Monster Energy’s Brittany Force continues
championship drive from No. 5 spot

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 30) – The battle for the NHRA Top Fuel championship continues Sunday in the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, and Monster Energy driver Brittany Force intends to be in the thick of the battle.

Force qualified No. 5 and will be gunning for her second consecutive victory in the Countdown to the Championship. She won last week in Reading, Pa. – following a semifinal finish in Concord, N.C. – and is third in the Top Fuel standings.

“I’m feeling good going in to tomorrow,” Force said. “I have a strong team behind me with (tuning consultant) Alan Johnson, (crew chief) Brian Husen and the entire Monster Energy team. Continue reading Monster Energy’s Brittany Force continues championship drive from No. 5 spot →

AAA Missouri driver Robert Hight snares
56th career No. 1, joins exclusive company

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 30) – AAA Missouri Chevrolet Camaro driver Robert Hight joined some exclusive NHRA company at Gateway Motorsports Park on Saturday by snaring the No. 1 qualifying spot for the AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals.

The No. 1 was Hight’s 56th of his brilliant career, and he moved into a tie for ninth with Joe Amato and Mike Edwards on NHRA’s list of all-time No. 1 qualifiers.

He also tied John Force Racing teammate Courtney Force for most No. 1s this season, seven, in Funny Car.

But Hight was also surprised he hung on to the No. 1 spot. Continue reading AAA Missouri driver Robert Hight snares 56th career No. 1, joins exclusive company →

Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force to start
No. 7 in Sunday’s NHRA Funny Car race at Gateway

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 30) – Courtney Force proved last weekend’s race in Reading she could race to the finals of an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car finals from the No. 8 qualifying position.

In Sunday’s race, the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, Force will again try to come from mid-pack, as the driver of the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS starts one position better – No. 7. Continue reading Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force to start No. 7 in Sunday’s NHRA Funny Car race at Gateway →

PEAK driver John Force turns in career-best ET,
will start No. 2 in Sunday’s race at Gateway

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 30) – John Force’s career-best elapsed time in Friday’s second round of qualifying netted him the No. 2 qualifying position in Sunday’s AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Force, chasing a 17th NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship, recorded a pass of 3.832 seconds at 334.65 mph. That pass set a track record for a few moments, as Force’s teammate Robert Hight topped him shortly after by just two thousandths of a second. Continue reading PEAK driver John Force turns in career-best ET, will start No. 2 in Sunday’s race at Gateway →

Track records propel AAA Missouri driver
Robert Hight to No. 1 spot at Gateway

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 29) – Robert Hight and his AAA Missouri team have set the bar so high in Funny Car that when he doesn’t reach record heights, many are disappointed.

But Hight isn’t.

Hight set the Gateway Motorsports Park track record for elapsed time and speed during qualifying Friday for the AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals to snare the provisional No 1 spot in Funny Car. Continue reading Track records propel AAA Missouri driver Robert Hight to No. 1 spot at Gateway →

16-time champion John Force heads to St. Louis seeking victory for PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil team

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 27) – John Force made it clear Sunday after the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., that the most important thing for him is to see his entire operation do well. For the most part, he likes what he saw at Reading.

His daughters, Brittany and Courtney Force, each made finals appearances at Reading, with Brittany Force winning in the Top Fuel category and Courtney Force finishing runner-up in Funny Car. Brittany Force moved to third place in Top Fuel points, only one point out of second and 23 points behind points leader Steve Torrence, while Courtney Force remained third, only eight points out of second and 39 points – less than two rounds – behind Funny Car points leader Ron Capps. Continue reading 16-time champion John Force heads to St. Louis seeking victory for PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil team →

Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force carries
momentum into St. Louis after consecutive finals

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 27) – On the strength of back-to-back finals and runner-up finishes in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competition, Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force has jumped from sixth in the points standings to third with four races remaining in the annual Countdown to the Championship.

That she did so at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C., and Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., is even more reason for optimism heading into the final four races of the Countdown. Previously, her best finishes at Concord was a semifinals appearance, and at Reading, a quarterfinals finish. Continue reading Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force carries momentum into St. Louis after consecutive finals →

Big weekend ahead at Gateway for
AAA Missouri driver Robert Hight

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 27) – The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals this weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park is an important race for Robert Hight – for many reasons.

For starters, Hight is in the thick of the championship battle in Funny Car, sitting eight points out of the lead as the Countdown to the Championship hits the halfway point after this event. Continue reading Big weekend ahead at Gateway for AAA Missouri driver Robert Hight →

Brittany Force hopes Monster Energy
team keeps rolling in St. Louis

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 26) – Brittany Force and her Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team are hitting their stride at just the right time.

Force is coming off a spectacular victory in the NHRA Nationals last weekend at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., cementing herself as a contender for the 2017 championship. That win followed a semifinal finish in the first race of the Countdown to the Championship in Charlotte, as Force has moved to third in the Top Fuel standings. Continue reading Brittany Force hopes Monster Energy team keeps rolling in St. Louis →

Capps Wins Dodge NHRA Nationals in Mopar-powered Dodge Charger Funny Car

Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car driver Ron Capps wins 33rd annual Dodge NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pennsylvania
Win is seventh of season for Capps and 13th for Mopar HEMI® power from Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) in Funny Car this year
Victory is 56th of Capps’ career in Funny Car category
Mopar HEMI-powered Dodge Funny Cars from DSR have reached 17 final rounds in 20 events to date in 2017
Three Mopar Dodge Funny Cars from DSR reach semifinals, all go to at least second round
Leah Pritchett and Tony Schumacher finish in second round in Mopar Top Fuel dragsters
Capps regains Funny Car points lead at conclusion of second event in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship playoffs, Schumacher sits fifth to lead Mopar in Top Fuel
Three Mopar-powered cars reach quarterfinals of Super Stock Eliminator Continue reading Capps Wins Dodge NHRA Nationals in Mopar-powered Dodge Charger Funny Car →

PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Funny Car driver John Force
still dreams of title despite early Reading exit

READING, Pa. (Sept. 24) – John Force and the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS team still dream of winning a championship despite an early exit in Sunday’s NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the second race of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ Countdown to the Championship.

