 seconds and Hight was right beside the 16-time champion running 4.093 seconds.

Once again at the back of the pack in the second session Hight pulled up in the left lane and his Mike Neff tuned Funny Car was set up to make a run at provisional No. 1 Alexis DeJoria and her 4.01 second low elapsed time. Hight’s Auto Club Mustang left hard but smoked the tires at about 200 feet.

“The conditions were there to make an aggressive run. We knew our run from the first session had us in the top four so Neff took a shot. We will get our race day tune up squared away tomorrow. The weather could be tricky but we will just go out and run as hard as we can,” said Hight.

John Force showed the fans and his competitors that he and crew chief Jimmy Prock did their homework during the two-week break in racing action. His Castrol EDGE High Mileage Mustang blazed Atlanta Dragway with a 4.077 pass at over 311 mph to grab the number one spot right out of the gate during the first qualifying session at the NHRA Southern Nationals.

“Jimmy Prock and the guys have been working hard getting things sorted out and it showed on that first pass. Jimmy did good and I hung on when I hit the throttle,” said John Force.

For their hard work, John Force picked up three NHRA Mello Yello Bonus Points for qualifying number one on the session.

At the last two races, the GTX High Mileage team had been thrashing just to get John’s Mustang qualified in the field. It was apparent that his Mustang wasn’t running as well as it had been earlier in the season, and crew chief Jimmy Prock knew there were some issues that needed to be addressed in John’s 8000 horsepower Funny Car. The two-week hiatus in the NHRA schedule gave the team the time needed to regroup and fix some things.

“That 4.07 pass is good for us, as we’d been struggling during qualifying at the last few races. We went back to the shop after the last race and found some things that needed fixing,” said crew chief Jimmy Prock.  

During the second session, held in the evening, the chilly night air had dropped the temperature of the track surface. These conditions can present their own set of challenges for the drivers and crew chiefs, but if they hit the set up just right, track records will fall. Unfortunately for John Force, his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang overpowered the massive Goodyear slicks before half-track, thus resulting in a 7.274 pass. 

John Force ended the day qualified in the number three spot, but he will have two more opportunities on Saturday to get the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang back into the pole position.

Courtney Force and the Traxxas Funny Car made a decent run in the first session posting a 4.182 second pass. The team was simply trying to get a time on the board and be in position to move up in the night session. A long delay in the first Top Fuel session pushed back the Funny Car second session and the cool temperatures provided the backdrop of a hit or miss Funny Car second session. Force was the first JFR Funny Car out and she smoked the tires and will go into Saturday in the provisional No. 9 spot with an ET of 4.182 seconds.

With all the talk of the potential for a 100th professional win for a female competitor at this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals, Brittany Force is just focused and getting her Castrol EDGE Dragster qualified in the top half of the field. With a strong 3.904 second pass at 304.32 mph, she drove her car to a number nine spot after the first qualifying session.

“It feels good to come to Atlanta Dragway and put down a good number. We have a brand new chassis that my guys are still trying to sort out, but it’s already showing improvements,” said Brittany Force.

The 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year, who’s in her sophomore year racing in the Top Fuel category, has been steadily improving as a driver this season. Despite having three new crew members at this race, Brittany is making sure her routine remains consistent so she can go rounds and hopefully win her first NHRA Top Fuel race.

On the second qualifying run, Brittany’s 10,000 horsepower dragster smoked the tires at the hit of the throttle, which was a blessing, as Antron Brown who was in the next lane, suffered an accident right at the finish line. Luckily, Antron Brown was unharmed in the incident and both he and Brittany will have two more qualifying sessions to make performance improvements and hopefully move up from the number 10 spot she’s currently in.

