Category Archives: John Force Racing

John Force Racing–HIGHT WINS IN CHARLOTTE AGAIN JUMPS TO 3RD IN FUNNY CAR POINTS

HIGHT WINS IN CHARLOTTE AGAIN JUMPS TO 3RD IN FUNNY CAR POINTS

 

CHARLOTTE, NC —- For one afternoon history repeated itself at the 6th annual Carlyle Tools Carolina NHRA Nationals as Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang won and made a dramatic jump up the Mello Yello Funny Car point standings. In 2009 Hight defeated Matt Hagan in the finals and in the process jumped from 10th to 3rd in the point standings. Today in front of a packed crowd at zMax Dragway Hight again bested Hagan and moved from 9th to 3rd heading to the second race of the Countdown to the Championship.

 

Hight used a superior reaction time .055 to .074 to seal the win when his Auto Club Mustang crossed the finish line with an elapsed time of 4.083 to Hagan’s 4.066.

 

“Not many people beat Matt Hagan on a hole-shot. I am not going to count on doing it again either. That team has been No. 1 for a reason all year. I am pretty sure there are a lot of Funny Car drivers that are happy that I won,” said Hight, who has now won eight rounds of racing in a row. “To have him come in here No. 1 in points and leave with the win would have been devastating to the whole class trying to catch him. That was a 40 point swing for me. I was 100 back coming into the Countdown and if I would have lost it would have been 120. Now it is 80 points with five races to go. 120 points is a mountain to climb.”

 

In 2009 it was a Hight and crew chief Jimmy Prock combination getting the win and today Hight relied on crew chief Mike Neff to lead him to victory.

 

“I have said it before but Mike Neff is the smartest Funny Car racer out here. We could have tried to go up there on Friday night and do something we have never done before which is try to make a three second run, but Neff made it go down the track. We ran 4.04 and it got us in the top half. Mission accomplished for Mike Neff,” said Hight, who was the No. 8 qualifier this weekend.

 

“That is how he races. Yesterday we came out here and in the first session we were the quick car and we were second quickest in the second session in the worse of the two lanes. We picked up five bonus points and we are definitely counting points. I have learned from Mike Neff that even if we are struggling a little in qualifying you ignore it because he gets his act together on race day.”

 

Hight came out in the first round and outran rookie Chad Head 4.075 to 4.863 seconds. In the second round he had to race No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon and Hight stepped up with a 4.055 seconds to 4.103 seconds win and set up a JFR versus JFR semi-final match-up with teammate Courtney Force.

 

“The first three round we were the quick car. We don’t have a whole lot of time to celebrate we move right on to the AAA Texas Fall Nationals in Ennis next weekend. It will be a total different set of circumstances. You know it will be hot this time of year,” said Hight.

 

Coming into this race Hight had some momentum for him win at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. It was Hight’s first win in 35 races and his third win at the biggest race on the NHRA Mello Yello Series schedule.

 

“The Indy win was huge. When we switched teams I knew I was getting in a really good race car. Suddenly we just went silent and I started doubting myself. I started thinking it was me. When you have self-doubt you are not performing to your best. To pull it all together at the biggest race of the year was huge. I am not looking back because you can’t be over confident. We will have our hands full,” added Hight.

 

“The standings haven’t shown how good this team is. We had a lot of goofy things happen. I lost on a hole shot in Sonoma when the fire bottles went off. We just had a lot of goofy things going wrong like spark plugs going out. We were better than that and luckily we pulled it all together before Indy. I have a great team. These guys work night and day and they are so meticulous. My guys at the Auto Club team were awesome too. I have been lucky to work with two great teams. I watched my guys between rounds today and my blower guy took the blower apart because he wanted to double check that he put oil in it. It was all correct but he wanted to be sure. These guys aren’t leaving anything to chance. We are clicking. This is only one race.”

 

Courtney Force moved up a total of 46 points this weekend after dismissing Bob Tasca III and Ron Capps from the show. Force started the 2013 Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship in the No. 7 spot, but picked up enough points to put her in the No. 6 spot going into the next race in Ennis, Texas just outside Dallas.

 

Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang team posted a quick 4.094 at 313.95 mph to beat Ford driver Tasca III. This was the eighth time the pair has matched up in eliminations, the fourth time they have met in first round. Force is now 7-1 to Tasca III, 4-0 in first round encounters.

 

 “All three of our Funny Cars got through first round and we ran a pretty good number for that session. The started coming out and the track started heating up a little bit, but to go out there and still run a 4.09 was great for that session. It was a close race against Tasca, another Ford Mustang out there. He’s a tough competitor. You really get fired up when you’re going up against him. We’re going after that championship and you really have to make every round count,” said Force.

 

Force and the Traxxas Ford Mustang were able to pick up their second round win against Ron Capps for her fourth career win over the Don Schumacher Racing driver. She posted a 4.107 ET at 311.77 mph to Capps’ 4.112 ET at 309.20 mph.

 

“We had a really tough second round against Capps and won by just .002 of a second. It’s always tough going up against those Schumacher cars. I was really excited we were able to get that win. I was trying to stay on my game, keep the car shallow. We were aiming to get lane choice in the semis, but Robert outran us,” said Force.

 

“I’m excited for our Traxxas Ford Mustang team that we were able to score that big round win over Capps. These guys have been working hard and I’m glad I was able to do my job up there on the starting line. I left right with him and we were able to outrun him for the win,” said Force.

 

The 25-year-old driver suffered a loss in the semi-final round to teammate and brother-in-law, Robert Hight. Her Traxxas Ford Mustang smoked the tires at the beginning of the run as Hight went sailing down the track.

 

“I ran Robert in the semis. It’s always tough going against a teammate and Robert has a really good car over there. We didn’t have lane choice on that run and we struggled a little early trying to get our car down there. We knew they were going to put a good number on the board so we were prepared to give it our all. The track just wasn’t agreeing with the numbers we put in the car. It struck the tires pretty early and I tried to pedal it, but he was long gone.”

 

“It was a tough round loss for us, but we’re excited thinking about the fact that we did move up in points. We gained some points in qualifying and going rounds today and I think that’s the most important thing- to focus on the positives. I think we’ve taken a step forward and we’re excited to get to Dallas,” said Force.

John Force and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang dropped a tough second round race to eventual finalist Matt Hagan. The 15-time champion left the starting line first but at the finish line it was Hagan winning with a 4.063 second run to Force’s 4.098 second pass.

 

Force, the No. 7 qualifier,  had a strong outing in the first round with his Jimmy Prock tuned Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car taking out veteran and fellow Countdown competitor Johnny Gray. In
the opening session Force posted the second quickest elapsed time, 4.076 seconds, to Gray’s 4.144 seconds.

 

“We’re starting to have race cars that look really good. We’re Funny Car people, but we’ll find our way with the Castrol EDGE dragster and my daughter (Brittany Force) is learning,” said Force.  “But my Castrol GTX Funny Car is running, Courtney’s is running, the sponsors Castrol, Ford, Auto Club, Brandsource, Traxxas, Mac Tools, they ought to be proud. Robert (Hight) to pull it out with a .055 light against Matt Hagan who ain’t no slouch. We got some good race cars. We got a shot at this title.”

 

In a tough turn of events for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award contender, Brittany Force, she lost a close race to new Top Fuel Mello Yello points leader Spencer Massey. The 27 year-old driver from Yorba Linda, California made a strong run in her Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster, 3.834 seconds to Massey’s 3.822 seconds. It was the fourth time these drivers have faced off and each time Force has given Massey a tough race but come up just a few hundredths of a second short. In this race both dragsters had issues at the top end but Massey was able to hold on for the win.

 

“It was definitely a good run for the Castrol EDGE team. It just wasn’t quick enough though. Spencer Massey is a tough competitor. He keeps whooping me, but we will get him one of these days,” said Force. “We ran a 3.82 to his 3.81, so it was still a very good run for us and I’m very happy about that. I think we would have made it down there, except we had some problems right at 700 feet which really slowed us down.”

 

John Force Racing–J. FORCE, HIGHT EXCEL ON SATURDAY AT CARLYLE TOOLS CAROLINA NHRA NATIONALS

J. FORCE, HIGHT EXCEL ON SATURDAY AT CARLYLE TOOLS CAROLINA NHRA NATIONALS

CHARLOTTE, NC (Sept. 14, 2013) – On the eve of the Countdown to the Championship’s first race John Force and Robert Hight served notice that they will be ready for race day. The tandem posted the quickest or second quickest runs in both sessions today at the Carlyle Tools Carolina NHRA Nationals.

Robert Hight and his Auto Club Ford Mustang earned five qualifying bonus points today and wound up as the No. 8 qualifier. In the first session Hight was the quickest Funny Car tripping the lights in 4.091 seconds; the only Funny Car to run in the 4.0 range. In the second session, still in the heat, Hight’s Mike Neff tuned Funny Car crossed the finish line in 4.081 seconds, .001 seconds quicker than Don Schumacher Racing rival Matt Hagan.

“We gained five points today, so that’s big. It would have been nice to qualify a little higher Saturday night, but seeing that we didn’t make it down the track the first run we did what we had to do. Basically we’re going to be racing in conditions like this tomorrow and I think I had the two best runs today,” said the 2009 Carlyle Tools Carolina NHRA Nationals winner.

“The left lane is not as good as the right lane and we were quick when we were in the right and we were second when we were in the left. Mike Neff has a really good handle on this thing. If we need to step up a little bit like he said tomorrow, it’s plenty safe. If we have to step up, we’re racing somebody tough I think we can. I’m excited and I’m ready to get this Countdown started.”

Hight is excited about the prospects of racing tomorrow especially since they made two good runs in race day conditions.

“It’ll be fine. It’s going to be similar tomorrow. The conditions, if you look at the weather forecast, it’s going to be very similar to today. Today really was what counted. When we got out of here first and second in our two runs, can’t do much better than that,” said Hight.

John Force ended the day with the quickest run of any Funny Car on the property. His Jimmy Prock tuned Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car blasted down the track in 4.064 seconds and was far and away the quickest Funny Car under the Carolina sun.

At the top end Force was excited about how well the Castrol GTX race car performed and the prospect of racing under similar conditions on Sunday.

 “We absolutely love this track here in Charlotte. Jimmy Prock got after that thing,” said Force. “I can’t wait to see what Courtney and Robert are going to do. I felt like I was shot out of a cannon. I thought it ain’t gonna hold but it was holding at 100 feet, 200 feet and then at the finish line. It kept on trucking right to the lights. I have a race car that is like a rocket ship so now I have to win a race.”

For the 25th time in her two year Funny Car career, Courtney Force will start in the top half of the field on race day, this time occupying the No. 4 spot. She will face Ford competitor Bob Tasca III in the opening round. This will be the 8th time the pair has met in eliminations and she is currently 6-1 against him. Three of those meetings were in the first round and Force is 3-0 to Tasca in those match-ups.

Force’s Traxxas Ford Mustang smoked the tires and therefore posted a 5.138 ET at 145.25 mph in the third qualifying session, the first to begin Saturday’s events.

 “For me, this is one of the more challenging tracks on the NHRA circuit, just because the first part of the run is going uphill a little and then for the rest of the run it kind of evens out. In my case, this last run I let it move a little to the left on me and when I went to correct it, it was too big of a correction and it spun the tires. Unfortunately we lost out on that run. I’m obviously really hard on myself as a driver. You want to have every run perfectly straight going down the race track and sometimes things happen. Lucky for us, I’ve got a great, supportive team behind me and we’re looking ahead to race day tomorrow,” said Force.

In the fourth and final qualifying session, Force posted a 4.142 ET at 310.98 mph in the heat. The 25-year-old did not improve during Saturday’s qualifying efforts, but the Traxxas Ford Mustang team held tight to their 4.021 ET at 319.37 mph from Friday’s night session

“We were looking to run a little better and a little closer to our teammates running in the 4.0’s, but, you know what, we got our car down there and I think that’s all that matters is having a consistent race car going into race day. We’ll have a tough first round match-up with Bob Tasca III in his Ford, so it will be two Fords, but hopefully our Traxxas team can move on to the next round. It’s pretty crucial now because it’s the start of the Countdown, this is where it all begins and it starts tomorrow,” said Force.

Auto Club Road to the Future candidate Brittany Force remained strong in the final two qualifying sessions at zMax Dragway as she was tenth on the qualifying ladder at the end of the day.

In round three of qualifying, Force was third quickest of the session with a 3.816 elapsed time. With rising track temperatures, it was going to be tough for any team to improve in the fourth session. Midway down the track, Force had to lift off the throttle and coasted down the track. Despite not improving, she was able to qualify her Castrol EDGE dragster inside the top ten.

“We ended up tenth at the end of the day,” Force said. “We actually moved down two spots from the previous runs. Our first run of the day was a good one. We ran a 3.816 elapsed time. On the last run we wanted to improve, but unfortunately we didn’t. I had to lift early and we didn’t get the car all the way down the track like we wanted to. You know, we ended up tenth and we get to race in the show tomorrow, so I’m excited about that.”

Force posted her career best elapsed time this weekend and earned two qualifying bonus points.

“That’s exactly what we want,” said Force. “We got the best ET we’ve had all year and got to gain bonus points from that. It’s not like we’re in the Countdown and can move up, but this Castrol EDGE team is going to go after that No. 11 spot in the points. That’s the highest spot we can possibly get, so we’re going to go for that.”

Going into Sunday’s elimination rounds, the 27-year-old Southern California native will once again square off against Don Schumacher Racing’s Spencer Massey. They have faced each other three different occasions throughout the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Force remains optimistic that anything can happen going into eliminations.

“He’s an awesome guy,” Force said. “I talk to him on and off the track and he loves being out here just as much as I do. He’s excited to be out here and he’s such a great competitor. He has beaten me three times this year, so I’m thinking it’s the Castrol EDGE teams turn to get the win. Anything can happen on Sunday.”

John Force Racing–Changes Ahead

JFR ADDS OCTAGON & ROGERS AND COWAN TO
ENTERTAINMENT TEAM

            CHARLOTTE,
NC (September 12, 2013) – At a press conference today at which he announced a
strategic partnership with JMI to pursue new sponsorship for his race teams,
John Force also announced his intentions to go back to Hollywood with a reality
television show and a more aggressive public relations push to entertainment
and lifestyle media outlets.

            Moving
forward, John Force Racing, Inc., and John Force Racing Entertainment will be
working with John Ferriter and Octagon Entertainment along with Rogers &
Cowan in an effort to increase the team’s visibility in non-traditional media.

            “We are going back to Hollywood,”
said John Force, CEO of JFR.  “We loved
doing the Driving Force Show in 2006 and 2007 but we had to change direction
after we lost Eric Medlen and I had to teach my daughters how to become
professional drivers. We worked with my friend John Ferriter then and we are
back together with a new concept.” 

            “We are going in a different direction
for this show,” said Force.  “It won’t be
about learning the ropes on the race track. 
I have taught my kids how to drive, but now I need to teach them how to
chase money and get in the boardroom with corporate America.  Our goal is to work with Octagon and John
Ferriter to produce an entertaining show.”

            Formerly
Executive Vice-President, Worldwide Head of Non-Scripted Television at the
William Morris Agency, as well as a member of the agency’s Board of Directors,
Ferriter is an award winning and Emmy Nominated producer who has been
instrumental in packaging and selling some of the most popular shows on
television including “The Arsenio Hall Show,” “Piers Morgan
Tonight,” “Erin Burnett Outfront,” “LeAnn & Eddie,”
“Dr. Drew,” “Driving Force,”  “Project Runway,” “The
Biggest Loser,” “The Weakest Link,” “The Man Show,” numerous Garth Brooks
specials, “Chelsea Lately,” “Blue Collar TV,” “The Tom Green Show,” “Pop Stars”
and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” to name a few.

