J. FORCE, B. FORCE NO. 2 FRIDAY AT ZMAX DRAGWAY FOUR-WIDE

CONCORD, NC – The first day of qualifying at the 7th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods was cut short by persistent rain showers but not before John Force and Brittany Force could race to the provisional No. 2 positions in Funny Car and Top Fuel respectively. The father and daughter tandem will lead the team into the second day of four-wide qualifying at zMAX Dragway starting at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow.

John Force was just a tick slower than the quickest Funny Car missing the No. 1 spot by .005 seconds in his PEAK Antifreeze Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car. The winner of the inaugural Four-Wide Nationals was fired up at the top end after the run. Continue reading J. FORCE, B. FORCE NO. 2 FRIDAY AT ZMAX DRAGWAY FOUR-WIDE →

JOHN FORCE EXPECTS FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS TO THRILL FANS

CHARLOTTE, NC (April 20, 2016) — The winningest driver in NHRA history knows that the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods is a completely different “animal.” Even with 143 Funny Car wins to his credit John Force’s lone win at the Four-Wide coming at the inaugural event in 2010 still sticks in his head.

“I was so confused at that first Four-Wide Nationals. I went up to the starting line on my scooter every chance I got to just watch how the Christmas Tree worked. I was up there for Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock just to get a feel for how that whole deal worked. I raced in the exhibition race the year before but until you make that first pass with three other Funny Cars all around you, you don’t know what to expect,” said Force.

Fans can expect to see Force along with the three other John Force Racing race cars continue to have early season success as the fifth stop of the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series gets started on Friday with Nitro qualifying at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at zMAX Dragway. Force is currently second in the Funny Car point standings trailing only his teammate and recent Gatornationals winner Robert Hight, driver of the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car. Continue reading John Force Racing Expecting Four-Wide Nationals to Thrill Fans →

JOHN FORCE RACES TO SEMIFINALS IN LAS VEGAS

-JFR LEADS TOP FUEL AND FUNNY CAR POINTS-

LAS VEGAS — At the close of the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plug NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway John Force Racing held onto the points lead in Top Fuel and Funny Car while John Force raced to the semifinals and moved up to the No. 2 position in the Funny Car point standings.

The PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car started the day with a tough match-up but advanced to the second round with a win over Matt Hagan. John Force took a reaction time advantage and raced to the win light with a winning time of 4.059 seconds at 300.40 mph against Hagan’s 4.061 seconds, 308.07 mph pass.

In the quarterfinals Force had to race teammate and daughter Courtney Force and it was one of the closest races of the day. Both JFR drivers had excellent reaction times and the PEAK Chevy barely nosed out the Traxxas Chevy Funny Car at the finish line 3.991 to 3.996 seconds. Continue reading JOHN FORCE RACES TO SEMIFINALS IN LAS VEGAS →

JFR STEPS UP SATURDAY QUALIFYING EFFORT IN LAS VEGAS

LAS VEGAS – The John Force Racing team stepped up the performance numbers on a hot track today at the DENSO Spark Plug Nationals and will go into race day with all four race cars in the top half of their respective classes qualifying fields. Courtney Force and the Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car lead JFR in Funny Car as the No. 2 qualifier right in front of the Auto Club Chevrolet team and Robert Hight. Last year’s winner John Force will have lane choice over Matt Hagan in a tough No. 7 versus No. 10 first round. The Monster Energy dragster will repeat the final round of the Gatornationals against Terry McMillen with Brittany Force picking her lane as the higher seeded No. 4 qualifier. Continue reading JFR STEPS UP SATURDAY QUALIFYING EFFORT IN LAS VEGAS →

C. FORCE, B. FORCE LEAD JFR TEAMS ON FRIDAY IN LAS VEGAS

LAS VEGAS – Courtney Force and Brittany Force led the way for John Force Racing at the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals today at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Courtney Force and the Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS team put three bonus points in their pocket today after two rounds of qualifying. They were the third quickest car in the first session and the second quickest car in the second session, narrowly missing a track elapsed time record. If Force holds on to the No. 2 position through Saturday’s additional sessions, this will be the third race in a row that she has qualified No. 2. Continue reading John Force Racing–C. FORCE, B. FORCE LEAD JFR TEAMS ON FRIDAY IN LAS VEGAS →

HIGHT REVVED UP FOR RETURN TO THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS

LAS VEGAS (March 29, 2016) —- For Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car team this weekend’s DENSO Spark Plug NHRA Nationals could not get here fast enough. On the heels of winning his third Gatornationals Funny Car title in five years and also with back to back final round appearances at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Hight is looking forward to getting back on the track.

