FORCE, HIGHT RUN AWAY FROM FRIDAY FIELD IN NORWALK

 

NORWALK, OH – John Force and Robert Hight were a potent 1-2 punch at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park on Friday night. Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang set the track record with a provisional No. 1 elapsed time of 4.021 seconds at 317.72 mph. Right behind Force was teammate Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang who ran 4.030 seconds at a track speed record of 318.77 mph.

 

“I was amazed it was hotter than heck and we came out and ran that 4.13 or whatever we ran in the heat. We got a handle in the heat,” said Force, who is in position to pick up his first No.1 qualifier at Summit Motorsports Park. “We are OK but we are not where we want to be. We are not where we want to be to win a championship. There are just a bunch of good race cars out here. To get low for tonight is good.”

 

“We need some good weather and we need some great races for the fans. We have had some bad weather this year and it has hurt the NHRA. The Bader family they work really hard. I have a good race car and (crew chief) Mike Neff and (Assistant crew chief) Jon Shaffer give me a good car with that team. It has plenty of funding from Castrol, Auto Club, Traxxas and Ford engineering goes into it. We will see what happens. Low ET doesn’t win you any races it put you on the edge actually. We will see if it will hold and then we will celebrate.”

 

The past two year’s Force’s current crew chief Mike Neff has won the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals as a driver and ironically this facility is one of two that Force has never won an NHRA national event. The tandem has been working together and over the past three weeks they have three final rounds and a win to their credit. Force thinks that Neff’s driving skills help make the 15-time Funny Car champion a better driver.

 

“I was always good. You will never get me to say different. Neff is good. We have been trying a lot of stuff. I have made some mistakes and Neff has been able to point those out to me. We talked about it and one of them was Neff said Force you are living in that gym trying to be a gorilla but I still have these Budweiser abs but he said I was way over steering the car,” said Force.

 

“Neff said I was the one taking it out of the groove. We started watching the videos. He understood what I was doing. The kid has a lot of talent not only tuning but also driving. He really helped me just calm down and keep driving. My other car was a dump truck and this car has like power steering and you have to finesse it like a Top Fuel dragster. We are a team. We win together and we lose together. I am excited right now.”

 

In addition to the performance advantage Force has experienced in the past month he is feeding off the fan excitement at the famed Norwalk facility.

 

“I have been coming to Norwalk for 18 years. I have won a lot of these Night Under Fire match races. You feed off the fans especially here at Norwalk. I learned a lot about racing here. The Bader family, I call them the PT Barnums, they are the best promoters in the world. Bader said to me it is not just drag racing it is entertainment. That is what you do.”

 

As dominant as Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang was in the final qualifying session on Friday the Auto Club Ford Mustang was up to the task as well posting the quickest run of the first qualifying session and was second to Force in the night session. Hight picked up five qualifying bonus points for his efforts today.

 

“It’s definitely coming around. Right now points are everything and we have to stay ahead of everyone that’s behind us to stay in that top 10. Every run where we can pick up points in qualifying and go rounds on race day is huge. Today, we made five points on Tasca (Bob, III) and that’s exactly what we needed to do,” said Hight who sits 10th in the Mello Yello Funny Car point standings.

 

“I’m proud of my crew chief, Jimmy (Prock), that he didn’t just give it away tonight. We were low ET the first run. You know, we could have gone up there swingin’, trying to run in the threes, because that kind of is his style. He played it safe and we came up a hair short against John,” said Hight. “Just like last week when we lost to Capps, I told my guys, right now, when I lose on race day, I don’t want to lose smoking the tires, I want to lose going down the track making runs. If you throw out that run from last weekend when (Matt) Hagan and I got shut off, my Auto Club Ford Mustang has gone down the track every single run and ran 4.0’s. I’m proud of my guys. We need to do it twice tomorrow and see where it shakes out.”

 

Hight’s night time run may not have earned him the track elapsed time record but his monstrous speed of 318.77 mph grabbed the track speed record for the 2009 Funny Car champion.

 

“A track speed record is huge, but you can look at the incrementals and there’s more out there. Mike Neff ran almost three mph faster than us at half-track, yet we had the top speed. So, if we get ours to run through the middle like he did, you can run 321 mph. You see all these numbers, but there’s room for improvement. I’m excited because we’re not right out the ragged edge and we can run better,” said Hight.

 

Courtney Force made a great run today to qualify in the top 12 going into Saturday’s qualifying rounds. Piloting the Traxxas Ford Mustang, Force posted a 4.142 second run at 306.46 mph.

 

“Luckily the weather held out and we went out there and made a great run and went to the No. 4 spot with a 4.10 in the first session,” said Force.

 

The 25-year-old Funny Car driver struck the tires on her second shot at qualifying and was not able to improve.

“In the second session, we were trying to take advantage of the cool conditions, and being that it was a night run, it cooled down and we were trying to run in the low 4.0’s to see if we could go to the top spot and get around my dad. This Traxxas Ford Mustang wasn’t having it. It went out and struck the tires almost immediately, but that’s okay. You have to go out and give it all you got when you have such good conditions like that. We’re going to go out tomorrow and we have two more chances. We still made it into the top 12 for today so we’ll see what this Traxxas Ford can do,” said Force.

 

The first day of qualifying didn’t end the way Top Fuel rookie Brittany Force had imagined as she ended up 16th at the end of the night in Norwalk.

 

Force’s first pass in her Castrol EDGE dragster consisted of a 4.274 second pass at 197.05 mph after smoking the tires and ultimately having to shut off the engine early. Despite having experience in getting back in the throttle and nailing the run, there was just not enough time to do so.

 

“First run I went out there, it went up in tire smoke, so I lifted off the throttle,” Force said. “For us, there wasn’t a reason to try and pedal it and get down the track. Hoping that we have three runs, we don’t want to do anything that would hurt the car.”

 

Going into session two on Friday night, her Castrol EDGE team along crew chiefs Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane along with new hire Richard Hogan tuned her car for cooler temperatures, but once again, there are just some things that you can’t control, especially in racing.

 

“On the second run, I felt some different things on it,” the 26-year-old California native said. “It went out there and carried the front end for a little while, but it was when it set back down that it kind of started to drift in and went up in tire smoke. That’s when it really moved the car over and that’s when I lifted. Inside the car it felt like it started to go sideways. I watched the video with my c
rew chiefs and it was good that I lifted. Hopefully we can make some changes and come out tomorrow and have better runs.”

 

Hogan, who led Steve Torrence to three Top Fuel wins last season joined John Force Racing this week. He will work with Antonelli and Lane adding some Top Fuel experience to the rookie team.

 

“We just have had some discussion over the past few weeks if I was interested in trying to come over and help Guido (Dean Antonelli) and Eric. The have been typically Funny Cars guys and they have the dragster now and they just want to see if they can improve the performance some,” said Hogan.

 

When asked where he thought his strengths on the tuning side would come into play with the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster Hogan talked about how he can work with the team to harness the BOSS 500 power.

 

“I think I can help with everything in general because I have made so many runs with a Top Fuel dragster as far as how aggressive you have to be with it. I understand how much power it takes to get them to run really good ETs,” added Hogan.

 

For the Automobile Club Road to the Future Award rookie of the year candidate the addition was met with excitement and encouragement for her young team.

 

“I’m excited to have Hogan on board. I think he, along with Antonelli and Lane, will be a good team together and we’ll get some stuff figured out and get into the Countdown,” said Force.

BRITTANY FORCE READY FOR 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND CELEBRATION IN NORWALK

NORWALK, OH (July 3, 2013) — After a tough weekend in Chicago, Auto Club Road to the Future Award candidate Brittany Force puts that race behind her as she rolls in to Norwalk for the 7th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

With two blown engines and a first round loss in eliminations throughout last weekend, Force and her Castrol EDGE Top Fuel team take what they learned at Route 66 Raceway and hope to apply those concepts coming into Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. She also believes that having these back-to-back races contribute to the learning process as well.

“I think, as a driver and for my team, having back-to-back races is helpful,” Force said. “It keeps us all in that momentum and in that groove of trying to keep everything consistent. Learning from each run and really just keeping that focus rather than going home for a week and getting out of that rhythm. It helps me as a driver feel more comfortable in the car coming back after only a few days and getting right back in it.”

This will be the first time the John Force Racing Top Fuel pilot will be competing in the professional category at this particular racetrack. Force raced in the super comp class several years back when she first began her racing career.

Another member of the Castrol EDGE team who has had prior experience at this historic track is crew chief Dean Antonelli. He understands that in business, there is no guarantee that track conditions will always be perfect.

“Norwalk actually is hit or miss,” Antonelli said. “We’ve been there when it’s been 95 degrees with 80 percent humidity, but we’ve also been there when it’s been 70 degrees with 50 percent humidity. You don’t know what you’re going to get. Right now the forecast is calling for high 70’s, low 80’s, which that’d be pretty good conditions, but that’s a week away, so we really won’t know what we got. Typically if it’s hot, it’s a very tricky track. If it’s real cool, it’s as good as any place.”

Aside from racing, the 26-year-old Cal State-Fullerton graduate is looking forward to celebrating the Fourth of July with the most important people in her life: her family. 

“I’m excited! My whole family will be coming to Norwalk,” Force said. “My nieces and nephews will be there so that’ll be exciting. We stay at the Kalahari water park hotel, so that’ll be a lot of fun with all the kiddos running around and swimming. I’m looking forward to it and celebrating Fourth of July with my family and going after a win.”      

FORCE AIMS TO KEEP STREAK ALIVE

Sport’s Biggest Winner Seeks First Victory at Summit Motorsports Park

 

          NORWALK, Ohio (July 5, 2013) – Drag racing icon John Force tries to keep his streak of final round appearances intact this week on one of the few racetracks on which he has not yet won an NHRA tour event.

 

          The sport’s all-time winner, who has climbed from 10th to third in the Mello Yello driver standings in less than a month, tries to make it four finals in four weeks when he sends his resurgent Castrol GTX Ford Mustang after the Funny Car Championship at the seventh annual Summit Racing Equipment Nationals.

 

          Force, who is bidding this year for an unprecedented 16th NHRA Funny Car title, has won NHRA tour events at 24 different tracks, but never at Summit Motorsports Park where he is 0-for-6 with only a runner-up finish in 2010 to show for his effort.

 

          The irony is that he is a many-time winner of the track’s largest independent event, the August “Night Under Fire,” and has been successful enough in that race to have had a spectator grandstand named in his honor.

 

          A 2012 inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the 15-time Auto Racing All-American may never have a better chance to end that Norwalk drought than he has this week.  Not only does he have momentum, he also has Mike Neff,

 

          After spending the last two seasons behind the wheel of a John Force Racing Mustang, Neff opted this year to return to what he most enjoys and that is making the mechanical decisions on a 10,000 horsepower race car capable of zero-to-320 mile-an-hour acceleration in less than four seconds.

 

          Nevertheless, while he was driving (and serving as his own crew chief), the former motocross rider earned back-to-back victories in the Summit Nationals in 2011 and 2012.  He is, in fact, the only JFR driver to have won the race.

 

          Technically, then, he is bidding this week for his third straight win at the Ohio track, albeit his first as Force’s crew chief.

 

          “Mike Neff and these kids have given me a fast hot rod,” Force said.  “We can play the game in the heat or we can play when it’s cool.  A good race car gives you confidence (as a driver).  You get a good car and you get natural on the lights.  We were struggling with the chassis, the motor and the clutch but now it seems like it’s all coming together.”

 

          Indeed, after compiling a 6-9 match race record in the season’s first nine events, advancing beyond the second round just one time, Force has gone 10-2 the last three weekends with a win at Bristol, Tenn., that gave him at least one tour victory in 26 of the last 27 seasons.

 

          In addition, that particular win earned the 135-time tour winner a guaranteed berth in this fall’s Traxxas Nitro Shootout bonus race in which he is the defending Funny Car champion.

 

          “They were ready to print up t-shirts that said ‘John Force: Extinct,’” he said of his uncustomarily slow start, one in which his winless streak stretched to 31 races.  “It would have been a big seller, too, but I ain’t dead yet.  I can still drive.  I’ll know when it’s time and it ain’t time, yet.

 

          “The losing is the part that guts you,” Force said of his motivation, “but (losing) makes you want to get back (to the winners’ circle) so much more.  All I could think about (during the first nine races) was getting back.  Winning again is a great feeling, especially being able to share it with all the young guys that work on my hot rod.”

 

-www.johnforceracing.com-

                                                                              

 

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JOHN FORCE RUNNER-UP IN CHICAGO

 

JOLIET, IL—- John Force raced to his 219th final but came up a few hundredths of a second short of picking up his 136th NHRA Funny Car win at the 16th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway today. In a tremendous final with Matt Hagan Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang ran 4.113, his slowest run of the weekend, beside Hagan’s winning 4.065 second run. Force’s Mustang began chucking spark plugs at half-track bleeding off power as the 10,000 hp Funny Car tried to accelerate down the race track.

 

Prior to today’s final Force was 2-1 in final rounds against Hagan who he outdistanced for the 2010 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series title, his unprecedented 15th NHRA Mello Yello world championship,  on the last day of the season. Today Force was masterful on his way to his third consecutive final round defeating Tony Pedregon, Del Worsham and Ron Capps to reach the final.

 

After his semi-final round win over Capps Force’s parachutes became tangled with Capps’ NAPA Dodge Charger R/T as the Funny Cars turned off. Luckily, no one was injured and neither Funny Car sustained damage.

 

Over the first nine races of the 2013 season Force’s round win record was 6-9 but since a remarkable turnaround led by crew chief Mike Neff and Force the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang is 10-2 over the last three races. He has moved up from 9th in the Mello Yello point standings to 3rd over that span and he is less than two rounds of racing 36 points behind No. 2 Cruz Pedregon.

 

Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team held onto their Top Ten position but Bob Tasca III closed the gap to three points as he sits in 11th place heading to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, next weekend. Hight defeated rookie Chad Head in the first round with a 4.059 second run. Over the course of the weekend Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang posted runs of 4.055, 4.052, and 4.059 and in a losing effort to Capps, 4.096. His lone off-run was the final run of qualifying last night when there was a Christmas Tree malfunction that forced a restart.