            Ferriter
also has been instrumental in signing, developing and expanding the careers of
countless personalities including Piers Morgan, Ryan Seacrest, Nancy O’Dell,
Dr. Drew Pinsky, Arsenio Hall, Larry King, Mario Lopez, Donny and Marie Osmond,
Holly Robinson Peete, Curt Menefee, Erin Burnett, Orlando Jones, Carson Daly,
Nick Cannon, Chelsea Handler, Mark Wahlberg, Jeff Foxworthy, “Larry the Cable
Guy,” Jimmy Kimmel, Montel Williams, Jerry Springer, Adam Carolla, Tom Green,
Leeza Gibbons, Mark McGrath, Chuck Woolery, Topher Grace, Bob Saget and Jeff
Probst.

            “I
love John and Courtney, Ashley, Brittany and Laurie.  We look to replicate
the success we had with ‘Driving Force’ with the new series.  With
Courtney’s emergence we hope to capture a whole new audience and help to bring
them along with the Force family,” said Ferriter. 

            In
an effort to continue to grow the JFR brand and extend its influence outside of
motorsports, Los Angeles-based Rogers & Cowan will begin reaching out to
entertainment media outlets on behalf of the stable of JFR drivers.  The agency will expand the JFR brand into
traditional mainstream media.  Rogers
& Cowan’s objective is to position the Force family into mainstream
entertainment personalities by securing significant national media and expose
at entertainment focused events.  The
firm’s goal is to reach out to major television outlets such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America, CBS Sunday, and Entertainment Tonight.  In
the national print area, the Rogers & Cowan will pursue USA Today, Parade, The New York Times, and Wall
Street Journal
among other notable outlets. 

            Rogers
& Cowan will be developing tailored press releases and custom media
campaigns for JFR drivers to enhance JFR’s image in the entertainment
community. Led by Sandy Friedman who during
his 40 plus years at Rogers & Cowan, Friedman has worked with a number of
illustrious clients including LeAnn Rimes, The Beach Boys, Shania Twain, Tim
McGraw, Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias, Selena, Leann Womack, Toby Keith, Billy
Ray Cyrus, and 19 Entertainment to name a few. 
In the sports realm, Friedman has worked with Tommy John, Bill Madlock,
Brandon Phillips, Ronnie Lott, Antonio Cromartie, Terrell Suggs, Matt Leinart,
Jason Taylor, Reggie Bush, Ken Norton, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, and Rashad
Evans. 

            “Rogers
& Cowan is very excited to be associated with John Force, his family and
racing team. We are working closely with John and his team to execute a
strategic marketing communications campaign to reach JFR’s goals and expand
their brand and image into the entertainment mainstream and increase the team’s
visibility,” said Sandy Friedman, Rogers & Cowan Executive Vice President,
Music & Sports.

John Force Racing–Charlotte Ahead

HIGHT: WINNING INDY CREATES COUNTDOWN MOMENTUM

CHARLOTTE, NC (September 10, 2013) — Robert Hight walked into the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals winner’s circle with a huge smile and a big sigh of relief. It had been 35 races since the 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion was able to hoist the fabled “Wally” winner’s trophy. For the crewman turned test driver turned world champion the drought created a sense of doubt that was easily erased with four win lights on Labor Day.

“You start asking yourself if I am the problem. Right before first round on Monday (crew chief Mike) Neff came up to me and said, ‘Listen regardless of the outcome we are in this together. We are going to believe in each other and we are going to stick together.’ It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I am up there trying to do a good job for him and his team. They were doing well until I stepped into the seat. It was the perfect time to win,” said Hight, a three-time U.S. Nationals winner.

With his first round win over Cruz Pedregon in Indy combined with a Bob Tasca III first round loss Hight locked up his spot in the 2013 Countdown. Hight went on to defeat Johnny Gray in a tire smoking pedalfest, then Del Worsham and finally Jack Beckman. It was Hight’s first win of 2013 and one of the most memorable of his eight year career against some of the toughest competition.

“This is definitely the biggest win of my career. In fact I think competition is tougher now than when I won the championship in 2009. You don’t see people going out there and winning three races in a row any more. It just doesn’t happen,” said Hight. “From the No. 9 position we are going to have to put together a hot streak. If we want to win the championship we are going to have to win at least two or three races and go to the semi-finals in the rest of the races.”

Hot streaks are nothing new to Hight. Last season he drove the Auto Club Ford Mustang into four consecutive winner’s circles including the winner’s circle at zMax Dragway at the Four-Wide NHRA Nationals. In 2009 Hight was winless in the regular season before winning three of the last six races including the Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals. Hight jumped from 10th place to 1st place in two races in 2009.

“I look back at 2009 and winning four in a row in 2012 and that definitely gives you confidence. History can repeat itself but a lot has changed since those streaks. I am with a new team and the competition is definitely better. I am excited to get to Charlotte and start the Countdown. I love starting with four races in a row too,” said Hight.

“You get into a groove racing back to back. I know as a crew guy I liked to race every weekend. These guys on this Auto Club Funny Car do a great job and I have been lucky to work with two great crew chiefs and two awesome teams for my career. The hardest part is the competition from our own teammates. John Force has 15 championships and Courtney Force could go on a tear and win this thing as well with the Traxxas Ford Mustang,” added Hight.

Starting this Friday at the Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals Hight will have 24 rounds of racing over the next six races to try and win his second NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car championship. The first two rounds of qualifying will begin at 5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. under the lights at zMax Dragway.

 C. FORCE ONLY FEMALE IN MELLO YELLO CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 10, 2013) – Piloting the Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car, Courtney Force is ready to get the 2013 NHRA Countdown to the Championship underway beginning this week at the 6th annual Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals presented by NAPA Auto Parts, Sept. 13-15.

“zMax Dragway is one of the best race tracks out here, not only because their facility is great, but their staff and the fans who show up to this race are amazing,” said Force. “Bruton Smith built the Bellagio of drag strips here in Charlotte so it’s always fun competing here. Everyone is really excited, especially because it is the first race of the Countdown.”

Force will start No. 7 in points going into the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Series Countdown to the Championship, just 80 points (four rounds) out of first place.

“Our Traxxas Ford Mustang team is really looking forward to it and we want to get a good start in order to get a lead on these guys to go after the championship. This is the time where all the pressure is on and you really gotta make some moves early. We’re going to try to pick up those points during qualifying and hopefully we can move on up the ladder,” said Force.

The 2012 Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future award winner for NHRA’s top “Rookie of the Year” qualified No. 6 at this event last year and for the second year in a row, will be the only female driver in a nitro class to race for the championship.

“Going into the Countdown for the championship this weekend, I’m feeling confident and excited. Last year as a rookie my main focus was on the basics of the car, but this year I’m trying to push my own limits to improve myself as a driver.”

“I work closely with my crew chief, Ron Douglas and Dan Hood and my Traxxas team, in order to be more consistent for them and not make mistakes. I’m tougher on myself this year as opposed to last year, but I’m very eager to get this countdown started. I think we have a Championship-ready car to battle it out with the rest of the boys,” said Force.

This event in 2012 also marked the third time the then 24-year-old raced against her father, John Force. She brought a 2-0 record against the 15-time champ to the starting line, but lost the round when her Traxxas Ford smoked the tires at the hit.

AUTO CLUB ROAD TO THE FUTURE NOMINEE BRITTANY FORCE LOOKS TO CONTINUE STRONG SHOWING AT ZMAX DRAGWAY

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 10, 2013) – Coming off a strong weekend in Indianapolis, Top Fuel rookie Brittany Force returns to the Charlotte area for a second time this season in search of her first career win at zMAX Dragway for the Carlyle Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals.

Force, the third oldest daughter of 15-time Funny Car world Champion John Force, was No. 1 qualifier twice out of four qualifying runs at Lucas Oil Raceway, the highest she has been on the qualifying ladder in her rookie season. She’s hoping to continue riding that momentum heading to the “Bellagio of Dragstrips”.

“I’m glad to be going back to Charlotte,” Force said. “I love Charlotte. Bruton Smith has a beautiful track out there. I’m glad it’s not going to be four-wide this time around and it’ll be just a normal drag race with only one car in the other lane. I can’t wait to get back there.”

Prior to the previous event, the first ever Top Fuel team at John Force Racing added a new member to the roster. John Medlen, who oversees JFR’s research and development program, will now be assisting Force’s crew chiefs, Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane for the remainder of the season. Jimmy Prock, current crew chief on the Castrol GTX Funny Car team, will also be assisting the team.    

“We did make some changes before the Indy race and even though we have had our struggles, there’s only one direction to go and that is up,” said Force. “We’re hoping to move forward and advance some rounds and go for our first win before the season ends.

“I love working with John Medlen. He’s family to me. My whole family has been close to the Medlen family for years. It’s really great to be working with him and I love having him on our Castrol EDGE team. Working with Jimmy Prock is great, too. My entire year of testing was pretty much with Jimmy and his team, so I’m excited to have both of them come over and be working on the first top fuel dragster at John Force Racing,” Force continued.

During the off week, the former schoolteacher and her team were able to test prior to the Carlyle NHRA Carolina Nationals. R
unning a new setup, they learned a few things that will help the team in future races. Crew chief Dean Antonelli believes this will help the Castrol EDGE team coming into Charlotte and the five races that follow.

“Testing went pretty well and we learned some things,” Antonelli said. “Hopefully we got the motor a little happy in the last 400-500 feet of the run. The car ran pretty good on a hot track and was very competitive. We still have room for performance beyond what we did.

“Charlotte has a real good race surface. The starting line is a little tricky I understand for dragsters. We raced there earlier in the year and the way the starting line is configured it makes the dragsters produce a little more driveshaft speed, but other than that it’s pretty much landmine conditions if the temperature is in the 80’s or less, so we’ll be real good there,” continued Antonelli.

The return to zMAX Dragway marks the beginning of a six-race battle known as the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s playoffs. Despite not making the Countdown, the 27-year-old Yorba Linda, Calif. native still has her eye on one particular prize: her first Wally.

“There are six races left in the season and unfortunately we didn’t make it into the Countdown,” Force said. “The Castrol EDGE team and I are still going to go after our first win. With the changes we’ve made with Medlen coming on board, we think we are moving in the right direction.”

For Immediate Release

FORCE LAUNCHES BID FOR ANOTHER TITLE

First Step is to Reverse Fortunes at Carlyle Tools Carolina Nationals

 

          CHARLOTTE, N.C. – From his best starting position in the last three years, John Force launches a new title bid this week in the sixth annual Carlyle Tools Carolina Nationals, first of six races in the NHRA’s Countdown to the Mello Yello championship.

 

          After starting the Countdown from seventh and eighth the last two seasons, the iconic 64-year-old will start this year behind only three other Funny Car drivers, all of them driving Don Schumacher Racing Dodges.

 

          For Force, that is motivation enough to get his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang back into the winners’ circle and himself back to the podium as series champion for the 16th time in a 36-year NHRA career. 

 

          However, if he is to add another chapter to his growing legend, the former truck driver likely will have to reverse his fortunes in the Carolina Nationals, an event in which he has won just one racing round in five tries and for which he failed to qualify in 2008.

 

          That’s because every champion crowned in the Countdown Era advanced to the semifinals or beyond in the opening race.

 

          Force was runner-up at the U.S. Nationals when it kicked off the Countdown during 2010 championship run.  Robert Hight and Matt Hagan both won at Charlotte en route to their 2009 and 2011 championships and Jack Beckman (2012), Tony Pedregon (2007) and Cruz Pedregon (2008) all opened with trips to the semifinals.

 

          It is impossible to pinpoint an exact cause for Force’s struggles in the fall race, especially since he has excelled in the 4Wide Nationals, the spring event contested on the same all-concrete track at zMAX Dragway.

 

          Whatever the issue, it isn’t high on Force’s current list of concerns.

 

          The 135-time tour winner is far too busy pursuing new sponsorship opportunities in the aftermath of announcements by Ford and Castrol that they are leaving the sport after the 2014 season.  He also has been consumed with preparing his family for their likely return to reality TV in a new and as-yet-untitled follow-up series to Driving Force, which last aired on the A&E network in 2007.

 

          That is not to say that he is ambivalent about what happens on the racetrack.

 

          In fact, in light of recent developments, the 15-time Auto Racing All-American has admitted that “I’m more motivated to win now than ever.”

 

          Of course, if he does win another title, it will be with a different crew and different crew chief.  After winning 14 championships with Austin Coil making the tune-up decisions, Force won in 2010 with Mike Neff.  Now, he’s going after another $500,000 Mello Yello bonus with Jimmy Prock on point.

 

          Although the two have yet to win a race together (since hooking up six races ago), it’s through no fault of Prock, the veteran who tuned Hight to the title in 2009.  Force admittedly just hasn’t been on his game at the starting line.

 

          “I know what’s wrong,” said the 2012 inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, “and I’ll fix it.  The big thing is we have a fast hot rod.  Jimmy Prock swings for the fence with this ‘Prock Rocket’ and I like that. We’ve got a car that can win and that’s all you can ask for.”

 

John Force Racing–ROBERT HIGHT TAKES AUTO CLUB FORD TO WINNER’S CIRCLE

ROBERT HIGHT TAKES AUTO CLUB FORD TO WINNER’S CIRCLE

AT CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE U.S. NATIONALS

 

INDIANAPOLIS, IN —- For the third time in his eight year career Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang have won the most prestigious race on the NHRA Mello Yello Series, the 59th annual Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals. Hight defeated Jack Beckman in the final round 4.111 seconds to 6.072 seconds just three rounds after Hight clinched his spot in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

 

Hight entered the race in the No. 10 spot in the points and left Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in the No. 9 spot and with his 28th career win, the second most for a John Force Racing Funny Car driver. Hight was previously tied with Tony Pedregon at 27 Funny Cars at JFR.

 

Entering the race as the No. 7 qualifier Hight was not overly confident at the end of the day on Sunday. A conversation with crew chief Mike Neff, winner of the past two U.S. Nationals gave Hight a confidence boost.

 

“Mike Neff really changed things for me this weekend. Yesterday when the day was over we were seventh and that is not our usual solid qualifying effort. When we got back to the pits he came up to me and said we have them right where we want them. I looked at him like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ He said he has won the last two US Nationals and we didn’t qualify well. He said come Monday we will be fine. He said we will run well,” said a focused Hight.

 

“To add to the pressure we have to go up there and race Cruz Pedregon in the first round. He is one of the toughest competitors out here and when his car is on, he is tough to beat. We are trying to stay in the Top Ten. There are like a million things going on. I didn’t sleep last night,” said Hight.

 

Once again the calming influence of crew chief Mike Neff helped his driver relax and focus on the task at hand.

 

“Right before the first round Neff came up to me and said, ‘Listen regardless of the outcome we are in this together. We are going to believe in each other and we are going to stick together.’ It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I am up there trying to do a good job for him and this Auto Club team. They were doing well until I stepped into the seat. It was the perfect time to win,” said a relieved Hight in the Wall Parks Media Center.

 

At the end of the day Jamie Allison released a statement of support for the four Ford Mustang Funny Car teams as they enter the 2013 Countdown.

 

“What a great way to enter the playoffs – with a win for Robert Hight!” said Jamie Allison, Director of Ford Racing. “Of course, when one of your teams doesn’t make it it’s bittersweet, but we’re looking forward to a strong finish to the season for Ford. We’re committed to helping our teams win the championship this year. We wish all of our teams good luck in the Countdown.”

 

It had been thirty five races since Hight saw four win lights on race day.  His last win was the Four Wide NHRA Nationals in Charlotte. He had one final round appearance in that stretch losing to Johnny Gray in Topeka this year.