“Watching Antron from my view it literally looked like the Fourth of July as I saw sparks and flames coming from his dragster. I didn’t know what was going on but luckily I smoked the tires pretty early on in the run as it shook really hard and rattle so I got out of it. I’m glad Antron is okay after his harrowing run and seeing him get out right away is a blessing. Since both our cars use a canopy, I feel safer as a driver and more comfortable in the car. In racing, sometimes things go bad but fortunately he was okay and we get to do it again tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

 

HIGHT ON CUSP OF 300TH ROUND WIN AS TOUR HEADS TO ATLANTA

ATLANTA (May 13, 2014) — With five final rounds in a row and back to back wins Mello Yello points leader Robert Hight is not losing his focus as his Auto Club team heads to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend at Atlanta Dragway. Hight and the Auto Club team have reached the finals in the Peach State five times in his career driving away with two wins most recently in 2010.

“Atlanta Dragway is a track where I have had a lot of success. The first three years of my career I was in the final there. We are starting to get to some of the tracks where it can be hot and tricky. Those are great Mike Neff conditions. He does a tremendous job of tuning a Funny Car to get the most out of the available track conditions,” said Hight a three-time winner already in 2014.

Hight currently has 299 career round wins. His next round win will vault him into an exclusive club of active Funny Car drivers and continue his potential Hall of Fame career. Currently only six active drivers have won 300 rounds with Tim Wilkerson as the latest edition with is opening round win at the Four-Wide Nationals this season. If Hight grabs a round win this weekend he will have taken just 215 races to achieve this goal. Funny Car legend John Force won his 300th round in his 186th race and two-time Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon won his 300th in this 192nd race. Other members of the 300 round win club include Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps, and Del Worsham.

At the last race in Houston Hight and the Auto Club team struggled on Friday before ticking off six consecutive 4.0 runs on the way to his second win in a row of the season. It was an impressive display of consistency and Hight’s level of confidence never waned throughout the day on Sunday.

“I have so much confidence in Neff and my crew guys. They never panic and there are no fire drills over here. If something isn’t right we get it fixed and we don’t lose our focus. Every race is important but we are all thinking about getting another championship,” said Hight.

The 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals starts a seven race in eight weekend stretch for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. That kind of intense schedule might be daunting to some teams and drivers but Hight relished the up tempo pace.

“I would race every weekend if I could. We have had a couple weekends off and I am ready to get back into this Auto Club Ford Mustang Funny Car. When you are going rounds and getting to finals you don’t ever want to stop. The best way to stay focused is to race and I am excited to get to the track and start qualifying on Friday,” said Hight.

So far this season John Force Racing has been the class of the Funny Car category sending a driver to every final round and picking up four wins in the first six races. Joining JFR in the Funny Car winner’s circle has been Alexis DeJoria with two wins. JFR has put a Mustang Funny Car in every final round going back to the Chevrolet Performance Parts US Nationals last Labor Day weekend. That kind of streak and consistency is not lost on Hight.

“We don’t talk about keeping streaks alive. We just want to keep getting better. John Force has everyone on the same page. His Funny Car has been running well and I know Courtney and the Traxxas Funny Car are just about to turn the corner. We are all working together to keep all the JFR Funny Cars in the top ten and get them all into the Traxxas Shootout with wins. This part of the season is where it will get intense because of the schedule and also the track conditions. I think we will be alright,” added Hight.

JOHN FORCE READY TO END SOUTHERN NATIONALS DROUGHT

16-Time Champ Looking for 140th Career Win at Atlanta Dragway 

After driving his Castrol GTX Mustang seven times into the winner’s circle at Atlanta Dragway, John Force has had the honor of having the most wins at the NHRA Southern Nationals. However, the last time he was victorious at this race came in 2005. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champ is looking to change that and break his eight-year dry spell this weekend, as he and crew chief Jimmy Prock are on a mission to add another win to an already stellar season for John Force Racing.

“We have been on a tear, and our other cars (Courtney Force in Funny Car and Brittany Force in Top Fuel) are coming around,” Force said. “I feel as a whole team we have come together, and the brain trust will keep us alive and winning. We have been to every final going back to Indy last year, which is 13 finals in a row. Winning is where the focus is, and we won’t forget safety,” said John Force.

John Force has been to the final round in eight of the past 11 races going back to the 2013 NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last October. The legendary John Force fought his way to his 16th NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car championship by winning three straight races, a phenomenal feat even by John Force standards.