 

Hight’s 4.059 second run was the quickest of the first round of eliminations. In the second round his 4.096 second run against Capps would have trailered eventual semi-finalist Bob Tasca III (5.056) and eventual winner Matt Hagan (4.105) in that same round.

 

“We made a great run in the first round our third 4.05 run of the weekend. This Auto Club Ford Mustang is turning around. We slowed down a little bit in the second round against Capps but we know how to make it run quicker in Norwalk,” said Hight. “The tracks are going to get hotter and I think we have a race car that can run in different conditions. We are still in the Top Ten and you need to hang onto those spots to get into the Countdown. It was good to see John get to another final.”

 

Courtney Force made a brief appearance today in eliminations before she was dismissed in an upset against No. 10 qualifier and Ford racer Tim Wilkerson. Force posted a 4.123 ET to Wilkerson’s 4.090.

 

“It was a little bit of a rough start this weekend. The rain didn’t help either. We only got one run on Friday because of it and we smoked the tires later in the evening. I mean, right as I hit the throttle it just went up in smoke. We probably should have put some newer tires on. The track was a lot better than we thought it was going to be,” Force said.

 

Force made her best run of the weekend in the second session on Saturday when she posted a 4.04 second run.

 

“Coming out on Saturday, we just had a malfunction in the electrical system in the car and the battery went dead. We were just having some bad luck. We finally got our car in the show on the last run. We went out and ran a 4.04, which is a great run; close to being one of my career best runs. It was such a great track on Saturday. You saw some great numbers on the board. But that 4.04 shot us up to the top half of the field, which was good for us,” said Force.

 

Force qualified in the No. 7 spot for race day, but got outrun by Wilkerson in their 6th career match-up. Force is now 5-1 against Wilkerson in previous events.

 

“Going up first round today, our car just went slower than we expected it to early on in the run. We started to drive around him down at the end. We were definitely gaining on him, but just ran out of real estate. He got the win over us, which was unfortunate for our team.”

 

“It’s just one of those days. You have to go through it. We came here off a win last weekend, and then we went out first round, but it’s all part of NHRA drag racing. Our Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car has been a pretty good car. We can run some good numbers. We can put 4.0’s on the board so I know we have a good car and we’re up there in the points so we just have to get back at it next weekend,” said Force.

 

After three tough runs in qualifying with engine failures a plenty, Top Fuel rookie Brittany Force laid down a solid run in round one of eliminations Sunday at Route 66 Raceway.

 

Facing fellow competitor Bob Vandergriff Jr., Force ran a 3.846 second pass at 322.11 mph, but fell short to his 3.843 pass. Amidst an early round loss, Force and her Castrol EDGE team are proud of the work they had accomplished in overcoming those engine issues.

 

“It was a close run against Vandergriff,” Force said. “I had never run him before, so I was excited to go out there and run against him. He had a great car all weekend. We finally stepped our car up and didn’t blow it up like we had been doing the entire weekend. Glad we stepped it up. We had a good run, but it just wasn’t quite good enough. I saw him right next to me, so I knew it was close. We’ll just have to give it another shot next weekend.”

 

Crew chief Dean Antonelli felt the heat all weekend long as well as he and co-crew chief Eric Lane called the shots to get the 26-year-old down track smoothly. It was no easy task, but entering the first round of eliminations, they hit on something golden.

 

“Our weekend started out not too bad the first qualifying session,” Antonelli said. “We ran an .84, but nicked the motor a little bit down track. We lost the night session that night. In Q2, we put a hole out early and probably should have had her shut it off and the motor got real unhappy and blew up. Last night in Q3, we thought we’d go for it, but something unhappy in the engine, but we haven’t really found any one particular thing. We made several changes and it responded good. We were trying to run .84 and ended up running a 3.84 in the first round, but we just kind of got clipped in the lights. It was a good race and a good recovery from how qualifying went. Hopefully we’re on track and look forward to Norwalk.”   

 

Even with the set-back today the Castrol EDGE team has confidence in their abilities. Brittany has qualified for the two quickest fields in NHRA history this weekend and Pomona1 (quickest field in history).

 

CAREER BEST ET HAS FORCE 5TH GOING INTO CHICAGO ELIMS

 

JOLIET, IL – The conditions were some of the best the NHRA has ever seen and the Funny Cars took advantage as four drivers made three second passes, a record for an NHRA Mello Yello Series national event, in the final qualifying session. John Force had the quickest Funny Car on Friday and in the first session today but in a long final session the 15-time champion Force’s career quickest ET, 4.010 seconds, was only good enough for the No. 5 qualifying spot. Ron Capps recorded the first three second pass at Route 66 Raceway and will be the No. 1 qualifier on Sunday with his 3.988 second run. Force will race former teammate Tony Pedregon in the first round tomorrow at the 16th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals.

 

“We ran 4.0s every run this weekend. Three runs in a row in the 4.0s out of three qualifying runs. Courtney got in on the last run with a 4.04. The Don Schumacher Racing teams stepped up and put a bunch of threes out there and so did Del Worsham (Kalitta Motorsports),” said Force.

 

“The conditions were there and it was trying to run a three right there at the end but it dropped a cylinder and still ran 4.01 seconds. We are OK and I will have to race Tony Pedregon in the first round. He threw a 4.09 out there. This was a great race for the fans. We found the consistency that we want. (Auto Club crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) right there at the end just like (Matt) Hagan didn’t get to do a burnout. You can’t look at performance from that run. Tomorrow will be a different situation.”

 

When Force is talking about consistency he can look back at the previous two races where his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang has posted the quickest ET five out of seven sessions and was 5th quickest in the other two sessions. He has also had a consistently quick Funny Car on race day earning seven round wins over the past two weeks.

 

Force’s 4.010 second run tonight was a career best for the winningest Funny Car driver in NHRA history. His previous quickest run was 4.011 seconds at the Reading national event in 2011.

 

Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team stepped up in the first session on Saturday running 4.052 seconds and grabbing the No. 5 qualifying spot. It also earned the 2009 Mello Yello Funny Car champion one qualifying bonus point as the third quickest run of the session. The run was quick enough to put Hight at the back of the pack for the night session. His two runs this weekend of 4.055 and 4.052 seconds show the team has the consistency to go rounds.

 

As the second session came to a close Hight was paired with Matt Hagan right in front of John Force and Jack Beckman. As Hight and Hagan staged the Christmas Tree staging system remained dark and as each team brought this to official starter Mark Lyle’s attention fuel was being consumed rapidly in each Funny Car. The decision was made to push each team back and let them add fuel then run after Force and Beckman. It was a reasonable solution to a terrible situation. Both teams smoked the tires at the hit of the throttle bringing a tremendous night of performance to an anti-climactic end.

 

“I am just glad we got two runs in today. When you looked at the forecast it was a shaky deal. I am glad we got all three Funny Cars in the top half so we will all have lane choice. We could get three Funny Cars to the semi-finals tomorrow,” said a dejected Hight. “The conditions tomorrow will not be anything like tonight so it will be anybody’s race. I have Chad Head and I know Jim Head his dad and crew chief will give him a good race car. We will be ready. We want to keep the John Force Racing winning streak alive.”

 

Courtney Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang team made one of their best runs to date tonight at Route 66 Raceway. The team ended the day in the No. 7 spot and will have lance choice over fellow Ford driver Tim Wilkerson in the opening round on Sunday.

 

“I’m very proud of my team. We struggled a little bit during qualifying, but the fact that we could make such a big come back and run such a good number in the last qualifying session, especially under that pressure, says a lot for our Traxxas Ford Mustang team,” said Force, the winner of last weekend’s inaugural race in Epping, New Hampshire.

 

Force came into Saturday not in the show after qualifying was shortened to just one round on Friday. The Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car team had traction issues and ran a 9.742 second pass, leaving them in the No. 18 spot.

 

“We only got one qualifying run in yesterday due to the rain, which is a little unfortunate. The track cooled down and was actually a lot better than we expected it to be. It cooled down quickly. The sun went down and when we got out there to run we probably should have switched to a different set of tires,” said Force. “We went there and didn’t realize how good the track was and struck the tires immediately. We didn’t get a good run out of it, but luckily we got two more chances today.”

 

Since the 25-year-old Funny Car driver did not make the top 12 after the first qualifying session, she had to enter Saturday with a clean slate.

 

In the first session today, the Traxxas Ford Mustang had a short in the electrical system and that, in turn, drained the battery. The car shut off on the starting line after the burnout and the team went back to their pit area to prepare for the final session to qualify.

 

“First run we had a little bit of bad luck. We couldn’t make a pass on that run so there was definitely some pressure getting our Traxxas Ford Mustang qualified in the final session. It was a lot of pressure on me as a driver. I was nervous, but I felt okay. I know we have a great car tuned by Ron Douglas, it’s just a matter of getting it down there and my team came through in a big way,” said Force.

 

Force drove her Traxxas Ford Mustang straight down the track to make a 4.04 second pass and jumped up to the top half of the field.

 

 “I have all the faith in the world in my guys, so I knew that we would be able to get the job done. If not, I was planning on just pedaling it all the way down there to make sure we got it in the show. Luckily we went out there and ran a 4.04 and it took us to the top half of the field,” said Force.

 

Brittany Force, driver of the Castrol EDGE dragster, wound up 14th on the ladder going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

 

With a run of 3.849 seconds at 317.49, she will face fellow Top Fuel competitor Bob Vandergriff in round one for the first time in her career.

 

“This is the first time I’ll be running Bob Vandergriff. He’s an awesome driver, so I’m excited to go up against him. Hopefully we can make some changes to our car and go some rounds tomorrow.”

 

Despite having two engine failures in her final two qualifying attempts, Force managed to make consistent runs, allowing her to qualify for her 11th race of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Series season.

 

“We were able to get two runs today. The first run it threw the rods out and the second run it had a hole out, so it caused the engine to blow up right before the lights. I’m hoping we can make those changes before tomorrow because we completely destroyed the engine. That’s not good for this Castrol EDGE team, but I know we’ll figure it out and make those changes.”

JOHN FORCE CONTINUES HOT STREAK IN CHICAGO

 

JOLIET, IL – For the second race in a row John Force was the best of the field on Friday in Funny Car. With only one qualifying session contested today due to the threat of inclement weather Force powered his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car to the top spot with a 4.035 second run. He had to wait for a number of top contenders to run and the closest Funny car to the 15-time champ at the end of the night was Matt Hagan’s 4.040 seconds.

 

“You are racing here in Chicago and you have killer conditions and a killer race track. Everybody stepped on them after Chad Head put up that great number 4.05. Everybody knew it was out there. (Crew chief) Mike Neff does a great job and he has a great job around him,” said Force, who could clinch his third No. 1 of the season tomorrow.

 

“I am excited. Anytime you run good that is exciting. The car ran good and the parts looked good. I haven’t had a race car for a while and I have a pretty good race car now. We will see what we can do with it,” said Force. “Robert Hight and the Auto Club team stepped up and ran 4.05, too. I think Courtney needed a tire swap and we just made on our dragster in the staging lanes. It cooled down real quick and their tires were too big and her Traxxas Mustang was weak and it shook. We just needed to get a different tire on it and didn’t have the time.”

 

As conditions improved there was speculation that a Funny Car could make a three second pass something that has only happened at two other race tracks, zMax Dragway and Maple Grove Raceway. Force would have been impressed if a team would have made an attempt with the changing weather conditions on the horizon.

 

“Boy, whoever has the nerve to push and run in the 3s I would tip my hat to them. You have to make the show you don’t know what could happen tomorrow. What is it rained tomorrow and you only got one lap. We could see conditions like this tomorrow and you could run good again. Sure we will push it if we get more runs. I wasn’t surprised but every now and then a guy like Jim Head will throw it out there. That is what he wants is that big number,” said the winningest driver in NHRA history.

 

After a slow start Force has raced to back to back finals the previous two races with a win in Bristol and a narrow loss to daughter Courtney last weekend at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire. Running so well and consistently gives the driver and the team confidence and momentum as they approach each run.

 

“It helps not only for the driver because once you get back in the game you start remembering what you learned over the last 35 years. That is just confidence and that is good for anybody from an Olympic swimmer or runner or NASCAR driver it doesn’t matter. It is confidence which makes you better,” said Force. “It does the same thing for the crew chief and the guys on the crew. They start having more confidence and they make the right calls and right moves. Last week I just got beat by the better race car of my daughter. She smoked the tires and I had to pedal. She drove around me. It wasn’t going to make it. It was over for me if I didn’t pedal it. She got hers to the finish line and she got the win. Good for her and good for Traxxas. I wanted another win and I’ll get another shot this weekend.

 

The Auto Club Force Mustang jumped into the field with a strong run and for Robert Hight and his team it was just what the doctor ordered. His 4.055 second run had the 2009 Funny Car champion in the provisional No. 5 spot. Prior to the session NHRA announced there would only be one run today but that did not affect how Hight approached his only run of the day.

 

“That doesn’t change anything. You should never change your routine not in qualifying or on race day. It doesn’t make any sense to change up because of weather rolling in. It is what it is. You have to do your best every single run,” said Hight. “We went back to the Funny Car we ran in Topeka and went to the final. It was a perfect straight run. I think we have a lot to build on. The conditions tomorrow night should be really good since they are predicting a cold front. You may see some three second runs tomorrow night.”

 

Courtney Force and the Traxxas Mustang will be on the outside looking in going into Saturday. They posted the 18th quickest run when her Funny Car rattled hard and could not hook up on her run. Her time of 9.742 will not carry over to tomorrow. She and her Traxxas team are scheduled to have two runs to grab one of the remaining four qualifying positions.

 

Top Fuel pilot Brittany Force wrapped up day one of qualifying in the 10th position in her Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster.

 

The 26-year-old ran a pass of 3.849 seconds at 317.49 mph in the first and only qualifying session following a brief rain shower at Route 66 Raceway.