 

“This is definitely the biggest win of my career. You start doubting yourself. We won four in a row early on last season and then went on a complete dry spell. I think I have only been to one other final and that was Topeka this year,” said Hight who has won at least two NHRA Funny Car races every season his entire career. “You start wondering about yourself. Then we make the big switch and I go over and drive for the Castrol team and we just move all my Auto Club decals. They were running well and winning and you start doubting yourself. You start asking yourself if I am the problem. John (Force) went to the final in Sonoma and all that stuff starts wearing on you. You start thinking about it.  

 

Hight defeated Cruz Pedregon in the first round and clinched his spot in the Countdown when Bob Tasca III lost in the first round to Tim Wilkerson. Hight reflected on how tough the Funny Car class is and how he entered the Countdown in the No. 10 position in 2009 on the way to his first Funny car championship.

 

“It is not getting any easier. In fact I think competition is tougher now than when I won the championship in 2009. You don’t see people going out there and winning three races in a row any more. It just doesn’t happen. From the No. 9 position we are going to have to put together a hot streak. If we want to win the championship we are going to have to win at least two races and go to the semi-finals in the rest of the races.”

 

This was the sixth year in a row for John Force Racing to win the Funny Car title at the Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals. Hight started the streak in 2008, then teammate Ashley Force Hood followed with wins in 2009 and 2010, and Hight’s current crew chief Mike Neff added his two U.S. Nationals in 2011 and 2012. The team has won eight of the last ten Funny Car titles going back to Gary Densham in 2004.

 

“Keeping the winning streak alive was huge. Pulling up into the staging lanes right before we ran and you saw all these guys in JFR uniforms. There are more than normal because we are based in Brownsburg just right up the street. There are so many guys that are behind the scenes that don’t get to go to the races,” said Hight. “From guys that make our chassis to the engine builders or the guys in the paint department we are a big organization and you want to get them in the winner’s circle. You want them to be a part of this and have a big celebration with them. That is exactly what we are going to do.”

 

Hight is now only one U.S. Nationals win behind team owner John Force who took out Paul Lee in the first round before losing to veteran Del Worsham in the second round. After Force beat Lee in the opening round the winningest driver in NHRA history was pulling for all his teammates and sponsors.

 

“I am excited. I am going to have to start chasing corporate America but first I have to get back to racing. We are going to win this race. It will either be me or Robert Hight with his Auto Club Mustang. We have great partners like Castrol, Ford, Mac Tools, BrandSource, Traxxas, Freightliner and we will deliver,” said Force after first round win over Paul Lee

 

At the end of the day Force stood in the winner’s circle and surveyed the celebratory atmosphere.

 

“Winning Indy six years in a row is great. Robert has three Indy wins, I have four and this is three wins in a row for Mike Neff. These guys are the future of this team along with Courtney and Brittany and Ashley who has won this race twice in a row. You really have to just love Indy and how special it is. Robert got into the Countdown so we will have our three Mustangs trying to beat those Dodges and Toyotas. It will be a battle but we had a great day today and I have to thank the fans for sticking with this old truck driver. I will get fixed and we will keep on winning and staying  in the fight,” said Force from Hight’s winner’s circle

 

This Labor Day weekend ended in a first round loss for No. 14 qualified driver Courtney Force despite her quick reaction times on the starting line.

 

The 25-year-old from Yorba Linda, Calif. left Del Worsham on the starting line during the opening round of eliminations with her .085 light to his .128 light, but her Traxxas Ford Mustang smoked the tires at about the 330 foot mark and gave up the win.

 

“We had a tough first round match up with Del Worsham, but he had lane choice over us. We went out and I was feeling confident about the run. We tried to change some things to make our car leave better early and we did that. We left on him, got down there a little ways and it started to
smoke the tires. I had to pedal it and he went on to get the win,” said Force.

 

Had Force won in the first round and dismissed Worsham from eliminations, the pressure load on teammate and brother-in-law Robert Hight would have lessened, but eventually Hight’s win over Cruz Pedregon gave the Force team what they needed.

 

“It’s unfortunate. I really wanted to be there for my teammate, Robert Hight, and help him out by helping him get clinched into the Countdown to the Championship. We weren’t able to do it on that run, but luckily Robert has a good car in that Auto Club Ford Mustang and he was able to do it all himself. He took out Cruz and clinched there,” said Force.

 

Force will start the NHRA Mello Yello series Countdown to the Championship in the No. 7 spot and go on to Charlotte, N.C. to battle it out in a 6-race post season stretch.

 

“I’m proud of my guys. They worked hard. It’s been a really long weekend, but you know what, we’ve got a good race car and it’s only a matter of time before we get this thing figured out and have the whole package. I’m excited leading into Charlotte. I know that we have a good car. I have faith in my team. Ron Douglas has been great and given me a great race car every run. It’s been consistent. We’re looking forward to Charlotte,” said Force.

 

In her first appearance at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Top Fuel rookie Brittany Force put on a show for fans as she entered Sunday’s elimination rounds in the fourth position, her second best qualifying position of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

 

Friday and Saturday’s qualifying efforts were stellar for the Castrol EDGE team as they raced to the No. 1 provisional qualifying position for the first time. Force and company tuned the dragster just right for those runs, but ultimately fell to the fourth position after four rounds of qualifying. In round one, the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award candidate faced veteran Terry McMillen. Force had a reaction time of 0.071 to McMillen’s 0.083, but the engine on the Castrol EDGE dragster blew up right before she crossed the finish line, falling short of the win.  

 

“First round we had Terry McMillen. It didn’t go quite the way we planned,” Force said. “It had a hole out and we tried to get it down there. I felt it doing some weird things and I knew we were almost to the finish line. I saw Terry in the other lane next to me, so I stayed in it and it ended up blowing up. We lost it right there at the end. We were right there next to him and I had a good reaction time. We’re still moving in the right direction. This Castrol EDGE team came out and qualified No. 4. We didn’t advance to round two like we wanted, but hopefully we can make that happen two weeks from now in Charlotte.”

 

The 27-year-old Cal State-Fullerton graduate has a lot to be proud of this weekend. Not only did she qualify for the biggest race of the season, she and her entire team showed they are moving in the right direction with all the changes they made prior to the event.

 

“I was so glad to be here and race in the U.S. Nationals,” Force said. “It’s just exciting to qualify for Indy. It’s the biggest race of the year and to qualify and make it in the show from the No. 4 spot is a pretty big deal. Also, we noticed yesterday when John Medlen came on board this weekend, we ended up fourth, which was Eric Medlen’s (John’s son) number, so we thought that was special and it meant that we’re going in the right direction.”  

 

 

John Force Racing–B. FORCE STILL No. 1 IN TOP FUEL AS RAIN IMPACTS SATURDAY AT U.S. NATIONALS

B. FORCE STILL No. 1 IN TOP FUEL AS RAIN IMPACTS SATURDAY AT U.S. NATIONALS

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (Aug. 31, 2013) — Rain washed out the second session of qualifying on Saturday at the Chevrolet Performance U. S. Nationals. Rookie Top Fuel driver Brittany Force held onto the provisional No. 1 qualifying position with her Friday elapsed time of 3.820 seconds. Doug Kalitta moved up to No. 2 today with this quickest run of the day, 3.829 seconds, and Force was right on his heels with a strong 3.866 second pass.

“We would’ve really liked to have that last qualifying run, just because now it’s so much cooler. We think our car could have improved and run better, but that’s just the name of the game. That’s how it is for everybody. Every other driver out there didn’t get that run. It’s not just us, that’s how the game is played and hopefully we won’t need that run,” said Force.

“That’s exactly where we want to be. This team has struggled and we’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re finally in a good place,” said Force on holding onto the No. 1 spot. “We’re No. 1 for the first time this year and again, even though we went out first round in the Traxxas Shootout, my team is behind me. We’re still pumped.”

Force’s run was posted in a tough Traxxas Top Fuel Shootout first round loss to Shawn Langdon. In the best race of the Traxxas Shootout Force, the fan favorite was racing Langdon, the No. 1 qualifier and Top Fuel points leader. Both drivers reached the finish line within .013 seconds (about six feet) of each other with Langdon getting the win light. It was a tough loss for the rookie who left the starting line .021 seconds after Langdon.

“It was really such a great experience to be able to be a part of the Traxxas Shootout. It’s such a big deal. Indy is the biggest race of the year and the shootout is just huge and to be able to get that fan vote is just awesome for the Castrol EDGE team,” said a dejected by determined Force. “We were so excited about it. I have to say thank you to the fans. Being out here and being able to compete in it, even though we went out first round against Shawn Langdon our car was running good and we’re hoping we’ll be ready for Monday.”

Force earned two qualifying bonus points bringing her bonus points total to an event career high five points. She picked up three points Friday when she ran to the top of the field. The second qualifying session today was lost to rain but there will be two sessions tomorrow.

After a three hour rain delay the Nitro Funny Car returned to the Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis with Paul Lee and Tony Pedregon making the first pass. Lee raised the stakes for the lone Funny Car session of Saturday when he covered the 1000 ft. track in 4.072 seconds to take the No. 1 position.

Two pairs later the Auto Club Ford Mustang driven by Robert Hight jumped to the No. 2 spot with his 4.056 second run at 310.91 mph. Del Worsham was beside him and moved into the top spot with a 4.045 second run. Hight was momentarily out of the top twelve before his run but the two-time U.S. Nationals was not worried about making the show. Hight eventually wound up No. 6 for his Saturday efforts.

“Would we have liked to have gone quicker? Yes, but, we needed to qualify. After only running a 4.16 last night and had a dead mag- basically a bad coil wire- we couldn’t chance throwing it away. We ran a 4.02 here in testing, but we didn’t want to be that on the edge so we backed it off and we did too much,” said Hight.

“We’re still top half of the field. I don’t like the way the ladder is shaped up right now. We race Courtney. So hopefully they can run better or someone bumps them down. That’s what we’re hoping for, but right now we’re top half and still fighting it out.”

Hight is in a tight points battle with Bob Tasca III and Del Worsham. Worsham is currently qualified No. 3 and Tasca is No. 4. IN the Mello Yello point standings Tasca is 9th, Hight is 10th and Worsham is 11th.

“Unfortunately two of the guys we’re chasing in the points are ahead of us and got points so tomorrow it’s going to be a big deal for this Auto Club Ford Mustang to be low ET both runs and that’s what we’re going to go for,” said Hight.

John Force and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang tuned by Jimmy Prock were seeing stellar elapsed times and they loaded up their Funny Car with a strong tune-up. Two pairs in front of Force Matt Hagan blasted to the No. 1 spot with a 4.007 second pass. The Castrol GTX Mustang left hard beside rookie Chad Head but at half-track Force’s Mustang overpowered the track and cruised to a 5.091 second time. His 4.087 second run from Friday has him sitting No. 9 going into the final day of qualifying.

Courtney Force slipped to the No. 11 spot today after a good run, but no improvement, when her Traxxas Ford Mustang raced to a 4.093 ET at 316.15 mph.

“The rain cost us a run out here so we only got to make one pass after the rain quit. The conditions cooled down and everyone really went after it tonight. Unfortunately we didn’t run as good as we had hoped. The car pulled me over a little to the left early on.  We really just ran close to how we ran yesterday (4.08),” said Force.

Sessions were scheduled for 4:15 p.m. and 7:10 p.m., but after the first round of Top Fuel, NHRA officials stopped racing to wait out the showers.

“We’re qualified, which is important right now. We got bumped down by quite a few people, but we’re going to go back after it tomorrow. We have to focus on the Traxxas Shootout. We know how to run good in the heat so that’s what we’re going to have to do. We start at 12:30 so I’m excited to see what this Traxxas Ford Mustang can do. I think we have a pretty good car this weekend,” said Force.

Force, who qualified No. 1 last year during her rookie season, will take on Johnny Gray in the first round of the Traxxas Nitro Funny Car Shootout on Sunday.

“The fact that we can run 4.0s consistently on both passes; not just in the heat and not just in the cool air, but both, is pretty exciting. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully the rain stays away and we can get on with the Traxxas Shootout,” said Force.

John Force and Courtney Force will also be competing in the 2nd annual Traxxas Funny Car Nitro Shootout tomorrow. John Force will be facing Cruz Pedregon and Courtney Force will be facing Johnny Gray in the $100,000 to win “race within a race.” The first round of the Shootout will be run in conjunction with the first qualifying session of the day and the semi-finals will be contested during the final qualifying session. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout final round is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and could feature and Force vs. Force final.

John Force Racing–US Nationals

BRITTANY FORCE LEADS TOP FUEL AT US NATIONALS; FUNNY CAR FORCES No. 2 AND No. 3

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (Aug. 30, 2013) – Top Fuel rookie Brittany Force came out of the gate strong on day one of qualifying at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis as she claimed her first career provisional No. 1 position.

 

Following a week of testing at the Indy track and making several changes, the Auto Club Road to the Future contender made a quick 3.82 second pass to top the highly competitive Top Fuel class. Despite having some tough competition behind her in qualifying, Force remained confident that she could remain the top seed after her strong run. Sister Courtney Force claimed her first career No. 1 qualifier last season at this same event in Funny Car.

 

“I’m so excited!,” Force said. “I was definitely feeling good about coming out here this weekend and making a run tonight. I’m so excited about it! My guys have been working so hard. This Castrol EDGE team has had its struggles and to come out here and end up No. 1 qualifier our first day out is really exciting. That was such a good run for us. Yeah, I was hoping it would stay No. 1, but I knew I had some tough guys behind me, so I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much. I definitely kept my fingers crossed for that one. We definitely made some changes coming into Indy. We have John Medlen on board and Jimmy Prock is also helping. I still have Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane and I think with all of them I think we’re going to be moving in the right direction.”

 

Force also believed being able to test out these changes prior to the event had a lot to do with tonight’s success.

 

“Just making that one run makes me feel more comfortable. I tested last week so I think that makes me feel that more comfortable in the seat. I’m just familiar with the track that you know the right lane pulls you inward. Having those five, six passes I made last week and the one tonight it makes me feel a little bit more comfortable as a driver. It sets me at ease and really lets me get in my car and do my job,” Force continued.

 

Just like any rookie team starting out, they have their ups and downs. The 27-year-old Yorba Linda, California native and her entire Castrol EDGE team have remained strong. Force still has her eye on claiming her first career win and shows no signs of letting up.

 

“This Castrol EDGE team, we’re going for our first win. It doesn’t matter if it’s the biggest race of the year, we’re going for it. It is our rookie season and that’s what we’ve been fighting for this entire year, is going for our first win. I’m hoping we can do it at the biggest race of the year. Like I said, we’ve had our ups and downs and it’s tough to get beat weekend after weekend and it’s hard to stay motivated. But one thing at John Force Racing is everybody supports the entire team. After going out first round or not qualifying, our Castrol GTX or Auto Club or Traxxas teammates would come over and talk to my crew guys, crew chiefs and myself and tell us ‘keep your head up. It’s going to get better. You’re moving in the right direction.’ That’s always been helpful. Now it’s starting to pay off.”

 

While Brittany was leading the way in Top Fuel four-time U.S. Nationals champion John Force was starting his quest for a fifth Funny Car title with the second quickest run of the day. Force’s Castrol GTX Funny Car crossed the finish line in 4.087 seconds beside his daughter Courtney Force.

 

“We got our cars right up in the top. The dragster made a great run with Brittany and Castrol with the all-new operation. Brittany went to the top with that run and it stayed, but it’s Indy and it’s early,” said Force.

 

“Three Fords in the top three spots and that’s what they pay us to do. I’m excited about it. We put a lot of work into all of this. Testing went really well for our Fords and we were the quickest there. There are a lot of runs left for this weekend so we’re looking forward to it and we’ll see what happens.”

 

Courtney Force made a great run today to kick-off the Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals, one of the biggest races of the season, known as the “Big Go” among NHRA racers and fans.

 

Force posted a 4.088 ET on her first of five total qualifying passes, putting her No. 3 going into Saturday. Force is right behind her father, 15-time champion John Force in the No. 2 spot and fellow Ford driver Bob Tasca III on the pole.