“Getting the win in Gainesville was huge for us. We won in Funny Car and then to see Brittany Force get her first Top Fuel win was special. It was the first John Force Racing double up win and now Brittany and I are each in the points lead and locked into the Traxxas Shootout. The biggest focus for our Auto Club team is to stay focused. We knew we were close to breaking through and now we just have to keep the pressure on and continue to be consistent,” said Hight, a 37-time Funny Car winner. Continue reading John Force Racing Heads to Las Vegas →

B. FORCE, HIGHT VICTORIOUS AT GATORNATIONALS

GAINESVILLE, FL — John Force Racing made team history today winning their first Top Fuel national event and also winning both Top Fuel and Funny Car as Brittany Force and Robert Hight were victorious at the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Force racing in her eighth final round defeated Terry McMillen in Top Fuel while Hight took out Ron Capps to secure his third Gatornationals career win. The wins secured berths for Brittany Force and Robert Hight in the Traxxas Shootout.

For Force and the Monster Energy team it was their second consecutive final round and moved the 27 year-old driver from Yorba Linda, California into the Top Fuel points lead for the first time in her career. She’s the eighth different JFR driver to lead the Mello Yello points including John Force, Tony Pedregon, Gary Densham, Robert Hight, Ashley Force Hood, Mike Neff and Courtney Force all in Funny Car. Continue reading John Force Racing–B. FORCE, HIGHT VICTORIOUS AT GATORNATIONALS →

C. FORCE, HIGHT LEAD JFR INTO RACEDAY AT GATORNATIONALS

GAINESVILLE, FL – Mother Nature cooperated with the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and in spite of a dire forecast all the pro classes were able to make four qualifying runs in advance of the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. The final two sessions today were delayed but once the race cars took to the track Courtney Force and Robert Hight made strong efforts to put themselves in contention for victory as the No. 2 and No. 3 qualifiers, respectively. Seven-time Gatornationals winner John Force will go into race day as the No. 9 qualifier and Brittany Force will have her best starting position, No. 5 in Top Fuel. Continue reading C. FORCE, HIGHT LEAD JFR INTO RACEDAY AT GATORNATIONALS →

BRITTANY FORCE A MONSTER ON FRIDAY AT GATORNATIONALS

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster and racer Brittany Force continued to turn heads with another day of exceptional qualifying. On Friday of the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Force picked up four qualifying bonus points and secured the provisional pole position with a 3.745 second run at a pedestrian 309.56 mph.

“To be able to come out here and run well was great. We didn’t know what we could expect with the weather conditions. We were hoping to get one good run in and we did that first round. We really stepped it up on the second run. When I got out of the dragster at the top end and they told we what we ran I was blown away,” said Force, who has four career No. 1 qualifiers. “It felt like an awesome run early on but at the end of the run I pulled my foot up early because I thought it was getting into trouble. I am excited and proud of this Monster Energy team. We made quite a few changes and we are starting to see that on the race track.” Continue reading John Force Racing–BRITTANY FORCE A MONSTER ON FRIDAY AT GATORNATIONALS →

LAURIE FORCE HONORED WITH PAT GARLITS MEMORIAL AWARD

GAINESVILLE, FL (March 17, 2016) — During the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame banquet tonight Laurie Force was honored with the Pat Garlits Memorial Award presented by Mopar. Force, the wife of 16-time Funny Car champion John Force and mother to NHRA standouts Ashley Force Hood, Brittany Force and Courtney Force, has been a fixture on the drag racing scene for over four decades. The award was presented in recognition of Force’s presence behind a drag racing dynasty whose dedication and passion embodies the spirit of Pat Garlits while also being the ever patient wife of 16-time champion John Force.

“In the early days Laurie wrote my first contracts, mixed fuel and backed the race car up. She was with me from the beginning and there is no doubt I would not be where I am today without the support and love of Laurie,” said a proud John Force during the ceremony.

Named in honor of Don “Big Daddy” Garlits’s late wife the Pat Garlits Memorial Award was first presented in 2014 to Barbara Hamilton, the first woman licensed by NHRA to drive supercharged cars in 1964. Joan Gwynn was honored in 2015 for her contributions to the drag racing community as a supportive wife of 57 years to drag racing legend Jerry Gwynn, mother to racer Darrell Gwynn, as well as her charitable work with the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, and especially her involved with the Drag Racing Association of Women (D.R.A.W.) which has helped injured drag racers and their families for more than 30 years.