 

Despite inclement weather, Force met with fans to sign autographs and took photos with them out at the ropes before Friday night qualifying.

 

“We ended up 10th at the end of the night. We ran a 3.84 so I’m really happy about that, and that being our first pass. We had good weather conditions and it went down there. We had some trouble after we shut it off at the other end and put some oil down. That’s the first time we had ever done that, but now that I know the feeling of it, I can catch it sooner in the future. I’m glad we’re in the top half of the field and that number will hold going into Saturday,” said Force, a top contender for 2013 rookie of the year.

 

However, in spite of only getting one run, the Road to the Future candidate is optimistic going in to Saturday’s sessions.

 

“Obviously we want the most runs we can get to learn about the car and figure out how to tune it for race day. It’s not just my team, it’s all the teams that’ll hopefully get three runs. We did lose that second run, but that’s just the way the game goes.”

 

COURTNEY FORCE WINS INAUGURAL NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS

 

EPPING, NH —- In a rematch of their Father’s Day first round battle in Bristol last weekend Courtney Force came out on the winning side today taking out father and 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force in the final round of the Inaugural Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals. The second year driver won for the second time this season and third time in her career outpacing her teammate 4.301 seconds to 4.361 seconds in front of a capacity crowd at New England Dragway.

 

“I told him I was definitely going to try to get revenge, but last time I told him I was going to beat him for a Father’s Day gift and give him the day off, it definitely backfired on me and he got the win. I decided to keep my mouth shut this time. I was just hoping we could get a little bit of revenge over him and we were able to do that. Being that it was my birthday weekend made it that much better,” said Force, who turned twenty-five on Thursday.

 

“I knew I didn’t get my energy level up with my dad, I was actually too afraid that I was going to red light, especially because I walked into the bus right before final round and I heard him say ‘red light.’ I was like, okay, well I don’t want to red light against dad. But then it was in the back of my head and I thought maybe he was playing games with me, secretly, but it worked. I think he went in deep on me. I was just trying to do the same ol’ thing. I mess with him about every other weekend, but I thought, ‘I’m not going to mess with him,’ especially because I didn’t want to throw my own routine off. I just tried to do the same ol’ thing and he went in there deep. I’m surprised he didn’t put out the top bulb on me. But it was all fun,” said Force.

 

“This was good for our whole team. All of our teams and our sponsors, Traxxas, Castrol, Auto Club, Mac Tools, Ford, and BrandSource. We’re all very excited to take home a win here.”

 

This was the 220th Funny Car win for John Force Racing and was the 38th time JFR had two Funny Cars in a final. The last time JFR squared off for a win was 2012 in Phoenix when Robert Hight and the AAA Ford Mustang defeated Mike Neff’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

 

“I want another 200. If you start living on your laurels and what you did in the past you will never make progress. You don’t look back you just keep looking ahead,” said John Force JFR CEO and 135-time Funny Car winner.  

 

For the third time John Force came up short against a daughter in a Funny Car final round. Previously he was 0-2 against Ashley Force Hood losing to her in 2008 in Atlanta and in 2010 at the Mac Tools US Nationals.

 

Courtney Force had to beat Alexis DeJoria, veteran Tim Wilkerson, 2012 Funny Car champion Jack Beckman to reach the final round match-up with her dominant father. Her Traxxas Ford Mustang was strong all day consistently going down the track and affording the second year driver the opportunity to move from 8th place in the Mello Yello point standings this morning to 4th place at the end of the day. She jumped over John Force, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and Tim Wilkerson in the points today. The win in the final over John Force moved her from 5th to 4th in the standings. It was Force’s seventh final round appearance in 34 races. It took her famous father 62 races to reach seven finals.

 

“I was little nervous that dad got lane choice, but luckily throughout the day when he had lane choice he took the left lane and when we had lane choice we kept picking the right. I thought good, we’ll both be happy in the final round, we’ll get the lanes that we want,” said Force. “I was a little surprised. I think we both were just trying to go after a pretty good run down there and we both got in trouble. I think that’s a smart thing to do with the teams. Go after the quickest run possible because you know someone is going home with the win.”

 

The semi-final round was a big step for the 2012 Automobile Club Road to the Future Award winner, as NHRA professional rookie of the year. The last time she faced Beckman was the semi-final round of the fall Las Vegas national event where Force suffered her only red-light in competition. Showing no hang-over she left on Beckman today and never trailed in the race winning 4.175 to 4.279 seconds.

 

In addition to winning the first Wally trophy ever presented for an NHRA national event at New England Dragway Force also put a 55” flat screen TV in the hands of George Hayden, of Lowell, Massachusetts who won the Win with Force promotion. Yesterday John Force by virtue of being the No. 1 qualifier won a front loading washer and dryer for a lucky fan.

 

“I woke up today and I just had a good feeling about today. I was hoping that we could be the first Funny Car to take home a win here at New England Dragway. They built a really great track here. We’re excited to be racing here. We went to the top spot in qualifying and got bumped by my dad. I thought, ‘Man, he’s moving around me in points,’ and it was just time for a little revenge,” said Force who moved up to 4th in the Mello Yello points with her race win.

 

“My team needed this win. This Traxxas Ford Mustang team with all my guys and Ron Douglas (crew chief), they’ve really been working hard on this car. They give me a great race car every weekend. We’re usually picking up the most bonus points of all the cars and trying to work our way up to the top of the ladder. I definitely think we’re making some big moves now,” said Force.

 

In the final round the elder Force had his hands full and was caught up in the moment racing one of his daughters.

 

“It started spinning the tires at the other end in the first round against Richards and I pedaled it. It dropped some cylinders but I got the win. I was just programmed and when you get to the final and you have it close to the lights (finish line) you have to drive it. You can’t get out of it and I knew she would be out the window but I didn’t think,” said Force, who was racing in his 218th final round. “When it spun in the final my brain took over and I lifted. It was driver error and I would hate to blow it up and lose points and hold up the show. We moved up in the points and I didn’t want to mess that up. We moved from the cellar a couple of race ago to almost the top.”

 

Force was looking for his 136th win and back-to-back wins for the first time since 2010. His race day started against a rookie driver, Dave Richards, who was thrilled to be qualified and overjoyed to be racing John Force in the first round. Force was equally excited to be taking on a new driver who would motivate him to continue to fight.

 

“I get pumped up racing guys like Dave Richards because they are chasing the dream. I started chasing that dream forty years ago. As long as you have that dream you will be OK. We get caught up out here in corporate America. You forget why you came to race. We have a great race car and it has taken time to get us running. Just to be here with all these young kids. When you see a kid like him that that is building his program it makes you appreciate all the hard work.”

 

For rookie driver the first round match-up was about managing his excitement and not creating problems for his opponent. Richards was competing in front of a capacity crowd for the first time behind the wheel of his Paul Richards Racing Monte Carlo. His previous laps were in testing and licensing when those in attendance included a skeleton crew and empty grandstands.

 

“Right before we fired the car up I was like, ‘Holy crap I am racing John Force.’ We went in and did our burn out and as I stopped I saw him blow by me doing one of his crazy long burnouts. I was like that is cool. I re
ally wanted to do a shorter burnout and get right back up there so we weren’t holding anybody up. That was our biggest thing being the new guy out here everyone is watching you closely and you don’t want to hold anyone back,” said Richards. “I just went in first and was like this is cool. I am staging with John Force. All these thoughts are running through my head. He went in then I staged, he staged and I was like, ’Holy crap. Here we go.’”

 

In the opening round the AAA Northern New England Ford Mustang of Robert Hight was out in front of Del Worsham’s DHL Funny Car when it lost power at the top end. The track conditions were fluctuating with every pair as an early morning rain shower and the resulting humidity threw curve balls at a number of crew chiefs in Top Fuel and Funny Car.

 

Hight’s time of 4.405 seconds was not an indication of the power his BOSS 500 generated on the first 600-700 feet of his race against Del Worsham. At the finish line stripe Hight was only travelling at 216.93 mph which is the speed the AAA Mustang reaches as it accelerates past the 400 ft. mark. Worsham took the win but Hight maintained his position in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Funny Car Top Ten.

 

“This was a tough one to lose no doubt about it. I really wanted to give that Wally (winning trophy) to the AAA Northern New England office. We had a good effort in qualifying which was good but we need to match that up with some round wins on Sunday. We’ll be in Chicago in a couple of days. I like racing every weekend because you can’t dwell on a win or a loss,” said Hight.

 

“The big win this weekend for the AAA Mustang is how the fans reacted to seeing NHRA. We had people going through our AAA display which was right across from my pits all day every day. This place was packed and we can’t wait to get back here next year.”

 

It was another tough first round outing for the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster. The tricky track conditions and a new racing surface foiled a great opportunity for the rookie driver from Yorba Linda, California.

 

In the first round Brittany Force faced seven-time Top Fuel champion for the second time this season. At the spring Las Vegas race Brittany lost a close race in the second round to “The Sarge.” Today the new driver continued her education behind the wheel of the 10,000 hp Top Fuel dragster losing a close race as both dragsters hazed the Goodyears with Schumacher grabbing the win, 4.022 to 4.153 seconds.

 

“We had Tony Schumacher in the first round. It’s the second time we’ve run him and he beat us again, but well get him next time. He just had the better car. We both went up in smoke and pedaled it. It hooked back up, but it still wasn’t quick enough. The entire Castrol EDGE team and I will be ready for Chicago next week,” said Force.

JOHN FORCE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE AT EPPING

 

EPPING, NH – On the heels of his first win in 2013 John Force has pushed his Mike Neff tuned Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car to the top of the Friday qualifying field at the inaugural Uni-Select Auto Plus NHRA New England Nationals. Force posted the quickest elapsed time of 4.051 seconds outpacing points leader Matt Hagan’s 4.057 second run for top honors.

 

“I was here over 25 years ago and to come out here and run that kind of number is great. I couldn’t even get down the track the last time I was here in 1985. I see why the NHRA wanted to come here. The crowds come out of Canada, New York, all over New England. This is a big crowd for Friday night. They are going to need to get some more grandstands for tomorrow. This is pretty exciting.  If they don’t have seats they can stand up and watch from the fence. That is how we did it in the good old days,” said Force.

 

 If Force holds onto the top qualifying spot New England Dragway will become the 24th different track where he has been the No. 1 qualifier. A lucky fan will also win a front loading washer and dryer set from BrandSource as part of the “Win with Force” fan contest.

 

“We are learning here but what I think they did with the concrete out there to be able to come out here and run 4.05 this thing will run national records if we lean on it. So many fans are here from the old days. It is just exciting for me to be a part of it. There are kids that I met when they were little now they are here with their own kids. That is new energy and NHRA needed this. TV needs it.”

 

In the first session Force was the best JFR Mustang Funny Car running 4.153 seconds which was the fifth quickest time of the day. That run set up his second session run by putting him at the back of the pack. Force, an obvious fan favorite at New England Dragway did not disappoint.

 

“My old hound dog she is starting to talk. We got a win on Father’s Day in Bristol. You didn’t really know what was going to happen here. We have no data for this race track. They can tell us the concrete is good and the air is good. The first run Mike (Neff) put her down there and we got in the show. He said it is out there. We pushed her and we got past Hagan. All our Funny Cars are in and our dragster will get in tomorrow. Good to be back and this is a great market. We are going to give these fans what they bought the tickets for.”

 

Courtney Force finished out the first day of qualifying in the No. 3 spot. The 25-year-old, who celebrated her birthday on Thursday before this race weekend, went out in the first qualifying session and rattled the tires in the heat.

 

Force signed autographs and took photos with fans at the John Force Racing “Win with Force” midway display between rounds before coming out to take another shot at the new track on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series circuit.

 

The youngest daughter of John Force ran a 4.083 at 313.37 mph and went to the top spot before being bumped down two places by her father and fellow competitor Matt Hagan. She picked up one qualifying bonus point for being third-quickest of the session in her Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car.

 

“In the first round of qualifying it rattled a little bit down the run. We came back out know the conditions were better and we needed to take advantage of that. We needed to go for it. We have two more runs tomorrow, but this was prime time to get our best run in. It needed to be worth it with those good conditions,” said Force, the winner of the NHRA Winternationals.

 

“We went to the No. 1 spot before getting bumped by my dad and Matt Hagan. We made a great run. Running in the 4.0’s is good for our team. We’re excited for tomorrow and we’re going to see how well we can run in the heat.”

 

The AAA Northern New England Ford Mustang piloted by Robert Hight had some issues in the first session but bounced back as the sun set and qualified No. 5 at the end of Friday. In the opening round his Mustang was on a great pass before it slowed to 4.277 seconds and had him sitting No. 9.

 

“The first run wasn’t so good. It was going to make it down the track, but it wore the clutch completely out and never locked up so that was no good. It was slow and I lifted early because the motor was buzzing up there too high. We came back and made all the adjustments,” said Hight.

 

“When you don’t make it the first run, you got to make sure you make the next run, so we just made a conservative run and ended up fifth, so we did what we had to do. I’m proud of my guys. All in all, it was a great first day at New England Dragway.”

 

Hight like John Force was amazed by the fan turnout and the reception all the drivers and teams received from the New England fans.

 

“It’s crazy how many people are here and they’re all just so friendly. It’s a breath of fresh air to have them all talking about ‘Welcome to New England!’ and ‘We’ve been waiting years for this!’ They’re just so excited about it and a lot of energy, so we want to put on a good show for them. There are also a lot of people from AAA Northern New England, which is where I went and visited this week. We’re running their colors this weekend and we want to do a really good job for them.”

 

Heading into tomorrow last two qualifying session Hight knows there is a good opportunity to pick up valuable data and some qualifying bonus points.

 

“We just need to make sure this AAA Ford Mustang goes down the track twice. My goal is to gain some points with both runs tomorrow. If we do that, then we’ll be in a really good shape for Sunday,” concluded Hight.

 

Brittany Force came in to New England Dragway with as much information as any of the other Top Fuel drivers she has been competing against her rookie season. The driver of the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster made both runs today and will go into Saturday outside of the Top 12 but with only sixteen dragsters on the property racing into the 16-dragster field is a given.