Never one to rest and be satisfied, John Force kicked off the 2014 NHRA tour with a commanding victory at the season opener NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. Once again, crew chief Jimmy Prock showed the world he’s one of the best tuners when it comes to 8000 horsepower fire breathing nitro fuel V8 engines, as the Castrol GTX Mustang broke both ends of the NHRA national record by going 3.966 at 324.12 mph.

After his Winternationals win, John Force has made a final-round appearance at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida and the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte this year but he knows his crew must make sure his trusty steed is tuned-up and ready for whatever conditions it will face during the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. 

“Atlanta can be tricky because of the heat, we have adapted and with Jimmy Prock that seems like one of the places where he does well. But Jimmy and I have never run this track together, and I am excited about that. I also love the people because they are really into their racing,” said John Force.

John Force also knows there’s a target on his back at all times from the highly competitive Funny Car drivers that include former world champs, event winners and serious contenders like Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, Del Worsham and Alexis DeJoria. They would like to knock the 16-time champ out in round one and begin their play for the Countdown to the Championship.

“I need to do well, and it is not just because we are up there in the points it is the matter of you have to learn how to run by the time you get to the Countdown to the Championship. We say it every race at the team meetings, ‘This is the race you have to start winning,’ ” said John Force.

Being the proud father of four daughters, two of which who are currently racing in the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series, John has seen Brittany and Courtney grow and mature as drivers this season. He’s also reflective about the time daughter Ashley defeated him at the NHRA Southern Nationals back in 2008.

“I was thinking about Ashley and how no woman had ever won a Funny Car race until she beat me in 2008 in Atlanta. “That will go down in history, but to also be the 100th female winner would be huge and it could happen this weekend. What is really cool is Brittany and Courtney are overdue. To win that 100th race is a landmark, and I hope one of them gets it,” said John Force.

About Castrol

BP Lubricants USA Inc. markets premium lubricants and business–building programs directly to independent lube operators, service providers, new car dealers and leading retailers. Our leadership brands include Castrol® GTX® – a premium conventional motor oil; Castrol® GTX® High–Mileage™ – a premium synthetic blend designed for vehicles with over 75,000 miles; the Castrol® EDGE ® line of advanced full-synthetic super premium motor oils that offer unsurpassed strength and per
formance; as well as our range of commercial transport lubricants. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please call 1–888–CASTROL or log on to www.castrol.com/us.

 

BRITTANY FORCE READY TO MAKE HISTORY 

2013 NHRA Rookie Year could be 100th Female Pro winner if she triumphs in Top Fuel this weekend  

Brittany Force could very well be on her way to making history during this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals. The 2013 Rookie of Year has learned a great deal during her sophomore season driving the 10,000 horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster. She knows perseverance, hard work and consistency will eventually get her to the winner’s circle and she’s shown these attributes throughout this season. However, this weekend not only could she get her first Top Fuel win, but also be the 100th female pro driver to win a NHRA National Event.

“Just to a part of the 100th win would be such a big deal. There’s so many women my sisters and I looked up to and watch over the years in drag racing. To be a part of this and grouped in with them would be a really big moment in my career as a driver,” said Brittany Force.

Ironically, it was at this race in 2008 that Brittany’s older sister, Ashley, became the first female Funny Car driver to win a NHRA national event. For Brittany to achieve the 100th female NHRA winner landmark, she’ll have some stiff competition in the other classes, such Alexis DeJoria and sister Courtney Force in Funny Car, Pro Stock points leader Erica Enders-Stevens and Katie Sullivan and Angie Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

For now, the always-optimistic 27 year-old Brittany Force and her team are looking forward to getting back on the track in Atlanta. She’s focused on qualifying in the top half of the field and going rounds on race day.

“I am anxious to get to Atlanta after having two weeks off. We’ll be rolling into the pits with a brand new car and I can’t wait to get in it, but it will take some adjustment on my part to get used to it. It’s the first Top Fuel Dragster to be built in-house at John Force Racing, and we’re still using the canopy design. It should be better and I’m hoping that once I get comfortable in and get back into my routine, it should be definitely be better in the long run for me as driver,” said Brittany Force.