 

“We had a great first run out here tonight. It was nice to have a night run to start off the U.S. Nationals here in Indy. Going up against my dad the first lap out was really exciting. Honestly, the coolest thing was pulling up, seeing that Christmas Tree and the first thing I thought of was that Snake and Mongoose movie I saw last night. It got me all fired up and excited to race my dad. There is something about this race track and the U.S. Nationals and knowing about the legends of our sport, the Snake and Mongoose, and being able to live it here today,” said Force.

 

Last year, Force picked up her first Funny Car career No. 1 qualifier award at the U.S. Nationals.

 

“I’m in the No. 3 spot so far today which is great for our Traxxas Ford Mustang team. My dad outran me by .001 of a second so it was definitely a close race down at the end. We had a 316 mph race car so we have a great car, we just have to figure out how to make this hotrod leave quick early and I think we’ll have a pretty good car this weekend. I’m excited that we’re in the top half of the field, we picked up a bonus point and we’ll see if we can improve tomorrow.”

 

“It’s exciting to see that the top three cars are all Fords- Tasca, my dad and me. It really goes to show that the Fords are running good and are the ones you need to watch out for,” said Force.

 

Two-time U.S. Nationals champion Robert Hight and the Auto Club team will go into Saturday’s second day of qualifying as the No. 12 provisionally qualified team. Hight and crew chief Mike Neff will begin working on a race day tune up that will keep them in the Top Ten as the regular season wraps up this weekend. Hight’s Ford Mustang Funny Car clicked the lights in 4.166 seconds at 300.20mph.

John Force Racing–JOHN AND COURTNEY FORCE CLINCH COUNTDOWN SPOTS AT BRAINERD

JOHN AND COURTNEY FORCE CLINCH COUNTDOWN SPOTS AT BRAINERD

 

BRAINERD, MN —- On a day when the winner’s circle eluded John Force Racing the team kept their eyes on the bigger prize as John Force and Courtney Force both clinched their berths in the 2013 Countdown to the Championship. By virtue of their first round wins and a first round loss by Del Worsham the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang and the Traxxas Ford Mustang will be running for the championship over the last six races of the season.

John Force made the quickest run of the weekend in his first round win over Alexis DeJoria powering his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car to the stripe with an elapsed time of 4.027 seconds at a track speed record 319.45 mph.

In the second round the eleven-time Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals winner made a superior run against veteran driver Johnny Gray but at the finish line it was Gray taking the win light thanks to a minute starting line advantage. Force’s 4.061 second run was the second quickest of the second round and showed that he has a race car that can contend for the Mello Yello Funny Car championship.

“I have a race car that can win the championship. If you run number like that you always have a shot at the championship. We have found some performance with these new chassis. The only thing that has to get right is me,” said Force, the fifteen-time Funny Car champion.

“We are making adjustments. I have been playing with the cockpit in my car. We have turned this Funny Car around thanks to Jimmy Prock and Danny DeGennaro. We are setting track records. I have no complaints. I am not where I need to be but I know how to fix that. The team is confident in me and I am confident in them. Right now we have locked up our spot in the Countdown. I am driving somehow different and I don’t know what it is. I have had my eyes checked. I just have to get my energy where it needs to be. I will be OK.”

Robert Hight was racing for the win and the final spot in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout to be contested at the Chevrolet Performance US Nationals Labor Day weekend. He was also racing to keep his Auto Club Ford Mustang in the Top Ten in the Mello Yello point standings. His first round win over Chad Head combined with first round loses by Bob Tasca III and Del Worsham helped solidify his position in the Top Ten. Hight is now only four points behind Bob Tasca III out of the No. 9 spot. He also has a round and a half advantage over Worsham going into the final race of the regular season.

Hight’s Auto Club Mustang Funny Car made a strong run in the first round over the rookie Head covering the 1000 ft. track in 4.055 seconds to Head’s 4.970 second run. It was the fourth run in a row for the Auto Club Mustang to run either 4.05 or 4.06 seconds.

In the second round Hight had a parts failure in his run against fellow Ford driver Tim Wilkerson. Hight was leading past half-track before Wilkerson’s Circle K Mustang passed him at the last second.

“We were on a great run and we just had a parts failure right before the finish line. Wilkerson made a great run and we just had some bad luck. The good news is we did put a round on some of the guys behind us and we closed the gap on the guy in front of us. We are just four points behind the guy in ninth place. We picked up six points in qualifying bonus points this race alone. This is a great race car and you look at the runs we made in qualifying and in the first round. We are consistently running 4.05s and 4.06s. You can win a lot of races that way,” said Hight.

“I need to ask all my fans now to get out and vote for me and this Auto Club team for the Traxxas Nitro Shootout. I have the best fans in the country and we will need every vote to try and give our team the best shot at winning the lottery to get that eighth spot in the Traxxas Shootout.”

At the second to last event of the NHRA regular season, Courtney Force not only drove her Traxxas Ford Mustang to a quarter-final finish, but she clinched a spot in the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Force double-stepped the throttle pedal on the starting line next to Bob Tasca III, but managed to steer clear of leaving too soon, turning on the red light and disqualifying her Traxxas Ford Mustang team in the opening round.

“That was me cracking under pressure. I made a mistake and double stepped the throttle. It felt like forever for the tree to come down. My foot was ready to leave and it did. I was able to hold it, pull back on the brake and get the car stopped before lighting the red light. Thankfully when the tree did come down I left and was able to still get a .036 light. But honestly, that was just a mistake on my part,” said Force.

In two years, Force has matched up with Tasca III seven times on race day. The 25-year-old now holds an impressive record of 6-1 over the fellow Ford driver.

“Thankfully my team gives me a great race car. Ron Douglas does a great job tuning my Traxxas Ford Mustang with Dan Hood,” said Force.

The 2012 NHRA Rookie of the Year took the win with a 4.094 at over 317 mph to Tasca’s 4.114 ET at 308 mph.

“There was a lot of pressure on me for that run. I know my team really wanted it. Obviously we were very concentrated on getting clinched into the Countdown to the Championship and I was trying to help my teammate Robert Hight out. I think that’s where I got a little flustered. I really wanted a good light against Tasca because I know he is really good on the tree up there and I just got a little ahead of myself,” said Force.

With Force’s opening round win, the Traxxas Ford Mustang team clinched a spot into the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

“It was also pretty amazing to hear that my dad and I clinched on that first run. Winning first round and picking up all those points is definitely huge for my team especially knowing that we are set in the Countdown going into Indy. It’s a lot less to stress about,” said Force.

Unfortunately, Force lost a tough match to Matt Hagan in the next round. She posted a 4.093 at 312 mph to Hagan’s 4.056 at 311 mph. 

“The good news for today is, it helped out my teammate Robert Hight to get that win and we were able to clinch into the Countdown. Those were both big deals. I’m very proud of my team. It’s a huge accomplishment to be clinched into the Countdown to the Championship early for the second year in a row. We’re 2-2 right now so I’m very excited,” said Force.

“I’ve got a great team behind me. I think we’ve got a great race car. As long as I don’t make any mistakes I think we’ve definitely got a good shot at this championship. Our Traxxas Ford Mustang team works hard and I can tell that they want this championship as bad as I do. Having a strong team and just being able to work together and keep each other motivated puts the Traxxas team at an advantage.”

Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster made their best pass of the weekend in the first round. Racing beside Spencer Massey Force launched hard and stayed with the veteran driver until just about 800 feet before he pulled away. Force’s 3.823 second run at 317.72 mph while Massey crossed the finish line in 3.791 seconds at 319.67 mph. Massey eventually went on to defeat Clay Millican in the final round and win for the fourth time this season.

 “I’ve raced Spencer quite a few times and unfortunately, he beat me again. It was one of the best runs we’ve had all weekend. We really stepped it up and had a good run. It just didn’t quite get down there fast enough. Spencer ran a 3.79 against us and got the win light. He had a fire at the end of the track after his run and he got out safely, so that’s what is most important,” said Force, the rookie of the year contender.

At the conclusion of the event the second youngest Force will also be asking her fans to vote to put her Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster into the Traxxas Nitro Shootout in the
Top Fuel ranks. Throughout the weekend Force was passing out trading cards and commemorative balloons reminding fans to vote on NHRA’s Facebook page.

 “The Traxxas Shootout fan vote starts today after the race is done. I would love to get that fan vote! I’d be the first woman in the Top Fuel Traxxas Nitro Shootout, so I would love to represent all the ladies out there and really show everyone what this Castrol EDGE team is really capable of,” concluded Force. 

 

John Force Racing–JFR IN STRONG POSITION GOING INTO BRAINERD ELIMINATIONS

JFR IN STRONG POSITION GOING INTO BRAINERD ELIMINATIONS

 

BRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2013) — John Force showed today why Brainerd International Raceway is one of his favorite tracks moving up to the No. 3 qualifying position and putting the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car in position to win the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals for the unprecedented twelfth time. Force blasted down the track in the first session today with a time of 4.050 seconds and was just a shade slower than eventual No. 1 qualifier Jack Beckman (4.038 seconds).

 

Force races second year driver Alexis DeJoria in the first round tomorrow. Last year Force met DeJoria in the first round and advanced to the second round after a bizarre turn of events. Force red-lit but DeJoria smoked the tires. The rookie driver did not realize that Force had been disqualified, pedaled her Tequila Patron Funny Car and it crossed the center line. Under the NHRA’s “First or Worst” rule Force was reinstated in the race and ultimately advanced to the final round.

 

Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang continued their strong performance at the 32nd running of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals as well. He was the only Funny Car driver to pick up qualifying bonus points in both sessions today posting the third quickest and quickest times, 4.064 and 4.067 second runs respectively. Hight’s last three runs going into his first round match-up with rookie Chad Head were 4.054, 4.064 and 4.067 seconds.

 

“Chad Head, he ran good earlier in the year. I think 4.0 flat at Charlotte so you can’t take that team lightly. We’re going to have to go up there and I’m going to have to do my job and (crew chief Mike) Neff’s going to have to make this thing run good. That’s the way it’s going to have to be every single round,” said Hight.

 

“It’s going to be won or lost on the starting line if the cars are running like they normally are. It’s not going to be easy, but I believe we’re on the right track for a breakout win. We’re starting to gel as a team and it’s a lot of fun over here. It’s time to finish it off.”

 

Hight extended his points lead over No. 11 driver Del Worsham by nearly half a round moving from three points ahead of the driver of the DHL Toyota Funny Car to 11 points going into the first round.

 

“We got two more runs in today where we made up points and that’s big. We were going up there on this last run to try to be low of the session. We weren’t trying to be No. 1 qualifier because the conditions weren’t there, but we were definitely going up there to try to be low of the session and pick up three bonus points. If you look at all of the guys who are around that top 10- Tasca and Wilkerson and Worsham- we made points up this weekend, plain and simple. It’s big, but tomorrow is a new day,” said Hight.

 

Courtney Force and the Traxxas Ford Mustang team lead by crew chief Ron Douglas made four complete and quick passes this weekend to qualify in the No. 7 spot. The team will take on Bob Tasca III in the opening round on race day.

Friday consisted of a two passes straight down the race track at 4.125 seconds and a 4.094 seconds. The California native locked into the top 12 and carried her time over to Saturday’s qualifying sessions.

“We’ve qualified in the top half of the field and picked up a couple bonus points throughout two days of qualifying which is exactly what we need. That’s the position we want to be in to work our way up and around our competitors in the points,” said Force.

Today, the 25-year-old 2012 Automobile Club Road to the Future winner ran a 4.077 ET at 316.23 mph and a 4.087 ET at 314.31 mph.

“I’m excited that our Traxxas team was able to go out and make two consistent runs in the 4.0’s today, especially because we tried a lot of new things on the car from yesterday which seemed to be working,” said Force.

Force is 5-1 to Tasca III in previous events and in two out of her three career event wins, she has dismissed the fellow Ford driver from eliminations en route to a national event title.

“Tomorrow is going to be a tough first round match-up. It’s going to be crucial for John Force Racing, but it is exciting to see Ford side by side. Tasca is a good friend of ours and I know he is going to be tough up there. I’m going to do the best I can. I think we’ve got a great hot rod with Ron Douglas tuning it. I just have to do the best job I can as a driver and try to get that win so we can help out my teammate Robert Hight clinch into the Countdown to the championship,” said Force.

Castrol EDGE Top Fuel driver Brittany Force bounced back from a disappointing first day of qualifying to make the show Saturday at Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

 

After smoking the tires her first two qualifying sessions, the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award candidate was on the outside looking in. Leading into Saturday’s final two qualifying sessions, crew chiefs Dean Antonelli, Eric Lane and Richard Hogan made the right calls that got Force down the track with great ET’s. Session three Force ran a 3.927 ET at 309.91, which was a huge improvement from the night before. In the fourth qualifying session, Force ran a quicker pass at 3.881 with a speed of 315.78. At the end of the day, she qualified No. 15 in the Mello Yello Series field for Sunday’s eliminations.

 

“We had two runs today and we definitely improved from yesterday,” Force said. “We actually got the car down the track. It shook and rattled a little bit at the top end, but we got the car all the way down that and that’s all that matters. We ended up No. 15 on the ladder and we run Spencer Massey tomorrow in the first round. I’m excited about it and we get to play tomorrow, so I’m happy.”

 

This isn’t the first time the 27-year-old has crossed paths with Massey. Force has faced the Don Schumacher Racing driver twice before in the second round and has come up short of the win both times. The Southern California native hopes third time is the charm in Sunday’s opening round of eliminations.

 

“He’s a great driver,” Force said. “I’ve talked to him so much about being out here racing and different things about driving. He’s always offered tips and help if I’ve ever needed it, so he’s an awesome guy. I’m excited to be running him. I’ve run him twice this year in the second round and he’s beat me both times, so I’m hoping it’s our turn to get the win this time.”

 

John Force Racing–HIGHT LEADS WAY ON CRITICAL BRAINERD FRIDAY

HIGHT LEADS WAY ON CRITICAL BRAINERD FRIDAY

 

BRAINERD, MN (August 16, 2013) — With only two races before the Countdown to the Championship every pass down the track is important. Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team made the most of their efforts today posting the second quickest elapsed time of the Funny Car class to take the No. 2 provisional spot. Hight’s Mike Neff tuned Funny Car covered the 1000 ft race track in 4.054 seconds at 312.64 mph and earned two qualifying bonus points in the process.

 

“Given that we messed up the first run, we played it safe, which luckily safe turned out to be No. 2. This just shows that my guys have a great handle on this thing; to just go up there and run a 4.05 that easy,” said Hight. “We were trying to run a lot harder on that first run. If you look at the computer, it was going to try to run a 4.07 if it would have made it. We’re being aggressive, we’re counting every point and I think going to Norwalk helped because that was just two more runs we made before we came here. That gives us more experience and data. We made up points today on everybody that we’re fighting for the Top 10. It’s all good stuff.”

 

Hight is battling with three other drivers to stay in the Top Ten and possibly grab the last spot in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout. Tim Wilkerson holds down the No. 8 spot, Bob Tasca III in No. 9, Hight is No. 10, and Del Worsham is No. 11. Only Wilkerson and Hight picked up qualifying bonus points today. Only forty points or two rounds of racing separate Wilkerson from Worsham. Wilkerson was the provisional No. 3 qualifier and Tasca was No. 8 followed by Worsham in the No. 10 spot.

 

In the first session Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang were charging in the left lane when their Goodyear Tires came loose from the track hazing at about 700 feet and dropping Hight’s elapsed time to 4.743 seconds. The early numbers on that run were impressive and Neff the crew chief was able to build on that to put Hight at nearly the top of the pack.