 

“This is my first time here, so it’s all new. I think it’s a pretty narrow groove up there. Like my guys say, if it ever gets cold here, you could set national records. They did a really good job on the surface and I think so far everything about this race is going smooth for a new event. Kudos to all the management and good job,” said Force, one of the top contenders for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award.     

 

“Our two qualifying runs we had earlier today didn’t quite go exactly as we planned, but there are only 16 cars here this weekend so we have two more runs tomorrow and I’m hoping we’ll step this thing up and get our Castrol EDGE dragster in the top half of the field. I just need to keep doing my same routine. I’m going to practice on my tree more and make sure my reaction times are good, make sure I’m shallow when I’m staging and just get the car down the track.”

JOHN FORCE DOMINATES FORD THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

 

BRISTOL, TN —- John Force continued to rewrite the record books winning for the 135th time in his Funny Car career today. This is the 26th season the 15-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champion has won at least one race in a season. Force defeated daughter Courtney Force, Matt Hagan, Blake Alexander and Cruz Pedregon on the way to his fourth Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Ford Dealers victory. This was Force’s fifth win at Bristol Dragway. He also won the inaugural race, the 1999 Winston Showdown, when he defeated Bob Vandergriff’s Top Fuel dragster and collected $210,000 for the win and being No. 1 qualifier at that race.

 

On a day when his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang was the quickest Funny Car in every round Force was unstoppable. Conditions we comparable to Saturdays qualifying sessions and Force took advantage running 4.125, 4.167, 4.117 and 4.148 seconds in the final. His race day average ET was 4.139 seconds. His reaction times were equally as devastating: .092 vs. Courtney Force, .036 vs. Matt Hagan, .080 vs. Blake Alexander, and .061 vs. Cruz Pedregon.

 

In the final round Force had lane choice and his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang was set up for another great run. The Mike Neff tuned Mustang Funny Car did not disappoint as Force flew down the right lane in 4.148 seconds at 305.29 mph. Cruz Pedregon’s Snap-On Toyota was beside him until about 600 feet when Force surged ahead of a slowing Pedregon.

 

“We have qualified good 1-2-3 in Topeka and we got asked if we were ready to win and we weren’t quite there yet. Everything is coming together. You can see what (Castrol GTX crew chief) Mike Neff and the other crew chiefs are doing.  This is the car he almost won the championship in. He was just a couple of rounds out on the last day of the season. When Neff tells me it is time I’ll be ready. He gave me a good race car today,” said the four-time Ford Thunder Valley Nationals winner.

 

“A good race car gives you confidence.  You get that and you get natural on the tree. My lights were all good today I am starting to come around. That is all I want to do is earn the right to be out here.”

 

This was the first time Force has faced Pedregon in the final since they raced in Bristol in 2007. Force won that race as well and won here again three years later in 2010 beating Tim Wilkerson in the final. Force is 16-8 in final rounds versus Pedregon and for his career he is 60-28 against the two-time Mello Yello NHRA Funny Car champion.

 

Force’s last win was the 2012 NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. It has been 31 races since that win. Last year in Top Fuel seven-time champion Tony Schumacher snapped a 32 race winless streak at this event.

 

“I am going after (Richard) Petty’s 200 (wins) if I don’t fall over before then. It is all the race car that they give you. We have been struggling with chassis changes. I never cry about it. I want to wait until it performs. We have been working on our motor program,” said Force.

 

“I really thought Courtney was going to take me out in the first round. Her Traxxas car has been flying.  It is all in the teamwork. I told Cruz at the other end after he said, ‘Hey the old man is still here.’ I said, ‘Yep at least I still get to play with ya’ll.’ That is why I get excited about this. If you can’t compete you get mentally out of it and I don’t allow that. It is a great day and to have my wife here and my kids on Father’s Day,” said Force.

 

“Laurie gave me a card this morning that said, ‘Don’t tell Courtney but I hope you win. Love, Laurie.’ That was like Mother Teresa fixed my car. She (Laurie) is a saint in our family. Laurie is the one that hold everything together. You guys don’t know it but I am really a mess. This is great to win here. So many fans wanted me to win here and today on Father’s Day. Last year and the year before I had a couple times it looked like I was going to rock and roll  and I failed. These fans get on you and they expect it since we have all these championships and wins. They don’t want to hear about your problems.”

 

“This is pretty cool in Bristol. The people we have lost over the years that have run this track. I am not going to try and get anybody emotional. These were my friends and they always said we would get back to winning. It has been 31 races. They were print up t-shirts that said John Force: Extinct. It would have been a big seller.”

 

With the win Force secured his spot in the 2nd annual Traxxas Shootout and Shawn Adams from Roanoke, Virginia won a 55” flat screen compliments of BrandSource and the Win with Force promotion.

 

“We haven’t won a championship and we haven’t made the Countdown but we made the Traxxas Shootout. That is pretty cool since that is my bosses program. Mike Jenkins is the Traxxas president,” said Force who won the inaugural specialty race last season.

 

In the opening round 15-time Funny Car champion John Force had one of his toughest opponents in the lane beside him, second year driver and daughter Courtney Force.  In their previous four meetings she had trailered the winningest driver in NHRA three times. Their Mustang Funny Cars were the class of the field in three of the four qualifying sessions recording the quickest runs of the session but inexplicably they faced each other in the first round since John Force was the No. 6 qualifier and Courtney was the No. 11 qualifier. The lone round where they were not tops of the category was the night session on Friday.

 

The first round match-up was tough but exciting race for the youngest Force, the 2013 Winternationals winner and the 2012 Road to the Future Awards winner.

 

“I was pumped up and excited. We had fun going up there and I messed with him on the light; tried to throw him off his game a little bit, but it’s all in good fun. I’ve grown up watching him race and it’s just really cool having him in the lane next to me, especially on Father’s Day. I was hoping his present would be to watch be go on and take home a trophy at the end of the day, but he took that present away and got the win himself,” said Force.

 

Despite her .088 reaction time to his .092 and the great race they gave the fans, it was just short of a round win and she gave her father one of the best Father’s Day presents he could ask for.

 

“It was a really close race. I didn’t even see him out my window. I thought I had the win light, but I’m happy for him. He needs those points too. We’re all fighting to get in the top ten and stay in. I wanted to win, but I guess it’s a good Father’s Day present for him,” said Force.

 

In one of the closest races in the first round, father defeated daughter on Father’s Day by .003 seconds. Courtney’s time was the second quickest Funny Car ET of the first round. For the second race in a row the Traxxas Mustang was solid on race day but did not advance to the quarterfinals.

 

In the second round two of the most recent Mello Yello world champions faced off with 2010 champ Force having lane choice over 2011 champ Matt Hagan. Force took a sizable starting line advantage to win the round outrunning Hagan 4.167 to 4.195.

 

“There are a lot of fathers out here. I haven’t been able to plug my sponsors in a while so I want to thank Castrol, Ford, Auto Club, Traxxas Mac Tools, and BrandSource for helping keep this machine going,” said Force from the top end after beating Hagan. “I have a good hot rod that is making me look good. I am trying to steal everything I can off that tree and beat these young kids.”

 

In the semi-finals Force faces upstart Blake Alexa
nder for the second time this season. In Houston Force defeated the young driver from Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia in the first round.  Today Force and his Mike Neff tuned Castrol GTX Mustang made the quickest run of the day a blistering 4.117 second run as Alexander made a very strong 4.199 second pass.  

 

“You look over in that other lane and you see that young kid over there. He is doing what he loves to do. I am still loving it and I hope he loves it as much as I do now. I have a good race car and Mike Neff and my team is doing a great job,” said Force after the semi-final win. “Everyone at John Force Racing has been helping out and we haven’t won anything yet. We are up against Cruz but this ain’t 1992 so I am coming after him with a different attitude. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully we’ll get the win and if we don’t we still have a good race car.”

 

“That was a neat race. Alexander is me thirty years ago. Maybe forty years ago except he is way cuter. This is a great sport and I really love it. The kid out there he got out of the car and I know how bad he wants to win. I was a bridesmaid a hundred times it seemed. He has forty years ahead of him. He will be there trust me. That is what our sport is all about. That kid has a big future. He is young and is loving it,” said an impressed Force.

 

“He is very respectful and at the top end he said ‘Good job.’ and that is the guy that will beat you.  He isn’t crying about something that went wrong or that he got cheated or his lane was bad. All he said was good job because he already thinking about how he was going to win the next one. That is what makes champions. It was Austin Coil that helped build that character in me. That is what I am trying to teach my kids. The losing is the part that guts you inside. It makes you want it. Some guys come out and win and they are over it. You have to earn this feeling and it is a great feeling.  It is a great day for the Force family and to win on Father’s Day.”

 

Brittany Force had one of her most successful outings of her rookie season this weekend qualifying in the top half of the field and then advancing to her second quarterfinals in a row.

 

In the second round she also raced Spencer Massey for the second race in a row. She had lane choice due to her quicker elapsed time in her win over J.R. Todd.

 

In the second round Force left with Massey and her Castrol EDGE dragster was side by side with Massey’s Battery Extender Powered by Schumacher dragster until the finish line. Massey’s winning time was 3.864 to Force’s 3.871 seconds.

 

“We went out second round against Spencer Massey for the second race in a row, so I’m going to really come after him next time we run him,” said Force. “He’s a great guy and a great competitor. He came up to me before and after our run.”

 

“We got those two extra points in qualifying and to go past first round is good for the Castrol EDGE team. This moves us up in the points. We’re getting up there and I want to get into the top ten. That’s our goal and we’re working that way.”

 

Todd was filling in for the injured Brandon Bernstein behind the wheel of the Protect the Harvest/MavTV dragster. This was the first meeting between Force and Todd and with the round win Force moved up to No. 12 in the Mello Yello point standings around veteran David Grubnic.

 

Even though Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang were the No. 16 qualifier, that position was not a true reflection of the performance capabilities of their 10,000 horsepower Funny Car. In the opening round of eliminations Hight’s Auto Club Mustang was out in front of No. 1 qualifier Del Worsham and he was pulling away. Unfortunately he had too much power for the Bristol Dragway track and he smoked the tires as Worsham moved around him, also hazing his Goodyear tires to get the round win. This was the second time this season Hight has lost to Del Worsham. The last time was in the semi-finals at the NHRA Gatornationals.

 

“We just couldn’t get a break this weekend. This Auto Club Ford Mustang was charging and it felt pretty good. I thought it was going to go all the way to the finish line. You can’t give a team and driver like that a chance or they will beat you. I am ready to get to the New England Nationals I’ll tell you that much,” said Hight.

 

FORCES FACE-OFF ON FATHER’S DAY AT FORD THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

 

BRISTOL, TN – As the final qualifying session of the 13th annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals wound down both John Force and Courtney Force each had a chance to shake up the ladder and avoid an awkward Father’s Day. Courtney Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang came the closest improving her qualifying position from Friday just missing a move up the ladder by .002 of a second. The youngest Force will race her father by virtue of her No. 11 qualifying position and his No. 6 qualifying spot.

 

Courtney Force however was the quickest of both sessions today and racked up six total bonus points to inch her way further up the ladder in the NHRA Funny Car Mello Yello point standings.

In Saturday’s first session, Force posted a 4.161 ET at 305.98 mph and followed that with a 4.129 ET at 306.95 mph.

“In the heat of the day, it felt really great to get this Traxxas Ford Mustang down there and making good runs. We were the quickest car of both sessions. I think it was very important to make a couple of good passes in the conditions we experienced today because they’re more comparable to race day conditions that we are expecting for tomorrow. I’m excited,” said Force, the 2012 Auto Club Road to the Future Award winner.

“Unfortunately I have to run my dad first round tomorrow, on Father’s Day, but we’re going to have fun with it. I guess it’s going to go either way and I’m really hoping I can take home that win. I see it as a good Father’s Day present for him if I win. My dad has taught me everything I know and a win tomorrow will just show him I’ve been listening.”

John Force was solid on Saturday getting down the track both sessions and showing that his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang will be a tough car to beat on race day. In the first session he posted a 4.170 and then in the final session beside Matt Hagan Force improved to 4.153 seconds at 306.33 mph. His Friday night time of 4.071 secured the No. 6 qualifying spot for the three-time Ford Thunder Valley Nationals champion.

 

“We have a good hot rod right now. We’re fighting to keep that Ford in the Top Ten, but I’m up against Courtney tomorrow. My daughter is a great driver; her car is running right there with me,” said Force.

 

“Bottom line, we teach them to win. I’m driven to win myself. For Castrol, Auto Club, Ford, BrandSource, Mac Tools and Traxxas, we’re going to go out there and we’re going to give the fans what they buy that ticket for and that’s a great show. Whoever wins, will win for the day, but we’ll see who wins the championship,” said Force.

 

Force will race his daughter for the second time this season. Courtney outran the 15-time champion in the first round of the Gatornationals in March and she is 3-1 against him for her career.

 

Robert Hight, the 2011 Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals champion, continued his two day battle with Bristol Dragway. The Auto Club Ford Mustang driver will go into Sunday as the No. 16 qualifier. This is the third time Hight has qualified 16th this season. Ironically he has advanced to the second round in his previous two races as the No. 16 driver, Phoenix and Charlotte at the Four-Wide Nationals.

 

“You can’t win a lot of races qualifying 16th. You also have to be qualified to have a chance at winning. We have a chance. This Auto Club Ford Mustang has just not been reacting to (crew chief) Jimmy’s (Prock) tuning adjustments. We are not going to give up. Del Worsham (No. 1 qualifier) is a tough racer and a good friend. It will be a tough race for both of us tomorrow,” said Hight.

 

Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster achieved a number of firsts today at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. For the first time in her young career she earned qualifying bonus points, posting the second quickest ET in the third qualifying session and she will have lane choice on Sunday for the first time. As the No. 8 qualifier Force will be able to choose her lane against No. 9 qualifier J.R. Todd.