Currently eighth in NHRA Mello Yello points, Brittany’s very pleased with how her team has stepped up its game with a strong and consistent performance during the last few races.

“I’m very proud of my guys and we’re really starting to gel as a team. We’re all pumped about this weekend and feeling good about getting back to the track,” said Brittany Force.

Brittany had her first final round Top Fuel appearance at the second race of the season and is hoping for another final round appearance at this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals. With any luck, her first Top Fuel win will also mark NHRA’s 100th female victory. 

 

HIGHT WINS ATLANTA TO EXTEND JFR FINAL ROUND STREAK
            BAYTOWN, Texas (April 27, 2014) – Robert Hight came out on top again this weekend at the 27th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway where he won for the third time this year and extended his streak of consecutive final round appearances to five.

            In Sunday’s eliminations, he dismissed Bob Tasca III, Alexis DeJoria, Del Worsham and Jack Beckman to score his 32nd professional career event win, No. 229 for John Force Racing as a whole.

 

            “It was like we didn’t even show up on Friday,” Hight said.  “It was horrible. On the first run it got through the clutch and wore it out and eventually smoked the tires. Second qualifying session we just totally missed it.  It was weak and shook, but I didn’t lose faith in my team.

 

            “They showed confidence and had the ‘we’ll go get ‘em Saturday’ attitude. We went out there and ran 4.07, 4.08 on Saturday to put us in the No. 4 spot.

 

            “Then the first three rounds today ran 4.07, 4.07, 4.07. You know how hard that is to do in one of these cars? There are so many variables.  It’s hard to make that many consistent runs in a row, but it shows how good my team is. They’re making just tiny changes, and at the last minute. They never act like there is a fire drill or anything is out of the ordinary, they just put their heads down and do their job. It’s a lot of fun right now,” said Hight.

 

            The Auto Club driver picked up his first professional win at Houston in 2005 and since then has won more Funny Car races than anyone other driver in the category.  He also scored his 299th round win today.

 

            “It’s great to come out here and put AAA Texas on the side of the car. I’ve always felt bad, because we did get our first win here, but I’ve never been back to the final here in Houston. We haven’t done a very good job in this area. I haven’t gotten another win for them until now. To get back here and get them in the winner’s circle is huge.

 

            “I had high expectations coming into this weekend because I got my first win here. Mike Neff- he has owned this place. When he drove and tuned his own car he was, well, just like he was today. You have high expectations, especially since we’ve been in four straight final rounds. We’ve been kind of on a roll here. It dates back to Indy,” said Hight.

 

            This is the thirteenth race in a row that John Force Racing has had a Funny Car in the final round going back to the U.S. Nationals last season. Hight’s two final round losses this season have come at the hands from Alexis DeJoria and heading into the final round he was 1-4 versus the Patron XO Café sponsored driver.

 

            “That win against Dejoria was huge. She’s owned me, she’s had my number. I finally got a win against her at Four-Wide, but before that I was 0-4 and I still have a losing record against her. That’s a great team. They’re running well. She qualified right with me. We were 4 and 5. You always know they’re going to be there.

 

            “When you win one of these races, it’s an accomplishment. To have this as my third win of the year, just shows how steady my team is and, truthfully, that just puts more pressure on me because when that car goes up there and runs like it does, a bracket car, all I can do is screw it up. I have got to do my job,” said Hight.

 

            “When you can put 4.07’s on the board in a row in the heat, that mentally wears on your competitors. Some of these Funny Car guys, they’ll roll it in there deep and make their reaction times look good.  Not me.  I want ET.  I want my competitor to be scared and I don’t want to give lane choice away by rolling in deep.  Even in the final, I didn’t roll it in.  When you have confidence in yourself and in the car, there’s no need,” said Hight.

 

            In the final round, Hight set top speed in the Funny Car category with a 314.90 mph run.  Hight’s average ET on race day was a 4.069, but other team members of Hight struggled this weekend.