 

Right behind Hight in the standings is teammate and leader John Force who moved up into the No. 4 provisional qualifying spot on the strength of his second qualifying run. Running beside Matt Hagan Force kept pace with the points leader and eventual provisional No. 1 qualifying until about 900 feet. Force crossed the finish line with a time of 4.073 seconds at a track speed record of 316.45 mph. Hagan was quickest of the day in Funny Car with a 4.044 second pass.  

 

“We went down the race track both times, nothing really exciting. We made the top ten for today, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow. All three Funny Cars are doing good, but the dragster is still struggling,” said Force and eleven time winner of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

 

Courtney Force landed in the No. 6 spot toady after the first two sessions of qualifying were complete. She picked up one bonus point for her Traxxas Ford Mustang team and continues to inch her way up in the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car standings.  

 

“It felt great to come out here today and have our car back. It’s feeling a lot more consistent. We were able to make two great passes today,” said Force.

 

Force posted a 4.125 ET at 309.63 for the third-best pass and top speed of the round in Funny Car.

 

“In the first session we ran well. We sat No. 3 after the session was complete so we picked up one bonus point. We also had top speed of the first session so that was pretty cool too,” said Force.

 

In the second session, Force raced her Traxxas Ford Mustang to a 4.094 second run at 307.65 mph.

 

“On the second pass, we were able to improve on our time. Our Traxxas Ford Mustang made a good pass, but when we went down there it actually threw the rods out. It started acting up right at the finish line and threw the rods out right when I was hitting my chutes. I had a little bit of a fire because of that, but that’s all part of the game. We’re going to come out here tomorrow and take two more shots at it and hopefully improve from the 6th spot.”

 

“I’m excited for tomorrow. The conditions look like they’re going to be a lot different; it’s going to be hotter. But it’s definitely a good track. I’m excited to be out here at the home of ‘the zoo.’ The fans here are amazing and they have so much energy. It really makes it fun to race for them. I think we have a good race car this weekend,” said Force.

 

In Top Fuel rookie Brittany Force made her first passes at Brainerd International Raceway. Her two runs did not put her in the top twelve but she will have two shots tomorrow to post a quick enough time to race on Sunday. Track conditions were decent but getting a handle on the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster proved problematic for her crew chiefs.

 

“We had two qualifying passes today, both of which that didn’t quite go as we had hoped for,” said Force a leading contender for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award.

“First run we smoked the tires at about 200 feet and the second run we smoked them a little further than that. It wasn’t what we wanted, but we get two more qualifying runs tomorrow, so I’m hoping we can get this Castrol EDGE dragster down the track and we’ll be in good shape.”

 

John Force Racing–COURTNEY FORCE REACHES SEATTLE SEMIS

COURTNEY FORCE REACHES SEATTLE SEMIS

 

KENT, WA —- On the anniversary of Courtney Force’s first NHRA Funny Car win at the NHRA O’Reilly Northwest Nationals, the Traxxas Ford Mustang team came up short, but showed progress in the NHRA Funny Car point standings by moving around Jack Beckman to claim the No. 6 spot in the Mello Yello point standings.

 

“It’s great to be back here in Seattle where I picked up my first win last season in my Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car. We got qualified on the last shot which was a little too close for comfort. It was stressful on all of us,” said Force.

 

Force took on fellow female competitor Alexis DeJoria in the opening round. The 25-year-old former cheerleader posted a 4.086 to DeJoria’s 4.161 ET. This was their 6th meeting in eliminations and Force is now 5-1 to DeJoria.

 

“We had a great car today on race day and we were able to get that first round win over Alexis. She’s a good friend of mine, but we are both competitive out here, being the only females in the Funny Car category. We both want to win,” said Force.

 

Force went on to race veteran driver Johnny Gray in the second round. Force took the win, the first time she has beaten Gray on race day. Force made a 4.106 second run to Gray’s 4.722 ET.

 

“Second round we had a tough match up with Johnny Gray. He’s a great competitor. They can pull out a good run like it’s nothing. Their car got in the show in the No. 16 qualified spot, but took out the No. 1 qualifier in the opening round today, so I know it would be tough to beat him,” said Force. “I was trying to stay shallow (when staging) all weekend so we could get lane choice. Lane choice is pretty crucial out here. It kind of killed my lights every round, but I’m doing my best as a driver to try and improve those lights and it got me to the semis,” said Force.

 

Force lost on a hole shot in the semi-finals to eventual winner Matt Hagan, who ran a 4.12 to Force’s 4.11.

 

“Hagan is one of the toughest leavers in the business. We ran a 4.11 and my Traxxas Guys did a great job on my race car. We lost by just that much; from the reaction time at the start. It’s definitely a tough loss when you lose that way. Nobody likes to get beat on a hole shot, but I’m doing the best I can to follow the directions on the game and just go in shallow to get lane choice,” added Force. “You have to kind of weigh those things out and see the bigger picture there. I’m pretty bummed that my light cost us the race, but we’re going to get back after in in Brainerd. I’m just happy that we moved up a spot and I’m excited to go after it in Brainerd,” said Force.

 

Robert Hight racing in his 200th NHRA national event held onto his position in the Mello Yello top ten with a quarter-final finish. Coming into today’s race he had 266 round wins and had raced in 43 finals with 27 wins. He picked up another round win over rookie John Hale but came up a short against fellow Ford racer Tim Wilkerson in the second round. Hight left on Wilkerson and was pulling away when the Goodyears on his Auto Club Ford Mustang smoked (lost traction) and Wilkerson drove around him moving on to the semi-finals.

 

“I thought today was going to be our day. We made two good runs yesterday and made a strong run against Hale in round one. The positive is we are still in the top ten and there are two races left to get into the top ten solid. The bottom of the top ten is really tight so one good race can make the difference,” said Hight.

 

“This was our seventh race in eight weekends and next weekend I will be in Norwalk at the Night Under Fire. We will be doing some testing and getting ready for Brainerd. I am excited about these next two races. I have a great Auto Club team behind me,” added Hight.

 

In the first round Hight and his Mike Neff tuned Auto Club Ford Mustang made the second quickest run of the session a strong 4.077 second pass as Hale red-lit in the other lane. Cruz Pedregon made the quickest run of round one, 4.064 seconds and he was defeated in the second round losing to  Bob Tasca III.

 

The biggest upset of the day for John Force Racing occurred when John Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang was ousted in the first round by veteran Paul Lee in a Funny Car owned by former JFR driver Gary Densham. Force covered the course quicker than Lee, 4.086 to 4.133, but Lee had a starting line reaction time advantage and was able to steal a win from the winningest driver in NHRA history.

 

It was a solid seven weeks of racing for the 15-time Funny Car champion reaching the finals last weekend in Sonoma and moving from 9th in the Mello Yello point stands to 4th just a round out of third place. Force is heading to the Night Under Fire as well and then will return to Brainerd where he raced to the final round last year and has won eleven times.

 

Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster wrapped up their first pass through the Western Swing with a tough loss to Khalid alBalooshi in the first round. Force’s Top Fuel dragster was the No. 13 qualifier and the loss of half of the qualifying runs due to rain had a negative impact on the lone JFR Top Fuel dragster making its first appearance at Seattle.

 

“This was a tough weekend for us in Seattle. We lost out on our first two qualifying runs Friday because of rain. We had two other qualifying passes, but we didn’t quite get it down the track. We weren’t as prepared as we wanted to be for the first round of eliminations,” said Force. “We ran Khalid alBalooshi in the first round, so I was excited to run him, he’s a great driver. Unfortunately, we went out to him in the first round. My Castrol EDGE dragster went right up into tire smoke at about 60 feet. I tried to pedal it, but it got a little sideways so I lifted and he was way out ahead of me. We’ll just take everything we learned here and go on to Brainerd.”

 

The Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award contender for rookie of the year had a busy weekend away from the track as well participating in the NHRA press conference at the Space Needle, catching fish at the famous Pike Street Market and touring Starbucks Coffee headquarters and experiencing her first coffee tasting.

 

“Western Swing wasn’t exactly what I expected. I was definitely hoping we’d get a win on the swing. I’ve been coming to the Western Swing since I was a kid. It’s just cool to be out here and be able to say that I’m driving a Top Fuel car and I get to come out here and compete on the Western Swing. I watched my dad do it and it’s exciting to be out here.”  

John Force Racing–Northwest Nationals

HIGHT, FORCES READY TO MAKE MOVE AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS

 

KENT, WA (August 3, 2013) — Tomorrow’s elimination rounds of the 26th annual NHRA O’Reilly Auto Parts Nationals will be a critical day for Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang Funny Car. The four drivers that are battling for the last few spots in the Mello Yello point standings are all on the same side of the elimination ladder. Del Worsham, Tim Wilkerson, Hight and Bob Tasca III sit 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th separated by 24 points which is just four points over one round of racing. Hight could face Wilkerson and Worsham would race Tasca in the second round.

 

As the No. 2 qualifier Hight will be looking to move up solidly into the Top Ten but first he has to outrun rookie John Hale of Addison, Texas. Hight posted his best qualifying run in the first of the only two sessions, covering the 1000 foot racing surface in 4.056 seconds tying his track elapsed time record. Jack Beckman took the top qualifying spot and track record elapsed time a few minutes later when he crossed the finish line in 4.049 seconds at 303.64 mph. Beckman will race teammate Johnny Gray in the first round tomorrow.

 

In the second qualifying session Hight was on another strong run when his Ford Mustang Funny Car lost power just past half track. The 2009 Funny Car champion was disappointed he did not post another quick time but he knows he will have a good race car for Sunday especially with the possibility of changing weather conditions and a shortened qualifying effort. Yesterday’s qualifying sessions were rained out.

 

“Only getting two runs doesn’t really matter. I guess it would matter if you messed up the first run and it put you down to one run to get in. Everybody is in the same boat. It would have been nice to get some runs yesterday. Tomorrow it looks like it might be a whole new ballgame,” said Hight. “It is supposed to be sunny and we haven’t run in those conditions here. There is a new section of asphalt out there that is tricky even when it was cooler today. This is going to be challenging. Nobody has had a run at this track in the heat yet and I have the confidence in my people. We were on a good run that last run but this Auto Club Mustang just lost power. We caught a break it happened today and not tomorrow.”

 

While Hight was blazing a path to the No. 2 spot team leader and 15-time Funny car champion John Force was right behind him qualifying No. 5. The two drivers swapped crew chiefs and teams at the start of the Western Swing and Force is coming off a final round appearance last weekend in Sonoma, California. Force will race Canadian Todd Lesenko in the first round and he is looking forward to moving up in the points with some round wins.

 

“If you get four (qualifying) runs (it) gives you the chance to try different stuff. You have the same chance as everybody else. Everybody is equal. It is only how you approach it. If you want to be aggressive you could be on top but you could be out too. If you want to just get in and be ready for race day you can do that. I have no complaints. (Crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) and I are doing good and we’ll be ready tomorrow,” said Force.

 

Courtney Force had a bit of bad luck in the first round of qualifying when a cable broke on her Traxxas Ford Mustang. Force went up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off.

 

“On our first run in qualifying we had a problem with a cable breaking. We missed out on the run and it was unfortunate that something like that happened, especially after we got rained out on Friday and missed both of those shots to qualify. We only had one chance in Q4 to get our Traxxas Ford Mustang down there and into the show. There’s nothing like a little extra pressure to make it into the field,” said Force.

 

The 2012 O’Reilly Auto Parts Northwest Nationals winner posted a 4.085 elapsed time at 304.74 mph with no prior time on the board and went up to the No. 4 spot.

 

“I pulled up for the last session and I could see from my car what I needed to run to get in. I knew that I needed to be prepared in case I had to pedal it, but luckily, I have a great team and crew chief who are on top of their game. Ron Douglas and Dan Hood lead this team and they were able to send my Traxxas Ford straight down to the end of the track and even get lane choice secured for tomorrow,” said Force.

 

After some shuffling in the field Force and the Traxxas Ford were bumped down to the No. 8 spot.

 

“My guys work really hard. It’s a lot of pressure on them and me as a driver to get this car qualified with only one shot. Things happen and we missed our first run, but I’m happy that we made a run, a pretty good run with a 4.08, so we can be up there in the top half with the rest of my teammates. I’m very proud and I’m happy for my team and I’m excited for race day tomorrow,” said Force.

 

Last year, the now 25-year-old driver won the race from the No. 14 spot on race day and took home her first NHRA Funny Car Wally.

 

“This is one of my favorite race tracks here in Seattle, so I’m glad we were able to get in the show and I’m excited to get paired up tomorrow. I’ll be racing my good friend Alexis. We’ll both go out there and do the best we can and we’ll see what happens,” said Force.

 

Force is 4-1 to DeJoria in previous matchups.

 

After losing two qualifying sessions on Friday due to inclement weather at Pacific Raceways, it was go hard or go home for every single race team. This gave Castrol EDGE Top Fuel driver Brittany Force and her team the opportunity to really go after it. With a 3.846 second pass at 297.81 mph her time was good enough to land her in the No. 11 position after the first session. However, after having to shut it off early in the second session, Force got bumped down to the No. 13 position at the end of the day.

 

“We only got two qualifying passes because we got rained out on Friday, but we’re in the same boat as everybody,” Force said. “With only getting two runs, it makes it a little more difficult for us. After the first pass, it put us in the 11th position. We ran a 3.84 on the first run and that was lifting early. That being our first pass this weekend, I felt good about that. We had a second run that bumped us down to 13th. Both runs we didn’t quite make it down the track, but my Castrol EDGE dragster still ran pretty good. I’m hoping we’ll be able to get it all the way down tomorrow and step it up.”

 

In the opening round of eliminations, the Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award nominee will face fellow competitor Khalid alBalooshi out of Al-Anabi Racing.

 

“I’m excited to be running Khalid alBalooshi in the first round tomorrow,” Force said. “He’s an awesome driver. I talk to him all the time up in the staging lanes and around the track about the car, the runs and the track. He’s just a great driver and I’m excited to go up against him.”  

John Force Racing Looks Toward Seattle

HIGHT GETTING CLOSER TO FIRST WIN OF 2013

SEATTLE, WA (July 31, 2013) — Robert Hight was cruising to his third semi-final appearance of the season in the second round when a fire-bottle deployed and his Auto Club Ford Mustang hazed the tires. As Hight slowed down Alexis DeJoria sped past the 2009 Funny Car champion and into a semi-final match-up with John Force.

“That was a tough loss for sure. Miek Neff had this Auto Club Ford Mustang flying. We ran 4.01 in the first round and I didn’t think there was anything that could have stopped us from getting our first win of the season. It was just a fluke deal with the fire bottle and honestly if something like that has to happen I would rather it happen now instead of the Countdown,” said Hight.

With Hight’s first round win over Bob Tasca III Hight moved back into the Top Ten heading into the O’Reilly Northwest NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceway. Hight and Tasca have been trading the tenth and eleventh spot in the Mello Yello point standings for over a month. Neither driver has been able to pull away and solidify a Top Ten position in the points. The 8th through 11th spot in the points are separated by twenty-five points which is barely over a round of racing.

“You look at the points and there are four drivers fighting for three spots really. You look at Tim Wilkerson in eighth place, Del Worsham in 9th, me in 10th and then Tasca in 11th anyone of us could win a race. There is still one spot open for the Traxxas Shootout so there is some pressure to get into the winner’s circle,” said Hight.

The combination of Hight and Neff as a new driver crew chief combo is quickly gelling into a great team. Both Neff and Hight came up through the ranks as crew men and both have a grasp of the mechanical side of these Nitro Funny Cars. Neff has ten wins behind the wheel of a Funny Car so the comfort level between Neff and Hight on a driver level has given each man more confidence moving forward with three races left before the Countdown.

“Neff gives you a lot of confidence. Really there is a lot of confidence on this whole John Force Racing team. Jimmy and John went to the final in Sonoma. Courtney’s Traxxas Funny Car has been running strong. Everyone is working together and there is a lot of energy in our camp. We have been making runs in qualifying that earn bonus points and on race day our car has been one of the most dangerous on Sunday. We just need to put everything together on race day,” said Hight.