 

“I’m happy to be qualified No. 8. That’s the highest we’ve qualified for an event so far. I’m glad we’re starting to work our way up in the field. I’ll be running J.R. Todd tomorrow in the first round and I’ve never run him before so I’m excited to be running him. I’m hoping we can make some improvements and just have a good race car for tomorrow.”

 

Force is trying to muscle her way into the Top Fuel Mello Yello Top Ten but in one of the toughest groups of Top Fuel drivers that will take a Herculean effort. This weekend eleven different drivers earned qualifying bonus points. Seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher is the only driver to get qualifying bonus points in two different sessions. Drivers earn bonus points by posting one of the three quickest ETs in the qualifying session.

 

She will race J.R. Todd who has stepped in to fill the seat for Brandon Bernstein who is recovering from back surgery.

 

“We’ll take any points, not matter what. We earned two qualifying points and that’ll help us move up and get into the top ten hopefully,” said Force, who sits 77 points behind No. 10 Clay Millican.

 

“That’s really exciting getting that lane choice over J.R. Todd because that way my team can pick the lane that we really need to hopefully get our car down the track. I have never had it (lane choice) before, so I’m happy to have that for the first time.”

 

While Force is focused on improving with every run her confidence has grown with every race. Being able to talk with her father on a daily basis at the track has given the rookie driver a solid baseline for success.

 

“It’s fun to be able to be out here and celebrate Father’s Day with my dad and most of my family is out here so it’s exciting. Hopefully we can get a win for my dad and bring that home for him.”

 

JOHN FORCE TOPS JFR AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY

 

BRISTOL, TN – John Force and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang took control on the first day of the 13th annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Ford Dealers. The 15-time Funny Car champion and three-time Thunder Valley Nationals champion was the quickest Funny Car of the first session and wound up No. 6 at the end of Friday.

 

“I am gunning for a win on Father’s Day. Courtney (Force) and I are in right now. Robert (Hight) will be OK tomorrow. Those were pretty good numbers and it will be warmer tomorrow. I have no complaints. I watched Brittany (Force) run right down to the end with that 3.82. She stayed in the top half. We went up on the hill together and we were counting cars to see where she would wind up. We went across the tunnel and the fans mobbed us. It was awesome and she loved it. She stays in the top half I think she has a good shot at winning,” said Force.

 

“I have always had confidence in my Castrol GTX Mustang. (Crew chief) Mike Neff has a good handle on this car. He nearly won this race a few years ago and he was in the championship hunt that last two years. We are going to be there.”

 

Force could have been joined by Courtney in the top half of the provisional qualifying field but during his daughter’s second run Johnny Gray crossed the center line and stopped the youngest Force’s timing system. She was left with just her first qualifying time. She ended the first day of qualifying in the No. 11 position. Force ran a 4.134 ET at 309.56 mph in the first qualifying session and had the top speed of the round.

 

“We went out and ran a decent pass, running a 4.13 and going to the top half of the field. We had top speed on our first run and my dad had low ET,” said Force.

 

“We were really hoping to get around my dad to take that No. 1 spot from him. It was really awesome coming out and launching off the starting line and seeing header fire out my window. It’s always so exciting to have a night session, especially here in Bristol. This track has the name Thunder Valley for a reason, so it’s really nice to come here and put on a show for the fans while we’re doing what we love.”

 

“We were trying to make a low 4.0 pass on that final qualifying run, but unfortunately it spun the tires a little down track so we couldn’t get a good run out of it. We still stayed in the top twelve, which is important for us going into tomorrow. We’re going to try to move up the ladder tomorrow and get in the top half of the field, if not the No. 1 spot. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and seeing what out Traxxas Ford Mustang can do here in Bristol,” said Force.

 

The Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang driven by Robert Hight was on one of the quickest runs of the second session when it overpowered the track at the top end. Hight’s 1/8 mile ET of 3.303 would have easily been a low 4.0 second run.

 

“It was hauling on that last run. The conditions were great and (crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) put a strong tune up in this Auto Club Mustang. It just couldn’t hold on at the top end. We’ll make some good race day runs tomorrow and be ready to win this thing again,” said Hight, the 2011 Thunder Valley Nationals winner.

 

Hight will have to post a qualifying time tomorrow when qualifying resumes at 1 p.m. with Top Fuel and then Funny Car.

 

It was a banner day for the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster tuned by Dean “Guido” Antonelli and Eric Lane. Brittany Force was racing at Bristol Dragway for the first time and she loved the feeling of being in the middle of Thunder Valley.

 

“First run we didn’t quite get down the track like we had hoped. The second run we definitely improved and stepped it up. We ended up running a 3.828 and that leaves us in the top half of the field, so I’m hoping we can hold that until tomorrow and through the weekend going into Sunday. I’d love to end up qualifying way up there. We haven’t quite made that yet, so I’m really going for that this weekend. I have a great team behind me and I know the guys can do it, so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,” said Force.

 

In the second session Force blasted to the No. 3 position at the time of her run with a 3.828 second elapsed time. This was her second quickest time of the season behind her 3.822 at the season opening Winternationals.

 

“It’s great to come out here and run that 3.82, that was one of the best runs I’ve made so far competing this year. That’s exactly where we want to be and just have to keep moving in the right direction.”

JFR HOLDS ONTO TOP TEN AT MIDPOINT OF REGULAR SEASON

 

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ —- John Force nearly missed his warm-up today to start the 44th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals. His rental car had a dead battery but thanks to a chance encounter and some help from the Harley-Davidson Pro Stock Motorcycle technology team he was able to get to the track just in time to warm the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang and get a first round win over teammate Robert Hight.

 

“We were lucky they have the morning curfew and we can’t start the race cars until 10 a.m. or I would have missed my warm-up. I made it just in time and I have to thank those guys from Harley-Davidson,” said Force.

 

Force faced teammate Robert Hight in a tough first round race between teammates and family members. Force took the win over Hight and while the scoreboard might have reflected a hole-shot victory for Force who ran 4.167 seconds to Hight’s 4.139 seconds the 15-time champ knew it was just a reflection of different racing styles.

 

“Robert is one of the best racers out here. Our Mustangs ran about the same. Robert was in dead shallow and I really rolled it in. We got the win on the scoreboard but like I said on TV it was anyone’s race,” said Force, a four-time winner at the NHRA Summernationals.

 

“We all stayed in the Top Ten and Brittany went some rounds. You have tough competitors every round. You race a guy like Worsham in the second round you have to get up for a race like that. He had lane choice and he took advantage of that. We will go get them at Bristol.”

 

In the second round Force lost lane choice to Del Worsham and that spelled doom for Force’s chances of winning at Raceway Park for a fifth time. Fortunately, for Force and Hight there was a repeat winner in Funny Car and there are still two open spots for winners in the Traxxas Shootout as well as the fan vote position.   

 

Hight and Force both had their ups and downs in qualifying at the Summernationals. Hight made his quickest run during the final qualifying session, a quickest of the session 4.121 second run, to move up to the No. 7 position. It set him up for a race against his mentor and father-in-law. All the JFR Mustangs have been running consistently close ETs since Topeka where they qualified 1-2-3 for the first time since 2010.

 

In the opening round Hight was racing for lane choice in the second round and flickered the staging light with the shallowest of staging maneuvers. He did not hang his head after an early exit just two weeks after his first final round appearance of 2013.

 

“It was a tough first round. We both had good race cars and I think if we would have qualified better you would have seen my Auto Club Mustang and John’s Castrol GTX Mustang in the second round,” said Hight, who was a semi-finalist at this race last year. “You hate to race teammates and we are both trying to get wins and get spots in the Traxxas Shootout. We have an off-weekend and then we have four in a row. I am ready to get back at it.”

 

Previous Funny Car points leader Courtney Force and the Traxxas Ford Mustang earned the most qualifying bonus points, a total of five, for any of the Funny Cars at the Summernationals but she missed two opportunities to move up into the top half of the field. She was faced with a tough No. 8 vs. No. 9 first round race against Johnny Gray, one of the hottest racers recently.

 

In the first round both Funny Cars left at the same time but Gray was able to outrun Force who clocked the fourth quickest elapsed time of the first round. Her 4.123 second first round run would have trailered eventual winner Matt Hagan, semi-finalists Tim Wilkerson and Del Worsham as well as quarter-finalists Bob Tasca III and father John Force had she been racing them in the first session.

 

“We had Johnny Gray in the first round and we just got outrun. I thought I was going to drive around him at the top end but we ran out of track. If we have run any other car in the first round I think we would have won. That is NHRA drag racing. You have to beat the person next to you and we just couldn’t do it today. The bad news is we lost but the good news we are further ahead this season than we were last year. We have won a race and gone to a final round so far. At this point last season we hadn’t even been beyond the semi-finals,” said Force, who already has two final round appearances in 2013.

 

“I am looking forward to the race tracks coming up this summer. We had quite a bit of success at those tracks last year. That is where we picked up and got on a roll. We have had a rough patch these past couple of races and this race we had some problems in qualifying. You can’t make excuses you just have to go to the next one and hope that we can improve and start moving back up the points.”

 

Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster continued to improve posting consistent runs on Saturday that qualified the rookie driver for the eighth time this season in a tough Top Fuel category. That momentum gave the Automobile Club Road to the Future Award candidate the confidence to defeat veteran Doug Kalitta in the first round for her third round win of the season.

 

Force used a starting line advantage, .071 to .096, to get her dragster to the finish line first even though her elapsed time was a shade slower, 3.884 to 3.873 seconds, than the Mac Tools dragster.

 

“I was very excited to be qualified and running Doug Kalitta in the first round. I have really been working on my reaction time so to get a hole shot win was awesome. I have been talking with my crew chiefs and some other drivers on how to improve my lights and I have been practicing on my tree. I have really been focusing on that. My lights still need improvement to stay consistent but they are getting there. I knew I would have to have a good light against Doug because he is such a great racer,” said an elated Force.

 

In the second round Force was tasked with racing one of the toughest cars and best leavers in the category, Spencer Massey’s Schumacher Electric Battery Extender dragster. She did a masterful job of pedaling her dragster for the first time in her career. When the dragster began losing traction Force got off the throttle and seamlessly let the dragster settle down before getting back on the gas.

 

“Going into the second round racing Spencer Massey was another big round. He is an awesome driver so it was fun to get up there and run him. Unfortunately I didn’t get the win light but I was able to pedal this Castrol EDGE dragster and get it to hook back up. That was something new and I am learning something every run.”

 

Force’s comfort level at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park may have played a role in her success today.

 

“I was No. 1 qualifier here in A Fuel so that gives me some confidence here I think. I came back with a good attitude and some confidence that we would do well here. I am going to try and keep that same mentality at the next races this season,” said Force.

 

“Sitting in my dragster makes me more comfortable and lets me practice my routine. I spent more time in the car this weekend just in the pits going over my routine. The practice I think was very helpful.”

COURTNEY FORCE LEADS JFR FRIDAY AT SUMMERNATIONALS

 

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ (May 31, 2013) – Friday at the 44th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals was a mixed bag for John Force Racing as Courtney Force was the quickest Funny Car of the first session and then had a blower drive shaft on her Traxxas Ford Mustang break before she had a chance to run in the second session. John Force improved in the second session but Robert Hight and Brittany Force will have to race into the show on Saturday in their respective classes.

 

In the first session Courtney Force went to the top of the Funny Car field with a 4.130 second run at 306.05 mph and picked up three bonus points.

 

“We had a great first pass. We picked up three bonus points on just that run for being quickest. Our Traxxas Ford Mustang went down and ran a 4.13, which is a good run right out of the box,” said Force.

 

Unfortunately, the black and red Traxxas Ford Mustang broke a blower drive shaft after the burnout in the second session. She ended the day in the No. 7 spot and will get to keep her time to build off of on Saturday.

 

“On the second run we were obviously trying to improve. The track was better. It cooled down. But I did the burnout, backed up, everything seemed fine. Right before we were getting ready to pull up and pre-stage, Ron was pulling my car up and when we stopped all of the sudden the car just sounded like it had shut off. Ron made the call and told me to shut the fuel off and hit the emergency shut off switch just to make sure everything was off, which was when the chutes deployed because that it part of the emergency shut-off. We just wanted to make sure everything was off and we could roll off the starting line safely.”

 

“We didn’t get a pass out of it, but we know the problem. It was just an unlucky run. We’re qualified and we’ll go out there tomorrow with a strong car,” said Force.

 

Force still currently occupies the No. 5 spot in the NHRA Funny Car point standings.

 

Topeka finalist Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team struggled to get a handle on the hot track at Raceway Park today. In the second session crew chief Jimmy Prock took a shot as the track began to cool but unfortunately they were the second pair down the track.

 

“We got behind the eight ball after the first session and couldn’t make a strong second run. It was a tough day for sure especially after the success we had in Topeka and on our test day. We will give it another two shots on Saturday and get ready for race day. This is a track that I want to win at so I am going to be giving it my best for sure,” said Robert Hight.

 

Hight’s quickest time of the day 5.352 seconds at 135.21 mph was the 18th quickest run of the Funny Car category.

 

Team leader John Force and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang smoked the tires in the first session but stepped up in the evening qualifying session. Force was running beside his son-in-law and teammate Hight. Force posted a solid 4.132 second run at 291.63 mph which was good enough to keep the four-time Toyota NHRA Summernationals champion in the provisional No. 8 spot.

 

The Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster and driver Brittany Force returned to the track where as an A Fuel dragster pilot she had one of her strongest performances. Today on her two qualifying runs Force posted times but neither session was enough to move the rookie into the Top Twelve as the hot conditions proved tricky for the first year Top Fuel team.

 

HIGHT READY FOR ENGLISHTOWN SUCCESS

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ (May 29, 2013) — Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team have started the 2013 Mello Yello season the same way they started the 2009 season. They are winless through the first eight races but have shown signs as of success as of late. Luckily for Hight and his team 2009 turned out alright considering they hoisted the Funny Car World Championship trophy in Pomona. This weekend at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park’s historic Toyota Summernationals Hight is looking to get his first win of 2013 and his first win at the storied East Coast racing facility.