 

            “Mike Neff was over helping Courtney’s guys, in fact, a lot of my guys were over there.  She had a good car in first round, just spun a little down track.  We all help each other. If you stood back on the starting line, I had Castrol, Castrol Edge, Traxxas, all of them behind my car. We share in the wins and it’s one big team.  Don’t look for those (Traxxas) guys to struggle much longer. They’re right around the corner from doing exactly what we are.”

 

            Despite a strong showing in qualifying, an impressive first round win and running a career best speed of 327 mph, Brittany Force was unable to advance past the quarter finals.  At the hit of the throttle, her 10,000-horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster overpowered the track surface.

 

            Always optimistic, the 2013 Rookie of the Year was happy that her team stepped up its game with a strong and consistent performance.  Brittany was hoping for another final round appearance today, but that will have to wait until the NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta in two weeks.

 

            “It was a bummer we didn’t win this weekend, but we learned a lot and I’m really proud of my guys. They worked so hard, and to improve the way we did on race day says a lot about this Castrol EDGE team,” said Brittany Force.

 

            During the first round of eliminations, Brittany faced off against rookie Richie Crampton.  Both dragsters left the starting line with Brittany getting a slight holeshot advantage. The Castrol EDGE Dragster never trailed and took the win light with a 3.787 second elapsed time at 327.82 mph.  It was one of the quickest and fastest runs of the event.

 

            “The Castrol EDGE team ended up qualifying number eight, and we were paired up with Richie Crampton. I had run him once before at the Winternationals. Coming out today, I was pumped and excited and just felt good. I knew we had a good race car and I have a great team behind me with Todd Smith and Dean Antonelli.   So, we went out there and got past the first round and I was so excited.  I didn’t see my win light so I actually didn’t know I won. My guys told me over the radio,” said Brittany Force.

 

            Ask any drag racer and they’ll all tell you, the first round is always the toughest. Brittany has suffered her share of losses in the opening round on race day, but today was not one of those days.

 

 &
nbsp;          “It’s always good to get past round one as it’s a real bummer that after four qualifying passes and all the hard work the guys put into the car, only to lose in the first round. So, I was excited to get past round one and the fact I ran that 3.78 time, which was the best we ran all weekend, was huge. It’s such a positive to improve on race day, because the conditions are so different from qualifying. We also ran a career best speed of 327 miles per hour so I was excited and my guys were pumped up for that,” said Brittany Force  

 

            During the second round of eliminations, Brittany lined up against Steve Torrence. As soon as Brittany left the starting line, her Castrol EDGE Dragster immediately smoked the Goodyears.  She tried to pedal her race car in hopes of recovering the run and chasing down Torrence, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

 

            “I had beaten him in Phoenix earlier this year,” said Brittany Force.  “Unfortunately for us, he got the win.  Right when I stepped on the gas, my dragster went up in smoke, I tried to pedal it but we couldn’t get it down the track.”

 

            In a highly uncharacteristic move, John Force red lit his chances of winning his 140th career victory at today’s NHRA Spring Nationals.  The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champ was facing off against Cruz Pedregon in the opening round when his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang left the starting line early, causing the red light to come on in John Force’s lane.

 

             “We were excited going into the first round today, after we struggled here, trying to get qualified.  I had a red light, it happens, we learn from it and move on,” said John Force.

 

            Even though John was sidelined early on race day, he was still focused on his other team drivers and their performance throughout Sunday’s eliminations. Whether it’s giving advice and coaching his drivers as they go through the rounds of eliminations or being a cheerleader while watching them from the starting line, he knows it’s a team approach in securing another NHRA Mello Yello World Championship for John Force Racing.

 

            “The Castrol EDGE dragster with Brittany has been trucking all weekend. She won the first round with a 3.78, which is a big number out here in these conditions, and it’s pretty impressive. Courtney and I both struggled, but I struggled the worst with the red light.  Robert’s going some rounds and we’re looking strong in Top Fuel and Funny Car, so we’ll be all right,” said John Force.

          

            Even though John Force hasn’t visited the winner’s circle at Royal Purple Raceway since 2002, and his winless drought at the NHRA Spring Nationals continues, he still remains solidly in the top half of the NHRA Mello Yello points chase.