JFR’S TOP FUEL PILOT BRITTANY FORCE PREPARES FOR FINAL RACE OF WESTERN SWING

SEATTLE, WA (July 31, 2013) — The final race on the Western Swing is fast approaching and John Force Racing, is hungry to get a win Seattle at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Northwest Nationals. For Top Fuel rookie Brittany Force and her entire Castrol EDGE team, the motivation and persistency keeps them pushing harder to claim their first win.

Force, the second youngest daughter of 15-time Funny Car champion John Force, has proven herself thus far in the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. With strong, consistent runs and amazing comebacks in qualifying, it’s that kind of hard work that leads to wins.

One of those amazing comebacks came last week in Sonoma, California, when after three qualifying sessions, Force was not in the show. However, crew chiefs Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane, along with Richard Hogan and her entire team tuned the Castrol EDGE just right and was able to pull off a great run to qualify for the event. 

“It’s always stressful when you have to get in on your last qualifying pass,” Force said. “I have a great team behind me and great crew chiefs, so I was confident that they put together a good car and that we were going to get down there.”

Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award candidate returns to Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington and is eager to see what she can do at the scenic racetrack.

“I’m excited to come to Seattle,” Force said. “I’ve raced here in super comp and A-Fuel, so I’m excited to be coming back. We want to qualify in the top half of the field and gain some ground in the championship Mello Yello point standings. We want to go some rounds and we are going for our first win. I have great crew chiefs (Dean Antonelli, Eric Lane and Richard Hogan) and a great team behind me, so anything is possible.”

It’s always important to build a strong relationship with your team in order to succeed on the track. That is one thing the 27-year-old Cal State-Fullerton graduate values. Force got the chance to spend more time with her Castrol EDGE team as she traveled on the road with them to Seattle and got to see firsthand what they do outside of a normal race weekend.

“We all caravanned up to Seattle at the beginning of the week,” Force said. “Got to ride with the guys in the big rig and the Explorer, so that was a lot of fun. That’s something you don’t do or see every day and that was exciting for me as a driver to see what my guys do outside of the track. At the start of the year I thought it’d be fun to see what they do outside of the race track and join in. I feel it’s important to do stuff with the team outside of the track. We work together and we all have the same goals in mind. Sometimes it’s good to step away from all that and just have some fun together.” 

FORCE HEADS TO SEATTLE
Sight of First Funny Car Win

KENT, Wash. (July 28, 2013) – One last event stands between Courtney Force and the completion of the “Western Swing.” The 26th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals will run Aug. 2-4 at Pacific Raceways, the site of her first NHRA national event win in the Funny Car category.

“Seattle is one of my favorite race tracks on the circuit. I’m really looking forward to racing at Pacific Raceways this year,” said Force. “I’ve won there twice. It was my first win in Top Alcohol Dragster and my first win in Funny Car just last season. I’m excited to get back there this week. Hopefully we can have our Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car going rounds.

Last weekend in Sonoma, Force took out Cruz Pedregon before getting a holeshot win over Jack Beckman and driving her car to the semi-final round, where her Traxxas Ford Mustang had a fuel system malfunction and blew the burst panel off.

“Sonoma was pretty good to us, and we just had a tough break there at the end of the race weekend. We’re finishing up the Western Swing. We moved up a little bit back in Sonoma so hopefully we’ll have just as good luck as we had last year at Pacific Raceways. I am confident in my team and car for this weekend in Seattle. This is my lucky track, so we’re going to go there, do our jobs and hopefully pick up our third win on the season,” said Force.

This is also the track where Force skillfully drove one of veteran Jerry Darien’s race cars to the Top Alcohol Dragster title at the 2009 Northwest Nationals. But, with success comes heartbreak and Force had her biggest challenge of her career at Seattle in 2010.

While racing alongside Mike Austin, Force’s right rear tire exploded destroying a portion of her Ford Racing Top Alcohol Dragster’s rear wing. The now national spokesperson for Ford Motor Company’s Driving Skills for Life initiative succeeded in keeping her dragster away from the guard wall and out of Austin’s lane.

Courtney Force moved up to tie with Jack Beckman for the No. 6 spot in the NHRA Funny Car point standings after her semi-final finish in Sonoma, Calif. She sits just 35 points behind Johnny Gray in the No. 5 spot.

For Immediate Release

FORCE’S LATEST ‘SHAKE UP’ PAYING DIVIDENDS

Crew Chief, Car Swap Has Both 15-Time Champ and Hight on Upswing

          SEATTLE, Wash. – John Force hasn’t stayed on top of his game the last quarter century by being unwilling to change.

 &
nbsp;        However, the 15-time champion’s most recent moves were extreme, even by his standards, and yet, entering this week’s 26th annual O’Reilly Northwest Nationals, Force once more is beginning to look like a chess master after swapping crew chiefs, crews and race cars with teammate and son-in-law Robert Hight.

          “Sometimes, you just have to shake things up,” explained the Hall of Fame inductee (Motorsports Hall of Fame of American in 2008 and International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2012).  “You gotta get the right people in the right place.”

          As a result, Mike Neff, who won the NHRA championship with Force in 2010 and started the season with the 135-time tour winner, now is making the performance decisions for Hight on the Auto Club Ford.

          Conversely, Jimmy Prock, who took Hight to the championship in 2009, now is turning the wrenches for Force on the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

          Both drivers have benefitted from the move.  Runner-up last week at Sonoma, Calif., in just his second race with Prock, Force has moved up to fourth place in Mello Yello points.  After posting the quickest time during eliminations last week (4.018 seconds) in a critical duel with Bob Tasca III, Hight is back in the Top 10.

          “We’re getting paid to win a championship,” Force said of the shuffle. “Prock and Neff have different crew chief styles (but) they’re both world championship crew chiefs.  I believe I made the right call and I’m going to stick with it.

          “We’ve got a good ol’ hot rod,” Force continued.  “Jimmy Prock swings for the fence with the ‘Prock Rocket.’  He doesn’t mess around.  I wasn’t on my game last week like I should have been, but I’ll fix that.  The good thing is we can go right back to racing this week at Seattle.”

          Force’s enthusiasm on the eve of his return to Pacific Raceways, a track on which he first raced in the 1970s, is understandable.  After all, he’s won a record seven times at the northwestern most track in the series and last year went to the semifinals before losing to daughter, Courtney, who went on to win the race in the Traxxas Ford. 

          Shuffling the crew chiefs isn’t the only change Force has made this year in an attempt to reclaim a championship that has been his, as either driver or car owner, 17 of the last 23 seasons.

          He also had to change his driving style after Neff pointed out a negative aspect of the heavy training regimen he adopted during his recovery from injuries suffered in September, 2007, in a crash at Dallas, Texas.

          “He said since I’ve been living in the gym, building myself up, I was way over steering the car,” Force admitted.  “He said I was taking it right out of the groove.  So we started watching the videos and that’s exactly what was happening.  He really helped me just calm down and get back to doing my job.”

          The result?  Force has gone to the finals four times in the last six races with two different cars, two different crews and two different crew chiefs.  More important, at age 64 he has established himself, once more, as a legitimate threat to win the title.

          “They were ready to print up T-shirts that said ‘John Force: Extinct,’” he said of this year’s slow start in which he advanced beyond the second round just once in the first nine races, “but I ain’t dead yet.  I can still drive these hot rods  I’ll know when it’s time (to get out of the car) and it ain’t time, yet.”

John Force Racing–JOHN FORCE RUNNER-UP AT SONOMA NATIONALS

JOHN FORCE RUNNER-UP AT SONOMA NATIONALS

 

SONOMA, CA —- John Force was racing for his 8th win at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals today against veteran Ron Capps. It was Force’s fourth final round in the last six races this season and even though he came up on the wrong side of the ET slip the 15-time Funny Car champion was not hanging his head.

 

“I have no complaints. (Crew chief) Jimmy Prock brought this Prock Rocket back. I wasn’t where I should have been today on the tree. I thought I could get there. We’ll go to Seattle. I’ll work that gym harder and get up again. Ron Capps is a good driver but I had the best race car,” said Force after the final round.

 

Force has seven wins at Sonoma Raceway and this was his twelfth final round at the Northern California race track. His career record versus Capps stands at 44-26 and his final round record is 8-7 now.

 

The most amazing stat for the winningest driver in HRA history came to fruition when Force reached his 220th final round at today’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals which was the 800th NHRA national event. It is even more incredible when you consider that Funny Car has only been contested at about 60% of those 800 races.

 

Force started the day beating former teammate Tony Pedregon in the opening round then he took out Johnny Gray with a 4.057 second run in the second round. The semi-finals Force had a tough match-up against Alexis DeJoria and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang stepped up posting a 4.086 second pass to DeJoria’s equally strong 4.095 seconds.

 

Courtney Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang team came out swinging today at the 26th annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

 

The 25-year-old qualified in the No. 7 spot with a time of 4.057 seconds. She took lane choice over No. 10 qualifier Cruz Pedregon in the opening round on Sunday. Force was quickest of the pair off the line and the Traxxas team posted a 4.088 ET at the 1,000 ft mark to get the win.

 

“Having Cruz is always really nerve-wracking. I get pretty hopped up against him because he’s a tough competitor.  It’s hard. You have to be good on your lights and have a good race car because you never know what to expect. Cruz’s team can make a killer run out of nowhere. They have had a consistent car all season long. I was nervous going up there, but Ron Douglas gave me a great race car. We went down there and ran a 4.08. We made a great pass,” said Force.

 

Force lost lane choice to Jack Beckman in the second round of eliminations, but won the race right off the starting line. She ran a 4.089 to his 4.067, but had a .056 light over his .094 attempt.

 

“Unfortunately, we lost lane choice to Beckman in the semis. That’s another one of those top notch cars that’s really tough to beat. I knew I had to be on my game. I’ve been struggling a little bit with my lights. I’ve been really hard on myself and practicing a lot. I went after it, was able to leave on him and get my first holeshot win. I’m very proud of our team today. It was pretty close down at the other end,” said Force.

 

Force lost in the semi-finals to Ron Capps after an issue with the Traxxas Ford Mustang’s fuel system.

 

“We went up against Capps in the semis and we really wanted to get to the win so we could have an all Force final. We had a malfunction in the fuel system which caused the motor to go lean and it popped off the burst panel. It obviously slowed our car down quite a bit. When the burst panel blows, in order to save the body, it shuts the whole car down and shuts the fuel off and deploys the parachutes automatically. Tough, but it’s part of it.”

 

“I’m just proud of my guys. They have been working really hard all weekend long. We’ve had some tough first round match-ups lately and it was good to keep working at it to go further this weekend. It’s exciting to get to race at Sonoma. I love this race track. Sonoma Raceway holds a special place in my heart because for Eric Medlen and we all had fun this weekend” said Force.

 

Robert Hight achieved one of their main goals today leaving the event in the Mello Yello Top Ten. While it is a slim lead over the No. 11 driver it is a lead the Auto Club team can build on. They earned qualifying bonus points in two sessions this weekend and their opening round victory over Bob Tasca III with a jaw-dropping 4.01 second pass turned heads at Sonoma Raceway.

 

“We had a great chance to do some damage today once we won the first round. We moved into the Top Ten which is big. The most important thing is we have three more races to lock into the Countdown. This Auto Club Ford Mustang has been running great. That 4.01 in the first round was such a smooth run. It was about a perfect run,” said an enthused Hight. “We are going to build on the positives from this weekend and not worry about anyone else. We are barely over one round out of eighth place in the Mello Yello point standings. Mike Neff and I are really working well together. I am excited to see Jimmy and John running so well. We almost got three JFR Mustangs to the semi-finals. That is a pretty good weekend if you ask me.”

 

Hight and crew chief Mike Neff will continue to fine tune their working relationship as the Western Swing wraps up in Seattle next weekend. The first round win today was also the 300th round win for Mike Neff as a crew chief. Neff has made the tuning calls for five different drivers starting with Scotty Cannon, Gary Scelzi, John Force, himself and now Robert Hight.

 

“I am glad we will be back on a race track in a couple of days. Seattle will have great air with all the trees and this Auto Club Ford Mustang will be ready. We can get some qualifying bonus points and start from the top half of the field. That will be a great way to end the Western Swing.”

 

The Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster continued to develop a consistent qualifying and race day routine. They rolled into the final qualifying session yesterday needed to break into the Top 16. They were able to post a an elapsed time quick enough to race today but they wound up No. 14 and had to race veteran Doug Kalitta in the first round.

 

“We struggled a little in qualifying but we wound up No. 14. We would have liked to have been in the top half of the field. This was still a positive weekend for the Castrol EDGE team. We made some solid runs and everyone was safe at the end of the day. We are going to head to Seattle and go after that first win. We’ll want to get in the top half of the field and go some rounds on Sunday,” said Force.

 

For the rookie driver Brittany Force facing off with the most dominant Top Fuel driver at Sonoma Raceway was a tall order even though in her young career she was already 2-0 against the five-time Sonoma Nationals champion. Unfortunately for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award hopeful she could not make it 3-0.

 

In the first round her Castrol EDGE dragster lost traction and the rookie driver attempted to pedal the 8,000 horsepower dragster to no avail.

 

“Every run I learn something new. I am getting more experience with every run. I learned something on that first round run against Doug Kalitta. I tried to pedal it a little too quickly. My dragster wasn’t lined up perfectly straight when I got back on the throttle and it went over towards the center line. I have never been that close to the center line so I lifted,” added Force.

 

“I am going to get with the crew chiefs and review the video that really helps so you can talk about what you think is happening and then see the video. It is really helpful. When I pedaled it the dragster just smoked the tires again and didn’t hook up.”

 

“Kalitta is an awesome dri
ver. We talked before the run and I congratulated him at the top end. All the drivers in Top Fuel have been really supportive and helpful.”

 

 

John Force Racing–JFR IN TOP HALF HEADING INTO SONOMA RACE DAY

JFR IN TOP HALF HEADING INTO SONOMA RACE DAY

 

SONOMA, CA – It was a strong showing by John Force Racing today at Sonoma Raceway. Team leader and seven-time NHRA Sonoma Nationals winner John Force led the team as the No. 4 qualifier and showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with on race day. His Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car was the quickest Funny Car of both sessions today earning six valuable qualifying bonus points.

 “We got a good ole hot rod, The Prock Rocket! Sometimes change is good. Mike Neff is doing great, ran 4.07 and Courtney ran 4.07, but they had a problem there in the final run. I’m going to go find out what happened. I ran for a couple of sessions, but tomorrow’s race day. I ran 4.06 today and an 4.02 last night. My biggest highlight is my daughter Brittany (Force) in that dragster. Pulling it out right there at the end in the Castrol EDGE dragster and making the show. I’m so excited about that,” said Force.

Force will race former teammate and protégé Tony Pedregon in the first round. Force has a career record of 59-26 against the two-time Mello Yello Funny Car champion and has never lost to him, 4-0, in the first round at Sonoma Raceway.

Force’s elapsed times today 4.078 and 4.062 seconds positioned the winningest Funny Car driver in NHRA history for success on race day.

“That’s what these kids do. Jimmy Prock swings for the fence, he doesn’t mess around,” said Force. “Him and Mike (Neff) are both great crew chiefs as well is Ron Douglas in the Funny Car. It was just time to me to mix them up and make some changes. Everything is good.”

The biggest race of the day for John Force Racing will be the match-up between No. 8 Robert Hight and No. 9 Bob Tasca III. Hight and Tasca are battling for a spot in the Top Ten. There is less than a round between to two Ford backed Funny Car teams. Hight trailered Tasca in first round here last year but so far in 2013 Tasca has had the upper hand. This will be the third race in a row for them to meet and Tasca has come out on top in the previous two meetings the first round in Norwalk and semi-finals last week in Denver.