Force, the No. 13 qualifier, fell to No. 4 Jonnie Lindberg in the opening round of the race, despite having a better reaction time. Force got the edge by three hundredths of a second – .053 seconds to Lindberg’s .089 seconds – but Lindberg took control at the 60-foot mark. The pair ran side-by-side before the rear tires on Force’s car started smoking, causing him to slow. Lindberg’s car suffered no glitches, and he moved on to the second round. Continue reading PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Funny Car driver John Force still dreams of title despite early Reading exit →

Despite second-round stumble, Auto Club driver
Robert Hight still a threat in Funny Car title race

READING, Pa. (Sept. 24) – Auto Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight knew he wouldn’t just waltz to the 2017 Funny Car championship.

Hight took over the points lead after his win in Charlotte last weekend that kicked off the Countdown to the Championship. But in the second race, the NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway, Hight and his Chevrolet Camaro SS team hit a bit of a speed bump. Continue reading Despite second-round stumble, Auto Club driver Robert Hight still a threat in Funny Car title race →

Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force races to
Reading final for second consecutive runner-up finish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 24) – Courtney Force took her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS to her second consecutive finals in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competition Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway, and cut further into the Funny Car points lead with a runner-up finish. Continue reading Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force races to Reading final for second consecutive runner-up finish →

Monster Energy driver Brittany Force surges into
Top Fuel title contention with Reading victory

READING, Pa. (Sept. 24) – Monster Energy driver Brittany Force served notice that she is a championship contender by storming by two past champions and the current Top Fuel points leader in winning the NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway.

Force moved up to third in the Countdown to the Championship standings, one point out of second and 23 behind leader Steve Torrence. Continue reading Monster Energy driver Brittany Force surges into Top Fuel title contention with Reading victory →

Quick, consistent Monster Energy dragster has
Brittany Force excited for Reading race day

READING, Pa. (Sept. 23) – Brittany Force’s Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster has performed more like a Sportsman bracket car during qualifying for the NHRA Nationals this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway.

She qualified the Monster Energy car in the No. 4 spot for Sunday’s eliminations, and with such a consistent, quick car, Force is ready to chase her second victory of the 2017 season. Continue reading Quick, consistent Monster Energy dragster has Brittany Force excited for Reading race day →

Auto Club driver Robert Hight chases second consecutive Countdown victory from No. 1 spot in Reading

READING, Pa. (Sept. 23) – The only things that seems to slow down NHRA driver Robert Hight and his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS these days are his parachutes.

But Hight didn’t even need them in the final qualifying session for the NHRA Nationals on Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway.

Hight had just secured the sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 55th of his career with his run in Q4, but when he pulled the parachutes to slow the car, they didn’t blossom.
Continue reading Auto Club driver Robert Hight chases second consecutive Countdown victory from No. 1 spot in Reading →

Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force snares No. 8 qualifying position for Reading’s NHRA Nationals

READING, Pa. (Sept. 23) – Courtney Force knows she has a fast hot rod come race day. That’s why she’ll put qualifying behind her after a rare mid-pack performance during the first two days of the NHRA Nationals this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway.

Force, in the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, turned in a best effort of 3.935 seconds at 321.88 mph in Friday’s second round. She was unable to improve in either of Saturday’s efforts, striking the tires in both runs. But Force, who has a class-leading seven No. 1s this season, remained upbeat heading into Sunday’s elimination rounds. Continue reading Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force snares No. 8 qualifying position for Reading’s NHRA Nationals →

John Force lands PEAK Chevrolet in the No. 13
qualifying position for Reading’s NHRA Nationals

READING, Pa. (Sept. 23) – John Force will seek an eighth NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car victory in Sunday’s NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway from the No. 13 qualifying position.

Force, gunning for a 17th Funny Car title, had a best qualifying pass of 3.978 seconds at 324.12 mph in the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS, improving on his career-best run at the track despite lifting early. He ran in the four-second range twice Saturday, unable to surpass Friday’s second-round effort. Continue reading John Force lands PEAK Chevrolet in the No. 13 qualifying position for Reading’s NHRA Nationals →

Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight
tops 339 mph again to lead Reading qualifying

READING, Pa. (Sept. 22) – Auto Club of Southern California Funny Car driver Robert Hight kept rolling on the first day of the NHRA Nationals on Friday at Maple Grove Raceway, speeding to the provisional No. 1 spot with the track-record for elapsed time as well as speed.

Hight kicked off the six-race Countdown to the Championship by winning last weekend in Charlotte, taking over the Funny Car points lead in the process. Continue reading Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight tops 339 mph again to lead Reading qualifying →

PEAK Chevrolet driver John Force hopes
to capitalize on Reading success this weekend

READING, Pa. (Sept. 19) – Sixteen-time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion John Force is no stranger to success at Maple Grove Raceway.

The Yorba Linda, Calif., driver and living drag racing legend has seven victories and 14 finals appearances at the east Pennsylvania track, but hopes for an eighth victory this weekend as the Countdown to the Championship moves north from North Carolina. Continue reading PEAK Chevrolet driver John Force hopes to capitalize on Reading success this weekend →