 

Courtney Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang team fought all the way through qualifying to qualify 16th.   It was the first time the 25-year-old has qualified lower than the No. 14 position.

 

            “We had a tough start going into first round.  We got things figured out just in time for first round today,” said Force.

 

            Force went up against competitor Del Worsham in the opening round. This was the ninth time the two have met up in eliminations and the fourth time they have met in the first round.

 

            “Unfortunately the car started to spin the tires down at the finish line, just enough right before the line for him to pass me. We were out ahead the whole time. I really thought we had that win so it’s a bummer for me and my team, but we’re going to look at the positives.

 

            “We made the show this weekend, we put up a good fight in the first round against Worsham and almost had it right there at the end,” said Force.

 

            The 2012 Rookie of the Year will hold her No. 10 points. She is just two pints behind Tim Wilkerson in the No. 9 spot.

 

            “We’re going to have to move forward. We have our eyes set on Atlanta now. We’re still in the top 10 in points which is a good thing. We just have to keep pushing forward, stay positive, stay motivated and go to Atlanta,” said Force.

 

HIGHT CONSISTENT IN HEAT ON SATURDAY;

ALL JFR ENTRIES READY FOR RACE DAY

 

BAYTOWN, TX – Mello Yello Funny Car points leader Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team did not let two sub-par runs on Friday distract them on Saturday at the 27th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals. All three John Force Racing Funny Cars qualified for the race and Hight was the highest positioned driver in the No. 4 spot with a solid 4.073 second pass at 312.42 mph. Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster will go into race day as the No. 8 qualified Top Fuel dragster.

Hight made the quickest runs of both sessions today grabbing six qualifying bonus points and serving notice that his Auto Club Ford Mustang will be one of the cars to beat during eliminations on Sunday at Royal Purple Raceway.

“Today was a really good day for this Auto Club Ford Mustang. We didn’t make good runs yesterday but today’s conditions are race day conditions and we were quickest of both sessions. I have a lot of confidence in Mike Neff and this team,” said Hight. “There was no panic over here last night. We are just focused on the task at hand. Right now that is getting a first round win tomorrow morning. You don’t know what the weather will do but I am excited to be No. 4 and have lane choice.”

After the first session Hight and crew chief Mike Neff looked at the data and made another strong run of 4.085 seconds at 313.22 mph. Two strong runs in both lanes gives the Auto Club team a lot of confidence going into race day. Hight has advanced ot the last four finals in a row with two wins so far in 2014.

Sixteen time Funny Car champion John Force had his legions of loyal fans on the edge of their seats today going into the fourth and final qualifying session. His Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang was not in the field and had not shown its usual level of dominance. The reigning Funny Car champ had been struggling all weekend to make a good run, and the finicky track surface at Royal Purple Raceway kept throwing him curve balls.

“There is always, pressure but when you get in the car you turn it off. Sure you sweat it, but if you go up there not ready Jimmy can give you a good car, and then you are the only one that can screw it up. I wasn’t planning on doing that, so I turned on the switch,” said Force.

In true Force fashion, his 8000 horsepower Mustang blazed the strip with a 4.112 second run at over 297 mph, catapulting him from the No. 17 spot to the No. 7 spot on the final qualifying run. This keeps Force’s qualifying streak alive with 127 events in a row.

“I went up there and had fun and I got to hear the cheer of the crowd. I would be giving the same interview if I hadn’t qualified. It makes things more exciting when you don’t have a lot of success. This makes you get your ducks in a row,” said John Force.

On today’s first qualifying session, Force’s Castrol-backed Funny Car smoked the tires around the 300-foot mark.

“We got bit the first run, and the second run the timers didn’t work on the clutch, so that took a run away from us. This morning we smoked the tires, but Jimmy fixed it and we went down there,” said Force.

John Force will face rival Cruz Pedregon in round one tomorrow. With lane choice and the fact they made a good clean run today, the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang team can tune up their Mustang for race day.