Pat Garlits passed away in February of 2014. She was beside her husband Don Garlits as he amassed too many awards to count and set more records than any drag racer in history. The legendary racer and innovator claimed that no matter the awards and accolades he received over his career the best day of his life was when he saw Patricia Louise Bieger for the first time in 1952. The couple was married for over 60 years and Garlits was faithfully by her side until the end of her life.

“She loved her man with all her heart, body and soul and never thought of anyone else but him. She was at dad’s side through every win, loss, crash, you name it, she was there,” said daughter Donna in Pat’s moving obituary.

During the ceremony the following tribute video produced by Ashley Force Hood and including interviews with Ashley, Brittany Force, Courtney Force and John Force was shown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbf-RiN5Y8s&feature=youtu.be

JOHN FORCE STILL CHASING DREAM OF GATORNATIONALS GREATNESS

GAINESVILLE, FL (March 16, 2016) — John Force made his first trip to the historic Gatornationals in 1979. The upstart driver was the No. 17 qualifier and was on the outside looking in but when the No. 14 driver could not make the call Force was able to race on Sunday. There would be no Cinderella story for the SoCal racer as he was quickly dispatched by one of his racing heroes Tom “Mongoose” McEwen in the first round.

“Just to be beat up by Mongoose, the people you dreamed to be like, that was unimaginable. The dream wasn’t winning it was just qualifying. I was lucky if I could make the show. If you got in the show you got picked off in the first round. The dream was there to someday win it. I went to Florida and the only place I had ever seen an alligator was a zoo. I looked out the window at a media event and then there was an alligator walking around outside. It freaked me out,” recalled Force nearly forty year later. Continue reading JOHN FORCE STILL CHASING DREAM OF GATORNATIONALS GREATNESS →

JFR DOMINATES FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING 2-3-4 AT PHOENIX

PHOENIX – John Force Racing attacked the track at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park outside of Phoenix qualifying 2-3-4 in Funny Car. Led by Courtney Force in the No. 2 spot JFR was the dominant team throughout the weekend. The youngest Force held the No. 1 spot throughout the Friday and Saturday until there were only four Funny Car left when Ron Capps slipped around the 2012 Rookie of the Year with a 3.925 second pass to Courtney’s 3.930 pass from Friday in the heat. Force and Robert Hight were paired up as the last Funny Cars to run but they both overpowered the track and had to qualify on the strength of their previous efforts. Continue reading JFR DOMINATES FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING 2-3-4 AT PHOENIX →

COURTNEY FORCE NO. 1 ON FRIDAY AT PHOENIX

PHOENIX – Courtney Force and the Traxxas team pushed their Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to the No. 1 position today at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals with a killer 3.930 ET at 323.97 mph. Not only did it hold through two qualifying sessions, but it was a track elapsed time record for the Funny Car category at Wild Horse Pass Motorsport Park.

“It’s definitely what we hoped for. When we came out here and tested a few weeks back, we were running pretty consistently. We stumbled a little bit at first and then kind of got the car figured out and started running pretty consistent in the 3.0s so I was excited to come back to this track. I was hoping we could carry it over to Pomona, but I was really excited to get back here because we felt comfortable here, we made good runs and the track heated up quite a little bit, but it was definitely a run we were looking for so I’m really excited,” said the fourth year Funny Car driver. Continue reading COURTNEY FORCE NO. 1 ON FRIDAY AT PHOENIX →

8-TIME CARQUEST NATIONAL WINNER JOHN FORCE READY FOR RACE IN DESERT

PHOENIX (February 24, 2016) —- Even though John Force’s last victory at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals happened in 2005 the eight-time winner knows that the winner’s circle is always right around the corner. Force raced to seven wins in eight seasons at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park from 1994 through 2001. In addition to those wins Force also has five additional runner-up finishes most recently in 2010 the year he won his 15th Mello Yello Funny Car championship. The winningest driver in NHRA history enjoys racing in Phoenix and is eager to get to the track this weekend for the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.
Continue reading John Force Racing–8-TIME CARQUEST NATIONAL WINNER JOHN FORCE READY FOR RACE IN DESERT →

J. FORCE, HIGHT RACE TO SEMIS AT WINTERNATIONALS

POMONA, CA —- The 2016 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season started with some success for John Force Racing even though none of the drivers raced into the winner’s circle at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Led by strong performances from seven-time Winternationals winner John Force and three-time winner Robert Hight who each raced to semi-final finishes John Force Racing will leave California as No. 3 and No. 4 in Funny Cars and with quarter-finalist Courtney Force in the No. 6 position.