“Englishtown is a major race just like a major event in golf. You want to win at Pomona, Gainesville, Indy and Englishtown. This place has seen some of the most famous drivers and some of the greatest racing. John (Force) used to match race here on Wednesday night and they would have all sorts of crazy things going on but it all came back to the racing. I want to get a win here and we were close last year,” said Hight.

While Hight has not been getting a lot of win lights at the start of the season that turned around in Topeka where he was the No. 3 qualifier and raced to his first final round of the season. Unfortunately for the first time in four final round meetings with veteran racer Johnny Gray Hight came up just a little short losing the final. Hight now holds a 3-1 final round record to Gray.

“It seemed like every time I was going to a final lately it was against Johnny. We were either in a final or the first round against each other. He has a tough race car and he is a good driver. That is always a tough combination. I was glad to go some rounds in Topeka and we moved up a spot in the points,” said Hight, who now sits No. 7 in the Mello Yello point standings.

“The good news is all our John Force Racing Mustangs ran well all weekend in Topeka. That was the first race in a long time where we got four qualifying runs and then went some rounds on Sunday. We need the track time in race conditions. We tested a lot of things in the off season and when you are trying to figure them out you need track time. We lost a ton of runs due of weather to start the season.”

Prior to the start of the race in Topeka Hight received a few words of encouragement from a somewhat surprising source. Fellow competitor Ron Capps took a few minutes during the pre-race ceremonies to tell Hight he was glad the Auto Club Mustang appeared to be turning around after a strong two days of qualifying.

“It was kind of cool. Capps came up to me and said it was glad to have me back running good. He is a class guy and it makes you feel good to know that people are recognizing our success on the track even if it is only a couple of days. You want to give everyone a tough race and Capps is one of the best guys out here with a great team. He made the quickest 1000 ft run last year at Englishtown, 3.96 seconds, and I know if conditions are just right there will be a lot of teams trying to run quicker than that,” said Hight.

FORCE SEEKS RETRIBUTION AT RACEWAY PARK
Resurgent 15-Time Champ Tries to End Winless Streak in Castrol GTX Ford

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. – It’s been 14 years since John Force last won a race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.  That’s the longest the Hall of Fame Funny Car driver has gone without a victory at any track in the NHRA Mello Yello Series.

The fact is, he hasn’t even reached the final round since 2004 and is only 8-8 in his last eight appearances in the Toyota Summernationals, contested this week for the 44th time.   

Nevertheless, it would be ludicrous to discount the sport’s biggest winner from the title conversation when the world’s top drag racing professionals once again convene for the Northeast’s biggest event.   

At an age when other 60-somethings are content to spend their weekends astride nothing more powerful than the riding mower, Force will climb back into the cockpit of a 10,000 horsepower Castrol GTX Ford Mustang with a better-than-average shot at ending his recent malaise on one of the tracks on which he got his start.

When no one else could see any potential in the former truck driver, the late Vinny Napp started booking him into Raceway Park for Wednesday and Saturday night Funny Car races.  That gave Force encouragement and credibility at a time when he needed both.  He’s never forgotten it, either.

“It’s always special to come back to Englishtown, because that’s where I got my start,” Force recalled.  “I hadn’t even been east of Phoenix when Vinny Napp booked me into one of his Funny Car races (the first time).  Once that happened, a couple other promoters gave me a shot and it just grew from there.  If Vinny Napp hadn’t had faith in me, none of this would have happened.”

What happened is a Horatio Alger story on wheels that brings Force back to his roots as a 15-time series champion, a 134-time tour winner and, while still active, an inductee into both the Motor Sports Hall of Fame of America and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Not that those accomplishments will mean squat this weekend.

“That’s old news,” Force said.  “Nobody’s gonna cut you any slack because you’re in the Hall of Fame – and I wouldn’t want them to.  But I still believe I can win and as long as that’s true, I’m gonna stay out here.  I love it.  I love driving my hot rod, being out here with my girls (daughters Courtney and Brittany both drive) and with Robert (son-in-law Robert Hight).

“I tell people I grew up in a trailer park (in Bell Gardens, Calif.) and I’m still in a trailer park.  The only difference is the trailers are bigger and nicer.”

 Force owns 10 of the biggest and nicest.  They house six Funny Cars (two for each of the three teams), two Top Fuel dragsters, the Castrol Technology Center and a full complement of spare parts.

Just over two years removed from his most recent championship (2010), Force nevertheless admits that he has struggled the last couple of seasons.  Although he has continued to win (prevailing at Denver in 2011 and at Pomona, Calif., a year ago), he hasn’t done so with typical Force flare.

This year, he’s won just five rounds in eight races and has yet to reach the finals.  However, two weeks ago, he earned the 141st No. 1 start of his career, set a Heartland Park-Topeka track record at 4.043 seconds and, on Monday after the race, dipped to 4.01 seconds in testing.

That sends him into the Summernationals with the kind of confidence Vinny Napp instilled in him 30 years ago.  Coupled with returning crew chief Mike Neff’s expertise (he won at Raceway Park as a driver in 2011), that may be enough to insure a very Force-ful weekend.  

ON-THE-JOB-TRAINING FOR TOP FUEL ROOKIE

BRITTANY FORCE BACK IN SCHOOL THIS WEEK

Rookie Trying to Move Up in Mello Yello Points in Castrol EDGE dragster

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. – Brittany Force goes back to school this week, not at New York’s Hunter College, where she studied for a semester on the way to earning her Bachelor’s degree, but at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park where she’ll continue to learn the family business in a modified classroom on wheels.

Granted, the canopied cockpit of the 330 mile-an-hour Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster isn’t your normal learning environment, but then John Force Racing, Inc., isn’t your normal business, either.

Brittany’s dad is 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion and International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee John Force.  Her brother-in-law is 2009 champion Robert Hight.  Her older sister, Ashley Force Hood, was the first woman ever to win an NHRA Funny Car race and her younger sister, Courtney, was last year’s NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year.

Together, they’ve set the bar pretty high, but Brittany,
who already has secured her California teaching credential, is unaffected by the predictable comparisons.

“When Ashley came out, she had her own set of goals,” she explained  “Same with Courtney.  Same with me.  For me, it’s not about comparisons to Ashley or Courtney.  It’s about setting my own goals and achieving them myself in my time.

 “I thought I was through with school when I got my bachelor’s degree,” admitted the graduate of Cal State-Fullerton, “but I’m still learning every time I go down the track.  I know I need more experience.  Even though I tested all last season, it’s not the same as it is in a race.

 “I’m having to learn things like backpedaling (feathering the throttle to regain traction) while I’m racing,” admitted the Southern California native.  “I know I have a great team with Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane as my crew chiefs and Castrol EDGE as my sponsor and I’m just trying not to let them down.”

Brittany’s development has been short-circuited to some extent by a wet weather pattern that has forced cancellation of six qualifying runs over the last four events.  That’s six lost opportunities for improvement.  Nevertheless, the second youngest of Force’s four daughters remains undaunted.

“Hopefully, we’ll get all our qualifying runs this week and continue to improve,” she said.  “That’s my goal – to improve every week.”

Brittany’s progress has been difficult to gauge considering the fact that she is the first ever to drive a JFR Top Fuel dragster.  The sport’s most successful team has won 134 races and 17 championships in the Funny Car class but, until this year, it never had sent a car down the track in any other professional category.

“We’re all learning together,” said Antonelli, who last year was crew chief on the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang in which the elder Force won the inaugural Traxxas Nitro Shootout and the accompanying $100,000 bonus.  “Most of these guys, myself included, never had worked on a dragster.  It’s on-the-job training, really.”

Utilizing the Ford BOSS 500 nitro motor developed at JFR as a collaborative effort, Brittany became the first driver in 42 years to win with Ford power when she upset Doug Kalitta in the first round of last April’s SummitRacing.com Nationals at Las Vegas.

 She’ll try to build on that accomplishment this week, hoping to gain ground in the point standings that determine the drivers who will compete this fall for the Mello Yello Championship.

Despite her relative lack of experience, Brittany has had previous success at Raceway Park, where she qualified No. 1 and reached the semifinals in a 2009 Summernationals appearance in the Top Alcohol Dragster class, drag racing’s version of NASCAR’s Nationwide Series.

If the 26-year-old phenom can come anywhere close to duplicating that performance, school might finally be out.

AUTO CLUB’S HIGHT RUNNER-UP AT KANSAS NATIONALS

 

TOPEKA, KS —- For the third time in four years Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team were running for the money on Sunday afternoon at the NHRA Kansas Nationals. Facing veteran Johnny Gray and his Pitch Energy Dodge Charger in the final round Hight had lane choice but for the first time in four final round meetings Gray took the win.  Gray posted a solid 4.067 second pass as Hight’s Mustang smoked the tires for the first time this weekend.

 

“I really believed we were going to get this one today. Not to take anything away from Johnny Gray. If this thing would have made a run like it had been all day we would have given Johnny a better race,” said Hight, the 2010 and 2011 Kansas Nationals winner. “It is hard to explain why we do well here. I don’t really know why. We have had some team members through the years that have been from this part of the country. This is just a great race track. (Crew chief) Jimmy Prock has won here in Top Fuel and Funny Car.”

 

Hight took out Jeff Arend in the first round and then outran BobTasca III’s Ford Mustang Funny Car in the second round. Hight’s semi-final race was a monster John Force Racing versus Don Schumacher Racing match-up. Hight was giving away lane choice to Capps but Prock had the Auto Club Mustang ready. It blasted down the track in 4.044 second nearly equaling John Force’s track record ET set yesterday.

 

“I just kept expecting good runs. I look at the data with Jimmy and I see what he is trying to do. You can see the potential if we just get the back half right. It wasn’t surprising. I honestly thought if we got it right in the final it was going to run better than that,” said Hight.

 

“It was cool at driver introductions this morning Capps came up to me and said it was good to have us back. That just shows the class of the guys we race. I am sure if we start really doing well he is going to take that back,” joked Hight. “It is cool that he noticed we had improved and said something. Right before the semi-finals he came up and said he just saw a smile on Jimmy’s face. It is noticeable that the Auto Club team is back.”

 

Hight moved up on the Mello Yello point standings from 8th to 7th and now has a firm position in the Top Ten heading into a critical stretch of the season. For his entire Auto Club team the qualifying success and then race day success really had an impact.

 

“Without a doubt having a weekend like this is great. Now it is just a matter of time. We are going to win some races. To come in here and just hit it that first run was big. If we wouldn’t have had a good run who knows how this weekend would have gone. If we would have missed it and then had to start working on it,” said Hight.

 

“That first run is just huge. The biggest thing is how this weekend affected by team. We had a big team meeting in Indy. When you are struggling team morale is down and you are just working harder. Things just aren’t right. We decided to come in here with a new combination and a new attitude. It is pretty cool to see some smiles on all these guys’ faces. I believe we will see smiles for a long time to come.”

 

John Force led the team in qualifying grabbing the top spot in qualifying with a track record 4.043 on Saturday. Force opened Sunday with a win over former teammate Tony Pedregon. In the second round Force was outrun by Jack Beckman due to a wiring malfunction in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. At the end of the day the 15-time champion was pleased with the overall improvement in all his cars.

 

“Any time you can get a race car to the final that is part of the game plan. Winning is the icing on the cake. It is important to get the exposure for the sponsors like Auto Club, Ford, Castrol and Traxxas. We made some changes to our chassis and with our tune-up. We had a lot of meetings and got a game plan,” said Force, the nine-time Kansas Nationals winner. “To come out and be 1-2-3 in qualifying shows that we are moving in the right direction. We are starting to go rounds and get those extra runs down the race track without smoking the tires. All four of our race cars are testing tomorrow.  That takes budget but we have to do it to get the runs and get where we want to be at the end of the season.”

 

The winningest driver in NHRA history was pleased that the entire event was able to be completed. It was the first time in a month that all qualifying sessions were run and there were no interruptions on race day for weather.

 

“It was not only important for the teams and the crew chiefs to be able to make good decisions. It is just getting seat time. That is a big deal especially for a driver like Brittany who is a rookie,” said Force. “Courtney has some experience from last year but getting runs is critical. Mostly getting a full event in is good for the sport. If the fans can’t have a show and what they buy the ticket for then they won’t come back. They put on a good show here at Heartland Park Topeka.”

 

Courtney Force qualified in the No. 2 spot coming into race day and took on Dale Creasy Jr. in the first round for the first time ever. Force took the win with a 4.136 ET at 311.63 mph and moved on to the next round.

 

“We came out strong in eliminations. Our cars qualified 1, 2 and 3 and all of our Funny Cars got past first round. It was a great start to the day. Our Traxxas Ford Mustang machine was running strong. We had a problem with a dropped cylinder on the first pass, which slowed us down a little, but we were still able to get the win over Creasy,” said Force.

 

“It was tough racing him because my brother-in-law Danny, his dad works on that team. It’s like second family over there and it makes it that much tougher when you have to race family,” said Force.

 

Force had Ron Capps in the next round of eliminations. Force lost lane choice and ran a 4.233 ET at 300.73 mph after dropping a cylinder and getting close to the wall.

 

“We went up second round and did the best we could. Capps and I both struggled getting it down the track. My Traxxas car dropped a cylinder and pulled me over to the wall so I just tried to drive it back to the center of the groove, but it just wasn’t enough to get that win light.

 

“We’re coming out here tomorrow to test. We’re excited for that. I know we’ve got a great hot rod, we just have to have a little bit more next time. I’m ready to get these problems squared away and move on to Englishtown,” said Force.

 

In Top Fuel Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fueler ran into a tough first round opponent, Khalid alBalooshi racing for Al-Anabi Racing. Both Top Fuel dragsters launched together but unfortunately for the rookie driver the maroon and gold alBalooshi dragster pulled away.

 

For Force just getting four qualifying runs was a win.

“We have been losing runs in qualifying because of weather. It was great to get four runs in qualifying and we made good runs. We are in the low 4.80s and I am getting experience which is important,” said Force.