“Anything can happen when you come down to the last run. That run will help us for tomorrow. We are definitely glad to get that run behind us,” said Jimmy Prock, crew chief on the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang.

The last time John Force visited the winner’s circle at the NHRA Spring Nationals was 2002 when he won his 100th Funny Car title. For someone who’s focused on winning, that plays on his mind and makes him more determined.

“We have been in the last twelve finals, including last year and this year. We don’t get cocky, it is just that these cars are good and they make a lot of horsepower. Last week I was runner-up and Robert won. We got here and we got into the heat,” said Force, a 139-time winner.

Courtney Force will race from the No. 16 spot on Sunday at the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals. She will be matched up with No. 1 qualifier Del Worsham in the opening round.

“Our Traxxas team has made the show even though we’re in the No. 16 spot. I’m proud of my guys for working so hard. We’re just trying to work out the kinks in this race car. It’s been a challenging track for us, but I have a lot of confidence in Rob Douglas and Dan Hood that we’ll get this car turned around for eliminations tomorrow,” said Force.

Force posted a 4.413 second run early on Friday at only 213.50 mph and that held through the next three qualifying sessions to put the Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car No. 16. This is the first time ever that Force has qualified in the No. 16 spot. In fact, in her three-year professional Funny Car career, the 25-year-old driver has never qualified worse than the No. 14 spot.

“We’ve got Del Worsham in the first round. It’s going to be tough for us; going up against the No. 1 qualifier, but we’re going to give it all we got. We have nothing to lose from the No. 16 spot. If I have to pedal my heart out, that’s what I have to do,” said Force.

In three years, this is the ninth time Force and Worsham have met on race day and the fourth time they have met in the first round. The 2012 rookie of the year is 1-7 to the DHL-sponsored driver in previous events.

“I know we have a good car over here. We just need to work out the kinks and get back to where we’re comfortable. Hopefully we’ll have a good day tomorrow. I’m happy to be out here. The fans here in Houston have been amazing and I just hope we can go some rounds tomorrow,” said Force.

Once again, Brittany Force has shown the racing community, her fans and fellow competitors that the Castrol EDGE team will be a formidable opponent this season. She qualified nine places better than last year and her Castrol EDGE Dragster is fastest in the pits at Houston Raceway Park. With strong, consistent qualifying runs at this weekend’s O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, she is ready for tomorrow’s eliminations and is looking to go to her second final round appearance this season.

During the third qualifying session today, Brittany’s 10,000 horsepower Castrol EDGE dragster scorched the pavement at Royal Purple Raceway Park with a 3.801 second run that moved her to the No. 8 spot and back in the top half of the field. What was just as impressive was the speed of her Castrol EDGE Dragster, as it stopped the clocks at over 325 mph, making it the fastest run for any competitor during the past two days.

“On the third qualifying pass the Castrol EDGE team made a good run. You know, we keep improving on each pass and that’s exactly what we want to do. I ended up running a 3.80 and had the top speed with 325 miles per hour and I was really excited about that,” said Force. 

On the fourth and final run today, Force was on a great pass when an unforeseen mechanical failure before the finish line caused her dragster to shut off early. Despite running 3.985 seconds, Brittany did not get bumped from her No.8 spot and stays in the top half of the field with lane choice going into round one tomorrow.

“Going into our fourth qualifying pass we wanted to improve. Unfortunately I lifted at 800 feet, due to an engine and clutch problem and we didn’t get the car down the track like we hoped. It didn’t go as planned but we ended up in the number eight spot and I’m looking forward to racing tomorrow,” said Force, the 2013 Auto Club Rookie of the Year.

Force will have lane choice when she lines up next to rookie Richie Crampton in the opening round on Sunday. She doesn’t take any racer lightly and remembers it was Cr
ampton that put her on the trailer in round one at the season opener NHRA Winternationals. Crew chief Todd Smith will make sure her Castrol EDGE Dragster is tuned up before she pulls up to the line on race day.

“I’m excited to be racing Richie Crampton, he’s a rookie, as it’s his first year out here. I remember how I felt during my rookie season, so I know what’s he’s going though. Sometimes I feel like I’m still a rookie,” said Brittany Force.