For the eleventh straight year JFR advanced at least one Funny Car to the semi-finals at the historic Circle K NHRA Winternationals. No. 3 qualifier Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car defeated Tommy Johnson Jr in the first round and took out teammate Courtney Force in a close second round battle. Continue reading J. FORCE, HIGHT RACE TO SEMIS AT WINTERNATIONALS →

HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB CHEVROLET LEAD JFR INTO RACE DAY

POMONA (February 13, 2016) — At the conclusion of qualifying for the historic 56th annual edition of the Circle K NHRA Winternationals Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car will lead the charge for John Force Racing as the No. 3 qualifier. Hight’s final run of qualifying a stellar 3.913 second pass secured the third spot and earned Hight a valuable qualifying bonus point. Hight is followed in the Funny Car qualifying order by teammate Courtney Force, No. 6 and John Force, No. 9. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team were the picture of consistency throughout all four qualifying session settling into the No. 6 qualifying spot, her best career start at the Winternationals. Continue reading HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB CHEVROLET LEAD JFR INTO RACE DAY →

HIGHT, C. FORCE AT TOP OF FUNNY CAR ON FRIDAY

POMONA – Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team picked up right where they left off after last week’s test session in Phoenix. The 2099 NHRA Funny Car champion blasted to the provisional No. 1 spot in Funny Car at the 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals with a first session 3.942 second run at 322.19 mph. He was followed immediately by teammate and sister-in-law Courtney Force in the No. 2 position on the strength of her 3.945 second pass. Team leader John Force and his PEAK Antifreeze Chevy Camaro finished the day in the No. 6 spot and Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel team will go into Saturday as the No. 5 Top Fuel team. Continue reading HIGHT, C. FORCE AT TOP OF FUNNY CAR ON FRIDAY →

FORCE READY TO CHASE CHAMPIONSHIP No. 17 STARTING IN POMONA

POMONA (February 9, 2016) — The winningest driver in NHRA history is ready to get the 2016 NHRA season started with the 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals this weekend at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. John Force, the 16-time Funny Car champion, will be racing under the PEAK Antifreeze banner all season behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car. This weekend Force will be looking to win the historic season opening race for the eighth time.

“I am excited about getting the season started. We had a great week of testing in Phoenix and my PEAK hot rod is ready. My crew chief Jon Schaffer and my team have worked hard over the off-season and we will be ready for the Winternationals,” said Force, the 2014 Winternationals winner. Continue reading John Force Racing Looks Toward Pomona →

JOHN FORCE RACING WRAPS UP SUCCESSFUL TEST SESSION IN PHOENIX

PHOENIX (February 6, 2016) —- The quartet of John Force Racing race cars wrapped up a successful four days of NHRA pre-season testing at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park today. John Force Racing cars claimed seven of the 10 quickest runs of the day. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team led all Top Fuel dragsters today with a 3.721 second pass at 319.07 mph. Continue reading JOHN FORCE RACING WRAPS UP SUCCESSFUL TEST SESSION IN PHOENIX →

JOHN FORCE RACING TO GET POWER FROM E3 SPARK PLUGS STARTING IN 2016

BROWNSBURG, IND (December 10, 2015) – John Force Racing and E3 Spark Plugs are excited to announce a multi-year sponsorship beginning with the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. The 18-time NHRA Funny Car championship team will run E3 Racing Spark Plugs in all three Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Cars as well as the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster.

“When I first met the guys from E3 I was excited. I’ve see how they activate in the marketplace with NHRA and other teams. It seemed like they were everywhere I looked on TV and billboards. I wanted to be part of that and I like the way to they go to market. The spark plug is the heartbeat of a nitro engine, and we are excited to start a relationship with E3,” said John Force, 16-time Funny Car champion and driver of the PEAK Antifreeze Chevy Funny Car. “They understand the needs of a racer and winning. Getting to work with Don Ward again was really exciting for me. They know we can be hard on parts and plugs, so E3 Spark Plugs is a perfect fit for us.”

E3 Spark Plugs has been the official spark plug of NHRA since 2013. The John Force Racing program is a direct result of that relationship and will complement E3’s new line of racing spark plugs as well as the premium OE replacement line of automotive, small-engine, and power-sports plugs.

“We are beyond excited to have John and his championship winning race teams part of the E3 family for 2016 and beyond,” said Steve Joiner, VP of Sales & Marketing for E3. “After all John Force is synonymous with drag racing. His team’s commitment and dedication to winning mirrors our commitment to excellence in every facet of our business. It’s not often that a company has the opportunity to join with a legendary organization like John Force Racing, and we couldn’t be happier. We are looking forward to a long and victorious relationship.”

On Friday at the annual PRI Show at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis John Force will be in the E3 Spark Plugs booth (#2630) from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. signing autographs and talking with show attendees.