HIGHT AND C. FORCE DOMINATE KANSAS NATIONALS ON FRIDAY

 

TOPEKA, KS (May 17, 2013) – It is only the first day of the NHRA Kansas Nationals but it was a great day for Robert Hight and Courtney Force who finished each qualifying session 1-2 in the Funny Car category. It was the first time all season Hight’s Auto Club Ford Mustang has been the quickest of the first two sessions and the two-time Kansas Nationals winner was pleased with his first day effort. Hight gave a lot of the credit to his crew chief Jimmy Prock and his pre-race decision to try a new tune-up.

 

“For some reason we always do good here in Topeka. We have qualified well but here lately we have been struggling and we’ve been working on the early part of the run. We definitely got it today being low ET of both sessions. It has been ages since we did that.  The back half of both of those runs weren’t very good. If we could have finished those out this thing would have really run,” said Hight. “It put a couple cylinders out. The reason it put cylinders out is it wore the clutch out and it didn’t lock up. We definitely fixed what we have been looking for what seems like a year. You see these other guys out there running these low numbers to the 330 (ft. mark) and you just can’t be giving that away. It has taken a lot of hard work and a lot of testing. Jimmy Prock just hit it right out of the box.”

 

Hight and the Auto Club Mustang have been inconsistent throughout the start of the season earning one No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas. The rest of the season Hight has struggled to put two or three runs in a row together. A combination of lack of testing and poor weather during races has hurt the team’s ability to gather data

 

“Mother Nature hasn’t allowed us to test much. That is the biggest problem. We are missing twelve runs that we would have had from testing in Las Vegas, Charlotte or Houston. We have lost six qualifying runs we have missed because of weather. That has really hurt us but obviously it is the same for everybody. Jimmy just made a decision to come in here with a new set-up. We just really hoped we would get some data that first run. Luckily he hit it right on the head in that first run,” said Hight.

 

It has been a complete team effort to get a workable tune-up for the Auto Club Mustang that can be transferred to all the JFR Funny Cars.

 

“We always work together. It got us back on track be were struggling. It still didn’t get us quick enough in the ET department where we can make up some of that ET on the back half but as Jimmy has been looking at it we have some hot races coming up and summer is here. It will be tough to make that up if you give that much away early. You just can’t get that time back,” said Hight.  “We definitely found it today I know it is only two runs, what we have been missing. If we can get the back end right we’ll be in good shape. That run was pretty hairy because it had at least two cylinders out. I have looked at the computer data yet. It was dragging me over towards the wall. If we could have finished that off and run 270 (mph) at half-track this thing would have run 4.03 easily.”

 

Courtney Force, driver of the Traxxas Ford Mustang, made two great passes today to kick-off the weekend and qualify in the provisional No. 2 spot.

 

The 24-year-old ran a 4.133 ET at 307.16 mph, followed by a 4.068 ET at 312.86 mph in the second session which sent her to the top of the pack. Force stayed No. 1 until the next pair of cars including Robert Hight made their last pass. Hight beat out Force for the top spot by .001 seconds.

 

“It feels great coming out to Topeka and being able to make two great passes. We went to the top of the field only to be bumped down to the No. 2 spot by .001 of a second by my teammate and brother-in-law Robert Hight. I guess if I had to be bumped by anyone, I’m glad it’s someone on our team. I’m proud of my guys. They have been working hard. We really needed those runs for ourselves. We collected some points and to try to creep our way back up to the top. But, you know what we’re out here to have fun. It’s great to be back here at Heartland Park Topeka,” said Force.

 

Nine-time NHRA Kansas Nationals winner John Force stepped up in the second qualifying session posting a solid 4.117 second pass at 309.27 mph. He will go into Saturday’s final day of qualifying as the provisional No. 8 qualifier.

 

“We got all three Funny Cars in the show and Robert got low ET and that’s big. Courtney is right up there with him. I was No. 8 and we’re testing this new chassis. This is only its second run. It’s hard to tell what is going to happen tomorrow because we were 1, 2 and 3 after the first session in Atlanta. What matters is if we get to race tomorrow, I think we will be okay,” said Force.

 

In the first session the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang shook the tires loose but crew chief Mike Neff stepped up in the night session and got Force down the track with a good run as one of the early pairs.

 

The Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster piloted by Brittany Force made to good runs and the rookie driver was the quickest Top Fueler to not carry a time over into Saturday. The twelve quickest race cars post a time but on Saturday the Yorba Linda, California driver will have two opportunities to grab a spot in the top sixteen.

 

In the first session Force had a respectable 3.884 second pass that was good enough to be in the top half. Her Dean Antonelli and Eric Lane tuned dragster improved in the second session to a 3.847 second run at 319.52 mph but many of the teams stepped up as conditions improved.

 

“I’ve always loved coming to Topeka, so I’m excited to be here. We had two qualifying runs today and ended up 13th. We were hoping to improve on that last run, but we still get two more rounds tomorrow so that’s what we’re banking on and hoping to get us in the top half of the field and race on Sunday,” said Force.

 

JOHN AND BRITTANY FORCE LEAD TEAM AT ATLANTA

 

COMMERCE, GA —- The NHRA rescheduled the 33rd Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals after rain washed out last weekend’s event after only four pairs of Pro Stock cars made passes last Friday. Contesting the race on Mother’s Day weekend at Atlanta Dragway proved to be a tough task for John Force Racing but John and Brittany Force tightened up their Mello Yello point positions with some early success on Saturday.

 

For rookie of the year candidate Brittany Force the loss of half of the qualifying runs was a setback but added to the drama for the Castrol EDGE dragster team. For a few minutes in the final session Force was on the outside looking in but like a racer beyond her years she focused and raced into the show for the sixth time this season. In her two qualifying runs yesterday Force posted a quick enough time to qualify No. 9 and face veteran Clay Millican. Force outran the Parts Plus dragster to earn her second round win of the season, 3.892 to 3.937.

 

“Getting that win in the first round was exactly what this Castrol EDGE team needed. Coming from Houston where we didn’t qualify and being able to get in the show this weekend was big. We were the No. 9 qualifier after only two qualifying passes so we were happy about that,” said Force.

 

In the second round she was faced with racing the No. 1 qualifier Shawn Langdon. The pair came up through the Lucas Oil sportsman ranks together racing in Super Comp beginning in 2006. It took a near track record run by Langdon, 3.791 seconds, to trailer Brittany Force and advance to the semi-finals.

 

“I used to run Shawn Langdon in Super Comp so it was pretty cool to be running against him in Top Fuel now. It was a couple of sportsman racers up in the pros. It really makes it seem like we are a big family out here doing what we love and what we have a passion for. I lost in the second round but that just makes me more ready for Topeka.”

 

John Force came out of the box with a strong run in the first session of qualifying on Friday. At the end of the lone qualifying day he was also No. 9 qualifier like his daughter in Top Fuel and like her to won in the first round on Sunday.

 

Force was on the receiving end of a lucky break when rookie driver Chad Head inadvertently rolled the lights triggering a red-light start and handing the win to the 15-time champion. This was the first time Force had ever faced Head in eliminations and he was pleased to see how Head was establishing himself in a tough Funny Car category.

 

“Chad Head is a good racer. His dad (Jim Head) is a good tuner. That Funny Car has been tough all year. They put up great numbers and we were lucky to get that round win. Sometimes that is what you need,” said Force.

 

Force’s luck ran out in the second round when he faced No. 1 qualifier and 2011 Funny Car champion Matt Hagan in round two. Force was able to move up in the Mello Yello point standings and he is only three points out of the Top Ten. As Force was staging he took a moment to adjust his position in the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang just as Hagan was rolling his Magnetti Marelli Dodge into the stage beams. When Force realized he was on the clock he jumped in and staged his Ford Mustang, recording he best reaction time of the weekend a strong. 043 seconds. That was not enough to outrun the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals finalist.

 

“I nearly screwed myself up against Hagan. I was trying to get up in my seat and when I looked up he was staged. I used almost all of my seven seconds. I wasn’t trying to screw anybody but I almost screwed myself. I race everyone straight up. I talked to Hagan at the top end. I was glad to go some rounds today and we’ll get in that top ten and do some damage,” said Force.

 

The first round woes continued for Courtney Force’s Traxxas Ford Mustang. The second year driver was upset by veteran Del Worsham in the opening session. Force grabbed bonus points in the first qualifying session as the quickest Funny Car and then made a solid pass on Friday night. In the opening session on Saturday her Traxxas Ford Mustang uncharacteristically smoked the tires as she was pulling away from Worsham.

 

“It is tough to get back into the groove of racing when you don’t get a full race. Only having two qualifying sessions is tough on everybody. We made two great passes in qualifying and picked up some qualifying bonus points,” said Force.

 

“We were in the top half of the field. We just struggled getting this Traxxas Ford Mustang down the lane in the first round. I am ready to get to a race where I can get some more seat time. This is still just my second year so that seat time is important. I can learn more about the track when I get more runs in qualifying. I am looking forward to getting four qualifying passes in Topeka and going rounds on Sunday there.”

 

Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang were not able to capture the magic that propelled them to the final round last season at the NHRA Southern Nationals. A dropped cylinder ended his day early against eventual winner Johnny Gray. This was the second race in a row Hight has fallen to Gray in the first round. Prior to these two races Hight had a commanding 9-4 career record against Gray. Unfortunately Hight is 3-5 versus Gray in first rounds now. In all other rounds Hight has a dominating 6-1 record including a 3-0 final round record.

 

“We dropped a cylinder at the hit and that really did us in. We made a good run in qualifying in the first session on Friday. Glad to get this one behind us and we’ll head to Topeka. We are still trying a few things and we’ll get this Auto Club Mustang sorted out,” said Hight.

POINTS BATTLE TIGHTENS AT O’REIILY SPRING NATIONALS

 

HOUSTON, TX —- At the conclusion of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals the Mello Yello Funny Car point standings tightened up as Matt Hagan class points leader lost in the first round and only two of the top eight drivers advanced beyond round two. Unfortunately for John Force Racing team leader and 15-time Funny Car champion John Force came the closest to racing live on ESPN2 in the semis.

 

Force, the 2002 Funny Car winner at the O’Reilly Spring Nationals, took out Blake Alexander in the first round before dropping a close race to veteran Tim Wilkerson. In the battle of the Ford Mustangs Force left on Wilkerson and his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang was charging down the track when it hazed the tires. Wilkerson who tunes and drives the Levi Ray & Shoup Mustang made one of the quickest runs of the session to defeat Force. At the top end it was Wilkerson 4.198 to Force’s 5.719.

 

“Every time you can win a round that is something, as tough as these Funny Cars are in this class. I am never going to take round wins lightly or for granted. This is part of the lesson. Our whole team and operation is focusing on getting better. The biggest things with some of the moves we have made is we don’t expect this to be perfect for a while. This is a long season and going back to back actually helps us. Every run we can make we can get better. I know my guys are working hard and we’ll get this Castrol GTX Mustang going rounds,” said Force.

 

The AAA Texas Mustang of Robert Hight made a strong showing in qualifying, grabbing the No.3 position, but unfortunately with only two rounds of qualifying due to weather it did not give the team much info. Strong thunder storms blew through the area on Saturday and conditions were dramatically different for all the teams as they took the track this morning.

 

“This track was completely new for us today compared to what we qualified on. It was tough for everybody. We were right on the edge of going right down the track. Jimmy Prock had this AAA Texas Mustang ready to go rounds today. The only good thing is we will be back on the track in a couple of days in Atlanta,” said Hight, the 2009 Funny Car champion.

 

“I am going to the Mello Yello Champions banquet on Wednesday night in Atlanta and I am going to get motivated. You don’t need much as tough as this class is. The points leaders in Top Fuel and Funny Car lost in the first round today. There is a lot of movement in the points and everyone is looking to go rounds. There are no easy rounds and we are going to be ready next weekend.”

 

The leader in the points for John Force Racing sophomore sensation Courtney Force lost to Alexis DeJoria in the first round. It was a rematch of last season’s first round and this time the driver of the Tequila Patron Toyota outran a tire smoking Traxxas Mustang piloted by Force.

 

The second year driver held onto her Mello Yello top five position despite her early exit. She is only a handful of rounds out of second place in the point standings.

 

Force qualified in the top half of the field on Friday in the No. 5 spot and was 2-0 against DeJoria in previous match-ups. This time the green and black car took the win.

 

“All in all, I think we did an okay job this weekend. We made two consistent qualifying runs on Friday. This race makes the second event in a row that we were shorted two shots to qualify. Those are really important to figure out the track and get your set-up right,” said Force.

 

“We won the Winternationals in Pomona at the start of the year and now we’ve had two back-to-back races without getting past the first round on race day. It just goes to show you, you can’t get ahead of yourself. You have to just take it race by race,” said Force.

 

“I know all the crew chiefs had their hands full today. I also know that our Traxxas Ford Mustang is one of the best cars out here. Ron Douglas and Dan Hood and my Traxxas guys make up a top notch team, so we’ll get things figured out. I just really want to get to Atlanta next week and see what we can do there. None of us are hanging our heads. It was a tough day, but we have a whole season ahead of us,” said Force.

 

The Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster piloted by Brittany Force missed the tough field for the first time in 2013. The entire contingent of JFR race cars will be in Atlanta for the Summit Racing Southern Nationals next weekend.

 

JFR FUNNY CARS IMPRESS AT O’REILLY SPRING NATIONALS

 

HOUSTON, TX (April 26, 2013) – The three John Force Racing Ford Mustangs attacked the Royal Purple Raceway Park track today with a vengeance. Each Funny Car scored qualifying bonus points on Friday and all three will go into Saturday’s final day of qualifying in the top half of the field at the 26th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals. Led by a surging Robert Hight and the AAA Texas Ford Mustang team the provisional No. 3 qualifier with a strong 4.117 second run in the second session. Right behind Hight are Courtney Force and the Traxxas Ford Mustang (No. 5, 4.123 seconds) and John Force (No. 7, 4.151 seconds) behind the wheel of the Castrol GTX Mustang.