BRITTANY FORCE BOUNCES BACK IN HOUSTON ON FRIDAY

BAYTOWN, TX – What a difference a year makes. After failing to make the Top Fuel field at this event in 2013, Brittany Force’s Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster rocketed straight down Houston Raceway Park’s drag strip with a 3.85 second pass at over 317 mph in the first qualifying session. Force ended up in the No. 3 spot after the opening round of qualifying at the NHRA Spring Nationals. She also picked up a NHRA Mello Yello Performance Bonus Point for being the third quickest during the first session.

“It feels good to come out to Houston Raceway Park, and on the first pass end up running a 3.85. We ended number three and got a bonus point for that which is pretty exciting,” said Brittany Force.

On the second qualifying run, Brittany’s performance slightly improved; as she ran 3.846 seconds at 321.27 mph. Even with the performance improvement her Castrol EDGE Dragster slipped out of the top half of the field and into the provisional No. 9 spot. However, the ever positive Brittany Force was still happy with the performance of her dragster and the team’s efforts.

“Our second run out, it cooled down quite a bit later in the evening, as there was 40 minute oil down ahead of us. We ran a 3.84 so we improved and I couldn’t be happier for the Castrol EDGE team,” said Brittany Force.

With two solid and consistent runs under their belts, crew chief Todd Smith and Dean “Guido” Antonelli have the necessary and valuable data needed to tune the 10,000 horsepower BOSS 500 engine for Saturday’s two qualifying sessions. The team will also dial-in the clutch so the Castrol EDGE Dragster will not overpower the tricky track surface.

“To have an awesome first run out the door, which was a great pass and then improve from there, says a lot about where we’re heading. Especially from last year as we didn’t even qualify and it was such a bummer. I feel we’re in a much better place than last year, and can’t wait for tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

The Traxxas Ford Mustang piloted by Courtney Force will be the only JFR Funny Car carrying a qualifying time over to Saturday. The third year driver and three-time tour winner posted a 4.413 second pass at 213.50 mph and it was quick enough to secure Force the provisional No. 11 spot. With conditions looking to be equally hot tomorrow times could improve and the Funny Car class could see some movement.

Robert Hight and the AAA Texas Ford Mustang smoked the tires on both runs today but it did not discourage the Mello Yello points leader.

“It puts you behind the eight ball a little bit for tomorrow. I think we just had some clutch things bite us a little bit today,” said Hight, who has four final round appearances in a row so far this season. “Mike Neff and this whole AAA Texas team will get it and we’ll be fine. Tomorrow is what the conditions will be like for Sunday. Tomorrow is the day we really need to do well.”

Hight’s best time of the day 5.403 seconds at 135.08 mph was only the 15th quickest Funny Car run of the day. Hight along with teammate John Force and Alexis DeJoria, the top three drivers in the points, will have to establish times quick enough to race on Sunday.

The 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force also struggled to get his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang down the track today at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals. The delicate racing surface at Houston Raceway Park had crew chief Jimmy Prock struggling to get Force’s Funny Car set up just right. Unfortunately, after two sessions, the results were identical, as the massive Goodyear slicks lost traction at approximately 600 feet, and the winningest driver in NHRA history had to abort each run.

“It was tough out there today. This track is tricky for all the teams and we had to go up early in the second session. Come tomorrow, Jimmy Prock, Danny DeGennaro and the rest of the team will get this hot rod running,” said John Force.

Force will not carry a qualifying time into Saturday, but the seasoned veteran has been here many times before and has come back to claim a berth in the top-half of the field. Force is also looking to break his drought, as he hasn’t won the NHRA Spring Nationals since 2002.

For now, John is very pleased with his daughter Brittany’s performance in today’s qualifying and the reaction of the nitro enthusiasts in the stands as she blasted down the track with 3.85 and 3.84 second runs.

“I am proud of that Castrol EDGE dragster. I am glad to be here in Texas with these great fans. We’ll be ready to get after it tomorrow I promise you that,” said John Force.