“I’m still learning how Mike Neff operates. He had it loaded up this morning and we were really trying. We put some good numbers down, but it spun down track. I think he does that to kind of see where he is for tomorrow and what his limitations are. It was really close to making an awesome run this morning. It went this afternoon though,” said Hight.

“I actually like controlling my own destiny. That’s who we race is Bob Tasca III and if we can take him out, and go on and win this race, at least go some rounds, we’ve done our job and we’ll be back up there in the points. I don’t like relying on other people. I want to be able to do it ourselves, so I’m excited about tomorrow,” said Hight

Earlier this season they met in the second round in Topeka where Hight outran Tasca on the way to his first final round of the season. Hight was the third quickest of the first and last qualifying session at the Sonoma Nationals which offered the Auto Club Ford Mustang Funny Car team the best race day conditions.

After the last qualifying session was completed today, Courtney Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang hung on to the No. 7 spot and will line up beside No. 10 qualifier Cruz Pedregon in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday.

Force ran a 4.05 on Friday night to qualify in the top half of the field and her time held through both of Saturday’s qualifying sessions.

In the first shot of improving her 4.05 today, Force’s Traxxas Ford Mustang smoked the tires and posted a 5.178 second elapsed time at 143.76 mph in the heat. Unfortunately, Force’s hot rod had an issue on the starting line that cost them their second run.

“Got our car qualified in the top half of the field. We tried some new stuff today. It didn’t really work in our favor; we had something lodged in the fuel system. (Crew chief) Ron (Douglas) told me to hit the emergency switch and shut it off, so I did. Obviously that’s why the chutes were deployed on the line.”

“You have to shut the car down as quickly as possible in a situation like that. We got back and figured out what went wrong. It’s a good thing that it happened to us today in qualifying and not on race day. We were able to fix it and make a change and get it back to normal for our first round match-up against Cruz,” said Force.

This will be the fourth time Force has faced Pedregon on race day. She is 1-3 versus Pedregon but her only round win was her only first round match-up with Cruz in Seattle on the way to her first win. She was the No. 12 qualifier that day.

“I’m excited that we have lane choice tomorrow and happy that we have a good car. It ran a 4.05 during qualifying last night and a 4.11 in the heat, so we know our car is capable of running in both types of conditions. We’re hoping we got most of our bad luck out of the way today and we’re looking forward to tomorrow,” said Force.

Force and her sister, Brittany, will also be taking part in the all-female track walk on Sunday at 9:30am. They will meet on stage and participate in a Q&A before walking down the Sonoma drag strip surrounded by fans before pre-race ceremonies.

“I’m looking forward to the first all-female track walk that I’ve done. It’s going to be exciting to take part in that with my sister Brittany and our good friend Alexis DeJoria. I’m definitely looking forward to it and being that close with the fans. It’s always cool to get the chance to do that on the track you’re getting ready to compete on. I’m excited,” said Force.

Castrol EDGE Top Fuel pilot Brittany Force had quite the two days of qualifying at Sonoma Raceway for the NHRA Sonoma Nationals. The first two rounds of qualifying were tough on the team as both times the dragster smoked the tires. Going in to Saturday’s qualifying sessions, Force and company were on the outside looking in.

“It’s always stressful when you have to get in on your last qualifying pass,” Force said. “Today I felt good. I felt confident. I have a great team behind me, great crew chiefs (Dean Antonelli, Eric Lane and Richard Hogan) so I was confident that they put together a good car and that we were going to get down there.”

Session three of qualifying once again challenged the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future candidate, overpowering the car and smoking the tires at about half-track. However, Force’s crew chiefs Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane along with Richard Hogan and the rest of the Castrol EDGE team tuned the dragster just right for session four. After getting her first full pass of the weekend, Force ran a 3.86 ET, landing her 14th on the ladder and ultimately making the show.

“First run out today it smoked the tires,” Force said. “We didn’t get down there too far. It didn’t even pass 60 feet before it smoked the tires. Second run we made it down the track. It was quite a ride for me right there at the finish line. Right around probably 700 feet it was skating around, think it had a hole out, it was shaking and I just stayed in it. I knew we were right there at the finish line and we needed to get this Castrol EDGE dragster in the show and qualified. We ended up 14th at the end of the day, so I’m happy about that.”

The 27-year-old Yorba Linda, California native will face veteran Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

“I’m ready go up against Doug Kalitta,” Force said. “He’s qualified way better than me, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t step it up and run better than him. That’s what we need and that’s what we’re going to plan to do tomorrow.”

Brittany Force is 2-0 versus Kalitta this season. She beat him in Las Vegas and Englishtown in the first rounds. In both rac
es she won from the bottom half of the field getting the victory in Las Vegas from the No. 11 spot and in Englishtown from the No. 13 qualifying position. Tomorrow she will start the race No. 14.

John Force Racing–JOHN FORCE LEADS JFR ON FRIDAY AT SONOMA

JOHN FORCE LEADS JFR ON FRIDAY AT SONOMA

 

SONOMA, CA – John Force and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang team led the way for Team JFR posting the 4th quickest elapsed time at the 26th annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Force piloted his Jimmy Prock tuned Funny Car to a blistering time of 4.025 seconds at 316.60 mph. Matt Hagan is the provisional No. 1 qualifier with a track record 3.986 second elapsed time.

 

This was the second race for Force to drive with his new crew chief and the 15-time Funny Car champion continues to be positive about his decision to shake up his teams. Prior to the Mile High Nationals in Denver last week Force announced he would be driving for world champion crew chief Jimmy Prock and teammate Robert Hight would switch to running a Mike Neff tuned Funny Car.

 

“Well our cars are up there in the top half. It’s too early to tell what it shows. The dragster was trying too hard, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow,” said Force.

 

“Probably going to be in the heat, run earlier, so that’ll probably leave Courtney, Robert and myself in the top half of the field. We want to run faster so we’ll see what happens. A 4.02 with Jimmy Prock was pretty impressive,” added Force.

 

Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang were consistent all day running the third quickest elapsed time in the first session and in the evening session Hight stepped up his elapsed time and posted the 8th quickest time. Hight’s opening session 4.082 second run was two thousandths of a second from being the second quickest elapsed time.

 

“Both runs were good. At least it goes up and down the track. I’m sure Mike Neff wanted more obviously. You see those three-second runs out there and you want to push. Neff and I had a talk before the run. We looked at and we knew we couldn’t be bumped out of the top twelve and figured we’d stay in the top eight, so we were pressing. Early on it ran good numbers to do that, but in the middle it’s laying over and it’s just not running real good. I’ll be honest, it’s better than it going out and smoking the tires and then thinking ‘well, what do we have to do to fix it?’ We know what we have to do. Step it up. We’re not going to have conditions like this again,” said Hight.

 

In the second session the temperatures were dropping dramatically as the Funny Car session began. Hight and his Mike Neff tuned Ford Mustang Funny Car were in the past pair with Ron Capps and it was a tremendous side by side run with both drivers running 4.0s and Hight tripping the lights at 4.058 seconds at 311.41 mph.

 

“Right now we’re chasing the number ten guy and we’re qualified ahead of him. I feel good going into Saturday. We have to be a step ahead of him and the eighth and ninth guys, we have to be a step ahead of them tomorrow for both runs. We do that and it’s going to be successful. Right now we’re eighth and we’re going to have lane choice on Sunday, unless something changes tomorrow,” said Hight. “Every run right now is critical. We are counting points and what’s cool about Neff is he gives you so much confidence. He goes up there and says ‘You know what? I ain’t worried about making the top ten. I think we can make the top five if we do what we’re supposed to do.’ That makes it easy for me to go up there and do what I’m supposed to do.”

 

Courtney Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang saw some improvement in their team today when they made two back-to-back quality runs to kick-off the weekend at Sonoma Raceway.

Force laid down a 4.117 elapsed time at 304.25 mph in the first session and sat solidly in the No. 6 qualifying spot by the end of the round.

“We made a few changes on our car for this weekend and ran a 4.11 to get us qualified in the top half of the field which is good for our car for the changes we made. It seems to be working so far. I’m comfortable in the car and I love racing here. It’s good to be back here in Sonoma.

In the second session, Force drove her Traxxas Ford Mustang straight down the track to a 4.057 second run at 314.46 mph and ended the day in the No. 7 position.

“Going up for Q2, everyone just had to get after it. It’s a really fast field and it’s always exciting coming out here and making a night run right after the sun goes down. It gets so cold here at night that it’s exciting. You know the cars are going to be fast and you have to be on the top of your game.”

“It was great to see our car run in the low 4.0’s. Our Traxxas Ford spit out a spark plug down there and it slowed our car to a 4.05, but we definitely can’t complain. It’s still a great run for our team and it gets us in the top half of the field for now. We’ll see if we can even improve tomorrow,” said Force.

Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster struggled in the opening sessions. This is the second race for the rookie team with the new Hadman chassis. Last weekend the team qualified No. 3 at the NHRA Mile-High Nationals but today they could just muster the 17th quickest time. In the second session the team shook the tires loose and had to end the day with their first session time of 5.147 seconds. The Castrol EDGE team will have two shots tomorrow to post a time quick enough to race on Sunday.

John Force Racing–BRITTANY FORCE GETS BEST START No. 3 GOING INTO DENVER ELIMS

BRITTANY FORCE GETS BEST START No. 3 GOING INTO DENVER ELIMS

 

DENVER, CO – At the end of the day on Saturday Brittany Force solidified her qualifying position at the Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals by re-taking her No. 3 qualifying position with a 3.918 second pass at 309.63 mph. The rookie driver had slipped to No. 4 after Steve Torrence jumped to the top spot with a blistering 3.880 second run. Force moved around Khalid alBalooshi and the Al-Anabi dragster, the most recent winner, to reclaim the No. 3 spot in Top Fuel and a first round match-up with journeyman Scott Palmer.

 

“The first qualifying pass we smoked the tires at about half-track, so I lifted and just coasted on down the track,” Force said. “The final session we made it all the way down the track and improved from our run yesterday. We ended up running a 3.91, so we earned another bonus point. That ended up bumping us up from the No. 4 position to the No. 3 position. The team is so pumped right now. They’re so excited about it. This is exactly where we needed to be. We have (Richard) Hogan who came on board to help out my crew chiefs Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane, we got a new hot rod that is 100 pounds lighter and it’s definitely showing that it’s going to run.”

 

Brittany Force’s qualifying effort was the second best qualifying finish by a woman every at the Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals. Ironically, the best qualifying performance was Melanie Troxel’s No. 1 qualifier in 2007 driving a Top Fuel dragster tuned by Richard Hogan. The veteran tuner joined the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel team last race in Norwalk and has been working side by side with Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane.

 

With the added bonus points following her strong qualifying runs, the Castrol EDGE driver improved from 13th in the Mello Yello points standings to the 12th position. This gave Force and her team an extra boost of confidence going into Sunday as she will face fellow competitor Scott Palmer for the first time in her racing career.

 

“That’s exactly what we needed,” the 27-year-old Yorba Linda, California resident said. “Gaining those extra points and just moving up whether it’s a little bit at a time, but tomorrow we’re going to try and make our way up even further. I’ve never raced Scott Palmer, so I’m excited to be racing him in round one. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to talk to him before we make our run. I definitely want to go some rounds tomorrow and get a win, but for everyone running tomorrow, just safe runs would make me happy.”

 

Robert Hight continued to show that John Force’s decision to match the president of JFR with the lead tuner Mike Neff will prove to be a tough pair to defeat. The tandem made the quickest run of the first session on Saturday where conditions should mirror tomorrow’s race day temperatures. Hight’s Auto Club Ford Mustang covered the 1000 ft. race track in 4.228 seconds at 295.40 mph. The second quickest time was Ron Capps’ 4.288 second run.

 

“The first run today we were low ET so that was pretty awesome and the track was really hot so that’s what we are going to be facing tomorrow so I’m definitely excited about that. We gained three more points and then tonight we really got after it trying to step up our qualifying because we kind of messed up last night,” said Hight.

 

In the second session as conditions improved dramatically Hight and his Neff tuned Funny Car took a shot at outrunning Cruz Pedregon’s No. 1 time of 4,073 seconds. He was unsuccessful in his bid to move to the top of the field but is confident going into his first round match-up with veteran Johnny Gray. The last time the pair matched up was the final round in Topeka.

 

“It shook in the last run, but last night hurt us dropping a cylinder. Tonight when it had eight cylinders it had too much power. We’re learning, but I’m definitely going in to Sunday back in the Top Ten in the standings and I tell you what, Mike Neff gives you a lot of confidence. Just the way he talks, we’re going to be fine,” said the two-time Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals winner. “We can run like this all day long, especially when it ran that 4.22 this morning. He’s got so much confidence and that gives you confidence as a driver. It’s like we’re not going up there with our fingers crossed. We’re going up there with a plan and that plan is to win. I also want to congratulate Jimmy Prock and John Force for really stepping it up and being low ET that last session.”

 

Right after Hight made his final run in qualifying team leader John Force rolled the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to the starting line. Crew Chief Jimmy Prock was also ready with an aggressive tune up and he powered the Ford Mustang Funny Car to the quickest run of the session, a solid 4.127 second run at 308.99 mph. Force picked up three qualifying bonus points and for the first time all season all four John Force Racing entries earned qualifying bonus points at the same event.

 

“So far, so good. We made a lot of changes with Brittany’s dragster and I think it ended up third. It went right down the race track and made a good run for Castrol EDGE, so we’re excited. We all made the show. Courtney and Robert and I are all in,” said Force. “Jimmy Prock is doing what he does and that’s tuning a race car. I’m having fun over here with Jimmy. We ran quickest of the last session with that 4.12. Tomorrow is a new day. It’s all about the dream, and if you believe in your dreams you can achieve. We’re all going to go get a good night’s rest and try our best to get a win tomorrow.”

 

Force will race fellow Ford driver Bob Tasca III in the first round. Tasca and Hight are locked in a tough battle for the No. 10 spot in the Funny Car standings. Hight moved around Tasca this weekend to move back into the Top Ten going into eliminations tomorrow.

 

As Courtney Force prepares for the first race day of the infamous “Western Swing,” her Traxxas Ford Mustang team prepares for a tough round against a higher-qualified Alexis DeJoria. Force qualified No. 13 and will give up lane choice going into Sunday’s eliminations.

 “We struggled a little bit in qualifying. I definitely think it’s tough out here and I’m being challenged as a driver, but all of the teams are. It’s a tough track and nothing like what we run all season. We had a great weekend here last year when we went to the final, so I have no doubt we can get our car just as far if not further tomorrow,” said Force, a finalist last year in Denver.

 

Today, the 25-year-old who just became the first female driver in the NHRA to pose for ESPN The Magazine’s “The Body Issue,” made a solid pass in the heat of the day to kick-off qualifying. She posted a 4.316 second run to move her Traxxas Ford into the No. 13 spot.

 

“We were on a great run. We managed to get our car down there in the heat during the third session, which is important because we’ll be running the race in the heat of the day on Sunday. I think our team is in pretty good shape for tomorrow,” said Force.

 

Between rounds, Force signed autographs at the Traxxas display in the midway. Force makes an appearance at the Traxxas display each Saturday throughout the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. She greeted fans at her pit area before finally making her second pass to end the day.

 

“I struggled a little on that last qualifying pass. My team was going after a good run and I could feel that it was a good one. I let the car take me a little to the right, because that lane pulls you to the right. I let it get out a little bit and when I pulled it back it just spun the tires really bad where there were little bumps in the track. It’s a little unfortunate that we kind of missed out on that run. I was hoping to get another g
ood run in so it could move me to the top half of the field, but that’s just the way it goes. It’s the name of the game,” said Force.