 

The Forces scored their qualifying bonus points in the opening session on Friday with Courtney and the Traxxas Ford Mustang grabbing the top spot early with a 4.153 second run and Force right behind her in the No. 3 spot running 4.191 seconds. Jack Beckman also posted a 4.191 second run but the 15-time Funny Car champion held onto the third spot by virtue of his faster mile per hour.

 

Hight smoked the tires in the first session and was first up in the second session. The AAA Texas Ford Mustang launched hard and stayed hooked up for the entire 1000 ft. At the top end Hight posted the quickest run of the day, 4.117 seconds and that run held up most of the session only being bested by Tim Wilkerson and provisional No. 1 Cruz Pedregon.

 

“The first run was slow and it shook. We changed clutch discs coming in here and our program was weak in the first session.  We adjusted for it and we were conservative because you have to make sure you go on the night runs,” said Hight. “You don’t want to go into Saturday not qualified. I am surprised that a 4.11 stayed No. 3. It was plenty soft and we could have run quicker but we weren’t in a position to. Good job to my team and we’ll get a race day set up tomorrow. That will be important tomorrow. We’ll need to go down the track both runs and get two runs that will give us info for Sunday. You don’t want to be behind the eight-ball.”

 

Hight was optimistic that the conditions would not give teams the chance to challenge the top spots. The forecast calls for warmer conditions and the qualifying times will be earlier in the day.

 

“I don’t think people will run better than that (4.11 seconds) tomorrow in the heat. Tomorrow a top run could be 4.13 seconds in the heat. Hopefully we can do that,” said Hight.

 

Team leader John Force was looking at the big picture at the end of the day on Friday. He was pleased his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang was third quickest of the first session and he wants to stay in the top half going into Sunday for the all-important lane choice in eliminations.

 

“Today was nothing really exciting. It was good enough for me and my sponsors like Castrol, Ford, Mac Tools, AAA Texas, Traxxas and BrandSource to get up in the top half. We are going to try and run better tomorrow but it is good to be in the top half to hold onto lane choice. The dragster banged the blower. Courtney is right up there at the top with Robert,” said Force.

 

In the final session on Friday night the fans were treated to a Courtney Force/John Force side by side run and they ate up the chance to see two of the biggest names on the tour run together. Force was focusing on his performance and looking to give his team and edge and did not consider that he was running beside his youngest daughter.

 

“I don’t even think about her being over there. I don’t need to. I just run my own lane. I saw her when I backed up and I tried to get staged as quickly as I could. Usually she lets me go in first and I went to roll in and she went ahead and staged,” said Force.

 

Courtney Force made two consistent passes down the race track today to qualify in the No. 5 spot at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas.

 

“It was nice getting back here to Baytown for our second of three back-to-back races and it was nice to be back to two-lane racing,” said Force. “My guys had our Traxxas Ford Mustang tuned up and we made two consistent passes straight down the race track.”

 

Force set high goals for herself and her team coming into this event having slipped out of the points lead last weekend in Concord, N.C.

 

In the first qualifying session today, Force ran a 4.153 ET at over 294 mph which took her to the No. 1 spot and granted her three vital bonus points.

 

The 24-year-old followed up that pass with a 4.123 second run at over 304 mph beside her father, John Force, and left her solidly in the top half of the field occupying the No. 5 position going into Saturday’s qualifying sessions.

 

“I’m proud of my guys. They made some changes today to the race car and it’s looking good for our team. I’m excited about tomorrow because we have two really good runs to work off of. I’m hoping we can go some round this weekend and work our way back up in the points, so we’ll just have to see how tomorrow goes and do the best we can,” said Force.

 

The Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster will head into Saturday on the outside looking in. After a strong showing in Charlotte the Texas heat did not do the JFR top fuel team any favors. Brittany Force had her hands full in both sessions but is excited to get back on track on Saturday.

 

“We got two runs and I am a little disappointed with our runs today. On that last run I ended up getting off it and then stepping back on it trying to pedal it. I don’t have much experience pedaling it,” said Force, one of the favorites to win the Automobile Club Road to the Future Award. “We’ll get two shots tomorrow. I was hoping to move up into the top half of the field in that last session. I feel positive about our chances for tomorrow and getting into the show for Sunday.”  

DOLLAR GENERAL FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS NOT KIND TO JFR

 

CHARLOTTE, NC —- The day after an explosion launched his Auto Club Mustang carbon fiber body onto a walkway adjacent to the zMax Dragway, the defending event champion was unceremoniously bounced out of the race in the second round. Luckily no spectators were seriously injured on Saturday and today Hight actually moved up in the Mello Yello point standings.

 

In the opening session of the 4th annual Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Hight pulled into lane four, the same lane he was in during the final qualifying session. He blazed down the track without incident posting an elapsed time of 4.113 seconds which was second quickest of his quad. Just behind No. 1 qualifier Chad Head. In an ironic turn of events the No. 1 and No. 16 qualifiers moved on to the second round.

 

Hight was joined in the second round with Head, fellow Ford Racing teammate Tim Wilkerson and Cruz Pedregon. When the Christmas Tree lit up Hight mashed the throttle and his Auto Club Mustang smoked the tires about one second later. Hight was forced to pedal his race car as Wilkerson cruised down the race track and Head fought with his Funny Car to maintain control. Head was able to secure the second place finish in the quad ahead of Pedregon and Hight.

 

“I want to thank my crew guys for giving me a good race car today. We made a great run in the first round. Yesterday was a tough day and I am so glad everything worked out the way it did. You never want to have an incident like that but like I said yesterday we will investigate the problem and see how we can possibly fix it. I am ready to get back to the track. We’ll be ready for Houston and we’ll be running the AAA Texas Ford Mustang.”

 

Heading to Houston for the 26th annual O’Reilly Spring Nationals Hight will be No.  6 in the Mello Yello point standings, a one spot improvement.

 

While Hight was advancing to the second round team leader John Force just missed joining his teammate. Force’s first round upset was the first time the 2010 Dollar General Four-Wide winner has lost in the opening session under the four-wide format. As the No. 2 qualifier Force and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang team had the first pick of lanes and chose the favorable second lane. Force launched hard but at about mid-track his Castrol GTX Funny Car shook the tires loose and Bob Tasca III and upstart driver Blake Alexander took the win lights and advanced to the second round.

 

The 15-time Funny Car champion was disappointed with his performance on race day and vowed to make immediate changes to improve his performance.

 

“Weather caught us since we only got two runs. Everybody only got two runs. We did get everybody qualified. I’ll head back to Indy tomorrow morning. We are going to make some changes on this Castrol GTX Mustang to make it fit me a little better. I don’t fit in it right and that doesn’t help the driver. We will get ready for Houston. It is good to be back to back, you get in the groove,” said Force.

 

Sunday was also a tough day for Mello Yello points leader Courtney Force. The driver of the Traxxas Ford Mustang was defeated in the first round for just the second time this season. Like all the drivers who did not meet expectation the truncated qualifying sessions contributed to on track struggles and the unique four-wide format.

 

“We only got two out the four runs during qualifying. I wish I would’ve gotten a little more practice out there before the race began, but it was an equal playing field because all of us (in Funny Car) only got two qualifying passes,” said the 2012 Rookie of the Year.

“Going up for round one, we had third pick of the lanes. We couldn’t get our car down there and unfortunately didn’t get the win. We slipped a little in the points and lost the points lead. I think if we would have had those two extra qualifying laps we could have done a lot better,” said Force.

 

“I think I struggled a little as a driver today and I wish I would have done better to get that win, but you know, we just have to keep our heads held high and move on. We go to Houston next and I’m excited to see what we can do there. Ron Douglas can tune this race car, we just gotta put this race behind us.”

 

Rookie of the Year contender Brittany Force had her most consistent weekend behind the wheel of the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster. She made two qualifying runs due to the shortened schedule due to rain in the 3.83s and then in the first round she posted another 3.83 second run. It was not enough for the No. 9 qualifier to advance around the No. 1 qualifier Shawn Langdon and No. 8 qualifier Tony Schumacher.

 

Force was pleased with the consistency and excited to back on the race track in a few days. She was also glad she got some timely advice from her father.

 

“For me four wide is still very new. Getting up there and getting staged is a little tricky and today was only the third time I have done it. It got a little tricky when (rookie Sidnei) Frigo broke in lane four. The officials were showing me three fingers and it is a good thing my dad had already told me to have a plan with my team in case something weird happened. I remember thinking I am not going to worry about that but we did talk about some signals so we could communicate,” said Force.

 

“There wasn’t a problem and I was happy about that. We had a really consistent race car and the bad thing is we only got two qualifying runs. We ran 3.836 in the first round and we had been running 3.83s all weekend. We have a tunable race car which is good.”

 

 “I think back to back racing is helpful for the driver and the team. I get more comfortable in the car and with staging. Now we will go back to normal with only two cars at a time. I can work on my normal routine. The Four Wide is definitely fun and exciting but I wish I would have had a little more time to get used to it,” added Force.

JOHN FORCE No. 2 at DOLLAR GENERAL FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

 

CHARLOTTE (April 20, 2013) – John Force and the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang team came out of the pits swinging today at the 4th annual Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals qualifying No. 2 with a 4.039 second run at the Funny Car event top speed of 316.08 mph. All four John Force Racing race cars qualified for the once a season four-wide extravaganza at Bruton Smith’s Bellagio of Drag Strips, zMax Dragway. Rookie Funny Car driver Chad Head was the No. 1 qualifier, the first of his Funny Car career, with a 4.014 second pass in the opening session under optimal conditions.

 

John Force made the highlight run in Funny Car to start the day for JFR but Brittany Force in her four-wide debut also turned some heads with a constantly improving Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster. The rookie driver opened the day with a 3.839 second run and followed it up with a 3.836 second pass in the second and final session. At the end of the only day of qualifying the rookie driver was pleased to be the No. 9 qualifier, her highest starting spot in her young career.

 

“We only got two runs and coming into the race we were hoping for the four qualifying runs to get used to four-wide. We were consistent both runs and we improved on our last run which is always good. We are moving in the right direction. In my canopy I don’t have much side vision but it is definitely a lot louder,” said Brittany Force, a quarter-finalist at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals two weeks ago.

 

“For me staging is just so different. My first run today I was in lane one which is the furthest lane on the left and it was pretty easy since the Christmas tree looked like it normally does. You are just waiting on three other cars to pull in. The last run I was in lane three which is the lane second from the right and I got a little confused for a second. The two runs were enough to get me comfortable though. I am looking forward to going some rounds tomorrow hopefully.”

 

In the first round of Top Fuel Force will face off with No. 1 qualifier Shawn Langdon, No. 8 qualifier Tony Schumacher and No. 16 qualifier rookie Sidnei Frigo.

 

“I am just going to go up there and do my same routine. It doesn’t matter who is in the lane next to me or the three lanes next to me here. I am excited to be racing a fellow rookie, Schumacher and Shawn Langdon. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

 

Going into the second session today the three John Force Racing Funny Cars were in decent positions considering there were seventeen Funny Cars trying to get one of sixteen spots but with only two shots to qualify they all knew anything could happen.

 

Robert Hight was the first JFR Funny Car driver to try and improve his position. At the time of his run he had slipped to the No. 15 spot and was running with Johnny Gray, Dale Creasy Jr. and fellow Ford driver Tim Wilkerson. His spot in the show was far from secure and as Hight’s Auto Club Mustang powered down lane number four is began to drop cylinders before it shockingly exploded and blew the carbon fiber body high into the air.

 

“It ran 6.13 in the first session and more than likely that will not keep you in the show. There are too many good Funny Cars here. This is a little different ballgame because we are four-wide so you don’t know who is behind you that could still bump you out. You are trying to figure all that out in the water box. I just went up there and did my burn out and knew I needed to make a good run. I hit the throttle and it instantly goes to the right and I knew it had a cylinder out,” said Hight.

 

“The last few runs it has done that it has gone right down the race track. It doesn’t even put a mark on a piston. I am fighting it back to the left then all of a sudden it puts a cylinder out on the left side and it goes towards the center line but I get her straightened out. Everything is good but the motor didn’t sound right without a doubt. I didn’t know if I was qualified and I had to stay with it. It just blew up. Luckily no one was seriously hurt. It was obviously a malfunction.”

 

“If it would have just had one cylinder out at the hit that thing would have motored down there like it has done the last ten runs. There was some sort of malfunction and we will fix it tonight. We will be back up there tomorrow in the ball game trying to defend this four-wide title.

 

The NHRA released a statement after the incident stating that the Mustang carbon fiber body landed in a walkway in front of the eastside grandstand. As a precaution two fans were evaluated and released by paramedics on-site.

 

Veteran driver Johnny Gray missed the show and Hight settled into the No. 16 spot with a final run of 4.879 seconds.

 

After the debris was cleared from the race track Courtney Force and John Force were next up in their quartet of Funny Cars. Courtney Force’s Traxxas Ford Mustang was looking to improve on their qualifying position.

 

“The races rained out on Friday so we were short two qualifying passes, which means we didn’t get to try out two of the four lanes. It’s unfortunate, because we didn’t make two great passes today. The car tried spinning the tires down track and it struggled early on in the second qualifying pass today. I feel like we’re going into race day blindfolded because we didn’t get to qualifying in all four lanes, but everyone else is in the same boat as our team. We’re going to have to go out tomorrow and do the best we can with what we do know. On the bright side of things, we got qualified, and that’s a plus because that’s not always guaranteed,” said Force the Mello Yello Funny Car points leader.

 

“We’re looking forward to tomorrow to see what our Traxxas Ford Mustang can do. I have to keep this car as straight as possible as a driver, really just focus and not be distracted by the lights. It hasn’t been bad so far. I’m glad I have my routine down early on. Ron Douglas has been doing a great job tuning my race car all season long. We went to the final round at the last event in Las Vegas so there’s no reason why we can’t do it again tomorrow.”

 

John Force was a few lanes away from his youngest daughter and his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car did not improve and he will go into race day as the No. 2 qualifier and a first round match-up with Tony Pedregon, Bob Tasca III and Blake Alexander.