 

Tomorrow, Force will face fellow female competitor Alexis DeJoria in the opening round. This will be the fifth time the women have met on race day. Force is currently 3-1 to DeJoria in previous events.

 

“We have a first round matchup against Alexis tomorrow. It’s an all-girl first round so I’m excited and we’ll see what happens,” said Force.

John Force Racing–Denver

BRITTANY FORCE No. 3 FRIDAY IN DENVER

 

DENVER, CO – Rookie of the Year candidate Brittany Force finished her first day on the mountain at Bandimere Speedway with a solid 3.926 second run which was good enough to hold down the No. 3 qualifying spot heading into Saturday. The Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster’s previous best qualifying effort was No. 8 in Bristol. The crew chief trio of Dean Antonelli, Eric Lane and Richard Hogan gave the young driver a great tune-up in a brand new Hadman dragster today.

 

In the first session Force only took the dragster to half-track but the early numbers were quick enough to put her in the top half of the field. She stepped up her performance in the second session has the Automobile Club Road to the Future contender excited about the prospect of success at Bandimere Speedway.

 

“We came out here with a new car,” Force said. “We are building a brand new car, but it wasn’t going to be ready in time for the Western Swing, so Steve Torrence was kind enough to give us one of his. I flew out to Indianapolis last week and got fitted for it. We only ran it to half-track on the first qualifying pass which was the plan, just to make sure everything ran good and that I felt comfortable in the car. We ran a 4.307 just going to half-track, so I was pretty stoked about that. I knew we were going to make a good second qualifying pass.”

 

In between rounds, Force met with Denver fans at the John Force Racing Midway display where she signed autographs and took photos. The Cal State-Fullerton graduate always enjoys meeting new fans and hearing about their race day experience.

 

“I love being here in Denver,” Force said. “The weather is beautiful and I just love being out here as part of the Western Swing. The fans have been amazing and I’ve really enjoyed just meeting them out at the ropes and seeing their excitement in the grandstands.”

 

In her second qualifying pass, Force took it all the way down the track for a run of 3.926, shooting her straight to the second position. At the end of the night, Force ended up third, making this her best qualifying effort so far this season.

 

“The second run, we went down there and took it all the way to the lights and ran a 3.92,” Force said. “My Castrol EDGE team was so excited about that and we ended up third at the end of the night, which is exactly where we need to be. I’m excited going into Saturday. We’ll make two more passes and I’m just really excited to have this new car and to be out here at Bandimere Speedway. I think it’ll do some good things and I really think we’re going to kick some butt this weekend.”

 

In the Funny Car ranks the crew chief swap between John Force and Robert Hight got off to a strong start with Hight’s Automobile Club of Southern California Mustang posting the quickest ET of the first session. The Mike Neff tune-up tripped the scoreboard at 4.158 seconds and earned Hight three valuable qualifying bonus points. In the second session Hight stepped up with a 4.144 second run which had him sitting No. 7 going into Saturday.

 

“First off, I think I’m back in the top ten in points. I was only three points out and we got three points after the first run. I think we still out qualified the guy who was in the tenth spot, so going into Saturday we’re back in the Top Ten, so that’s pretty exciting,” said Hight, a two-time Mile-High Nationals winner.

 

“It went down the track both runs, dropped a cylinder early and then picked it back up, which is really odd. For me to get into a new car like this and with a new team to go down the track both runs is pretty impressive. I’m kind of lost because I’ve been over here so many years with (crew chief) Jimmy Prock and my guys that have stuck together for so long I kind of feel a little lost. The truth is, I didn’t abandon them; I didn’t leave them. We’re still all on the same team. It’s one big team and we’re still all going to work together and maybe John (Force) shuffling and moving people is going to get the best out of everybody.”

 

“(Crew chief) Mike Neff has always been good. I’ve known him since he started here and he’s an easy going guy. He motivates you, just like Jimmy did. We’re not going to have any problems whatsoever, I promise. It’s exciting,” concluded Hight.

 

 

John Force and the Jimmy Prock tuned Castrol GTX Mustang finished Friday as the No. 6 qualified Funny Car. In the second session Force covered the track in 4.140 seconds at 307.09 mph. It was Force’s executive decision to trade drivers and teams for the rest of the season.

 

“Our crew chiefs, they’re our family. And I loved working with Mike Neff, the change just needed to be made. I knew Jimmy Prock when he was a little kid. I watched him with his dad (Tom Prock) with The Detroit Tiger and Tom and Jerry’s Funny Car and I just love being over here with him. I think this is going to be a good change. I’m having fun. I had fun with Neff, but sometimes you gotta stir it up. This team over here opened their arms to me. I’m pretty old, but they still like me,” said Force, the 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion.

 

“Courtney ran great. She was on a run in that Traxxas Ford, but it got in trouble out there at about 500 feet. I was amazed because I thought she had it. Robert was low ET with Neff first round so that was awesome to see. And we stepped back up in the top half of the field. That dragster has been great so far. It was bumped down to third, but that’s the best qualifying spot Brittany has had all year,” added Force.

 

Courtney Force came out strong on the first day of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals today, but missed the Top 12 by .021 of a second. She will have two more qualifying attempts on Saturday to make the show.

 

Force posted a 4.192 ET at 307.93 mph in the opening round. She set the track speed record with this pass and was third-quickest of the session, adding one qualifying bonus point to the 25-year-old’s total in the NHRA Mello Yello series point standings.

 

“After a roller coaster of a week, it feels great to be out at the race track. On our first pass today we went to the No. 3 spot, set a track speed record and picked up one point. Those bonus points help so much because they all add up at the end of the season and they can make a huge difference. It felt to come out and make a great run like that right away,” said Force.

 

Force had some bad luck in the second session, when her car spun the tires at about 500 feet.

 

“On the second pass we tried to push it a lot harder, obviously because the track had cooled down and we wanted to get after it to go for that top spot. It spun the tires down track and moved around so I had to get out of it. We slid down quite a few spot with everyone else moving up and around us, but I’m confident in our team and car and we’re going to get back after it tomorrow,” said Force.

 

John Force Racing–COURTNEY FORCE RACES TO SEMI-FINALS IN NORWALK

COURTNEY FORCE RACES TO SEMI-FINALS IN NORWALK

 

NORWALK, OH —- This weekend Courtney Force managed to turn a No. 10 qualifying position into a semi-final appearance and hang on to the No. 7 spot in the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car point standings at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

 

The 25-year-old female racer, who will grace the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue on July 12th, posted a 4.07 in the opening round against Tim Wilkerson today to kick off eliminations. Courtney also set the track speed record with the first round run of 319.67 mph.

 

“We were matched up with Tim Wilkerson in the first round today. We had him in the opening round last weekend in Chicago, also. He’s a tough competitor. He’s definitely got a good race car this year and he had lane choice over me. It made me a little nervous, so I felt like I had to step up my game. We got down there and had a great pass. We were able to outrun him with a 4.07 so I was excited for round two,” said Force.

This was the seventh time the two Ford teams have raced each other in eliminations and the fourth time they have met in the first round on race day. Force is now 6-1 to Wilkerson, only having lost to the fellow Ford driver last weekend in Joliet, Ill at Route 66 Raceway.

 

“Second round was another all-Ford match-up against Bob Tasca III. I knew he was to my my brother-in-law and teammate Robert Hight in the points, so I needed to win,” said Force.

 

Force took the win over Tasca with a 4.08 to his 4.11. Force is now 5-1 to Tasca in previous events.

 

“Our Traxxas Ford Mustang team pulled through and we were able to get that win light. It was important to us to help out (teammate) Robert (Hight). It was a good win for us,” added Force.

 

In the semi-final round, Force took on Ron Capps without lane choice. Her Traxxas Ford Mustang smoked the tires and got sideways, giving Capps the win.

 

“We had a tough match-up with Capps. The track heated up so it was a little different situation compared to the first round.  We lost lane choice, but I left on him and our Funny Car was a ways out ahead of him. We hit a little bump out there and it sent the tires spinning and put me sideways. By the time I got my Traxxas Ford Mustang straight, he was already getting the win light.”

 

“We both have great cars and (crew chief) Ron Douglas did a great job tuning this car, so it was a tough loss for me and for this team. We made a lot of changes in qualifying so I’m looking forward to the next race and seeing what we can bring to the table,” said Force.

 

In the opening round team leader and No. 1 qualifier John Force took out rising star Blake Alexander. Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang was quickest of first round with a 4.025 second run. This was the second time the 15-time Funny Car champion has raced the driver from Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia and also the second time he has defeated him.

 

Force squared off with veteran Jack Beckman in the second round but came up short in his bid to advance to the semi-finals. The winningest driver in NHRA history will remain winless at the famed Norwalk facility for at least one more year.

 

“We went some rounds and Courtney went some rounds. The fans here get you so excited you just want to win for them and for our sponsors like Castrol, Mac Tools, Ford, BrandSource and Traxxas. I was glad I was No. 1 and racing that kid Blake Alexander in the first round keeps you honest,” said Force. “He has the gut ache to get a win just like I do and you can’t look past drivers like that. I was hoping to get to race Courtney in the final but it didn’t work out. I have to thank the Baders for giving us such a great place to race. They are great promoters. This Castrol GTX Mustang is a great hot rod and Mike Neff and Jon Schaffer have it running great. We ran 4.02 in the first round today. I love being out here and I’ll keep coming back until I win a national event here.”

 

For No. 2 qualifier Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team the first round left them with an unfulfilled feeling and the gut ache of a missed opportunity. Going into the first round against Bob Tasca III Hight had won the previous seven meetings. His career record is 9-4 now against his fellow Blue Oval racer.

 

“I am not sure what happened on that run. It just wasn’t meant to be. We wanted to go some rounds today and get further up in the Top Ten. It didn’t work out for us but we will be ready for the Western Swing in a couple of weeks. We just finished four in a row and that will get us in a groove for the Denver, Sonoma and Seattle. We will get back in the shop and get our Auto Club Mustang ready,” said Hight.

 

John Force Racing–Norwalk

FORCE No. 1 FOR FIRST TIME AT NORWALK

 

NORWALK, OH – There is only one track left that John Force has not been the No. 1 qualifier after this weekend’s effort at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk. His Friday night 4.021 second pass was a track record and checked the famed Norwalk facility off the list of tracks Force has not been the best in qualifying.  The lone remaining track is Bristol Dragway. This was the 25th different track and 30th different event Force has been the No. 1 qualifier.

 

On today’s effort Force talked about the strategy behind his runs in both sessions. Crew chief Mike Neff who has won the past two NHRA events here was looking for the edge to go rounds on Sunday.

 

“We are just out there trying to do everything we can so we can go from A to B. It was warm yesterday too when we ran that 4.13 seconds in the heat. When it cooled down we stepped up and ran that 4.02 which was the track record. The track was good. You fight the elements like the heat today. We wanted to see how far we could push it today. We know we will pull her back in the first round and we will. We have a race here to win,” said the 135-time Funny Car NHRA national event winner

 

This was Force’s record 143rd No. 1 qualifying effort in 624 races. For his career he is averaging being number No. 1 qualifier every four races. It isn’t just the performance numbers that motivate the 64-year old racer it is the cheer of the fans and the support of track operators like the Bader family here in Norwalk.

 

“This is kind of home. I call Pomona our home track because we race there twice a year but we race here twice a year too. I have raced here for 18 years and you get to know the Baders and their whole family. They want to see you do good and they tell me to win this before I tip over. I better get going,” said Force a life-long Orange County California resident.

 

Right behind Force in the qualifying is teammate Robert Hight who had one of the most dominant cars all weekend record one of the three quickest runs in three of the four qualifying sessions including a blistering 4.09 second run in the heat of the day in the final qualifying session.

 

“Today’s runs were all about getting ready for tomorrow. This Auto Club Ford Mustang has been coming around the last couple of races. I am not over confident by any stretch but I am excited to be racing tomorrow. Running that 4.09 was just what we wanted to do. (Crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) was looking at the data and we think there was a little more out there. (Bob) Tasca (III) will be tough and we are battling to stay in the Top Ten,” said Hight.

 

The first round match-up between Ford Mustangs will be an epic tilt as Hight is fighting to hold onto his spot in the Top Ten where he has a seventeen point lead. He came into Norwalk with an even slimmer three point lead but thanks to his strong qualifying effort he was able to pad that lead going into Sunday’s eliminations.

 

“We got a lot of bonus qualifying points and almost earned a round just in qualifying. We need to string some more qualifying weekends like this together. We earned eight qualifying bonus points and then earned seven for being the No. 2 qualifier. You string a couple weekends like that together and we will be in good shape,” said Hight, a finalist at the Topeka national event earlier this season.

 

“You look at the fans that come out here and it was pretty hot today. They have been great all weekend and we want to put on a good show. We want to go rounds tomorrow and you have to win the first round to have a shot at winning the race. It sounds simple but the first round will be a huge round.”

 

Courtney Force made two good passes down the race track in today’s qualifying, preparing her for race day while setting the stage with performances in conditions expected for Sunday.

 

“We made a lot of changes since yesterday’s qualifying passes, which I think are good changes. We’re trying to get our car to be more consistent like it was last season, and it showed a lot of promise today in the heat of the day. Our Traxxas Ford is coming around and it’s doing what we are telling it to do and that’s what we want,” said Force.

Force was able to make the top 12 on Friday with a 4.106 seconds at 312.86 mph and carry over her time to Saturday’s qualifying.

 

“We came out here today having only one run from Friday to work off of and we weren’t even sure if the weather was going to cooperate with us to we could get all of qualifying in. That is one of the most important things because when you don’t get all four shots to qualify, it makes figuring out the car and the track together very difficult on race day,” said Force.

 

Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang showed consistency when they ran 4.123 seconds at 313.95 mph and picked up one bonus point for being the third-quickest of that session. They then followed up that run with a 4.147 ET at 311.34 mph and earned another additional bonus point for being third-quickest of that session as well.

 

“We got it down the track both runs today so we’re figuring some new things out and we’re feeling confident going into first round tomorrow. We have to run (Tim) Wilkerson  again so it’s going to be a re-match of last weekend,” said Force, who has a 5-1 record against Wilkerson in previous events.

 

“I’m excited and I feel confident in my car and my team. I look forward to racing out here in Norwalk tomorrow. We picked up two bonus points today, so hopefully we can go some rounds tomorrow and be one of the quickest cars out there. We need to continue to get all the points we can now to prepare for the countdown to the championship. Everything matters now,” said Force.

 

Top Fuel pilot Brittany Force didn’t have the weekend she and her Castrol EDGE team had hoped for as they missed the cut today.

 

Round three of qualifying looked to be a good run for the soon to be 27-year-old, until engine issues forced the driver to let off the throttle. Force ended the session with a 4.05 second pass at 223.80 mph.

 

“First run of the day, it went out there and about the 600 foot mark I lifted,” Force said. “The motor had problems and my team came over the radio and told me to lift and I just happen to catch that right before.”

 

That run temporarily bumped the John Force Racing team out of the show. Crew chiefs Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane along with help from veteran tuner Richard Hogan tuned Force’s dragster for the heat as the track temperature increased with each passing minute leading up to the final qualifying session.

 

The Cal-State Fullerton graduate laid it all on the line as she raced down the track, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough, missing the show by 0.038 thousandths of a second. However, Force and company will take what they have learned and move forward to the next event.

 

“The last run we almost made it down there,” Force said. “We really needed to make a good run to get it in the show. We got the Castrol EDGE dragster down the track, but it got out of the groove a little bit and took a hard left turn. I saw that center line come up really quick and I lifted. That was my reaction and that’s something we can all learn from. I think down the road, if I had some more experience, I could have made a different call, maybe driven it back, but I’m still learning and everything is still new to me and my team. With that, my Castrol EDGE team didn’t qualify. We’re bummed we didn’t make the show, but we won’t let this get us down. We’ll use this to get us pumped up for the Western Swing.”