Line Wins Season-Opener in Pomona for Team Summit, Anderson

POMONA, Calif., February 9, 2014 – Jason Line had a lot on his mind coming into the 54th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals, the first race of 24 in NHRA’s 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. With Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson on the mend but out for the first six races following heart surgery, the Mooresville, N.C., based driver would be racing for the first time without his team leader. Line, however, accepted the challenge and rose to the occasion, powering his bright blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro to the 66th final round of his career and his 32nd Pro Stock victory. Line will leave Auto Club Raceway at Pomona with the points lead.

“It’s a huge deal to start off the year like this, and I didn’t want to lose to an ‘ugly Dodge,’ ” joked Line. “But in all seriousness, this is a big deal for the Summit Racing team and our Chevrolet Camaros. We worked hard over the winter, and I think we really made some progress. The sport is crazy competitive right now, but we’re certainly off to a good start.
 
“The KB Racing team was great this weekend. We all pitched in and worked together, and Jimmy Alund [who will drive Anderson’s Summit Racing Camaro for the first six events] was a great help as well. He’s a very capable guy and was certainly an asset to us this weekend, there’s no question.”

Line, tuned by crew chiefs Rob Downing and Tim Freeman, had a strong car from the start with his Summit Racing Camaro – remarkably, the same car that he crashed in testing late last season – and entered eliminations as the No. 3 qualifier based on a best time of 6.514-second at 212.63 mph. Although first-round opponent Matt Hartford was nearly psychic at the starting line with a .004-second reaction time to Line’s .051, the charging Chevrolet did its job. Line tripped the finish-line timers with a 6.548 at 211.43 to shut down his opponent’s 6.615, 209.30.

In the second-round, Line nabbed a .003-second starting line advantage over Pro Stock returner Dave Connolly and lengthened his lead as he raced down the quarter-mile for a 6.536, 212.06 to 6.544, 212.06 win. The win light came with a semifinals meeting with Shane Gray, the driver Line beat in the final round in both of his 2013 wins (Houston and Dallas). Line again got the nod, this time with the quickest and fastest pass of the round, a 6.527, 212.23 to Gray’s 6.541, 211.79.

The final round with Denver, Colo., resident V. Gaines was familiar for Line, who beat his friendly rival in the 2006 Sonoma final but fell to him in 2008, when Gaines took the title. The two were nearly identical as they launched from the starting line, but Line, with a .003-second edge, made his best run of the day to get the win. Anderson was watching and cheering his team on from a hospital room in N.C.

“I talked to Greg this morning, and he gave me strict instructions,” said Line, who joined the KB Racing team, a group that now owns 104 event titles, in 2004. “When I finally get to talk to him tonight, I’m pretty sure he’ll be happy with me. This is really cool, and I’m glad Greg is getting better. I’m forever indebted to him for giving me the opportunity so many years ago that nobody else would have.”

FORCE WINS WINTERNATIONALS; SETS ET AND SPEED RECORDS

POMONA, CA —- For the seventh time in his career, John Force drove his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang Funny Car to victory at the 54th running of the Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. This was John Force’s sixth final in a row going back to the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello season but today’s final can be described as an epic rematch between two of the strongest Funny Cars in recent memory. It was at this same spot at the conclusion of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello season during the Auto Club Finals that John Force and Matt Hagan squared off against each other with John coming up on the losing end. 

Fortunately for John, today’s outcome was much different when he defeated Matt Hagan with an earth shattering time of 3.965 seconds at over 323 MPH to Hagan’s tire smoking time of 6.61 seconds.  “I get really excited racing Hagan and the ESPN announcer in the semi-round said ‘Do you see those muscles on that kid, do you think you can beat him?’ I said what is this, the WWF, we aren’t in a cage,” said John Force.

Going into the final round, the brain trust of Jimmy Prock and rest of the Castrol GTX High Mileage team put a tune-up on John’s Mustang that could’ve rotated the earth. “I’ve got a good race car. It is amazing and we are trying to build our sport.  We are out here trying to run good for the fans. Jimmy Prock and the whole brain trust are working together,” said John Force.

However the competition is more fierce as there seems to be even more parody among the drivers, regardless which team they’re on. “Robert ran 3.98 and DeJoria ran 3.99. Let’s give Schumacher’s cars credit they ran in the threes two years ago,” said John Force

When the smoke and the clutch dust cleared, it was John’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang being directed by the NHRA crew to stop in front of the swarm of photographers and TV cameras. “After the final when I got out of the car on the top end, the ESPN announcer said ‘you got him (Hagan) with all his muscles’ and I said ‘this old man didn’t, Jimmy Prock flexed his muscles by ripping off that 3.96 number,’” said John Force.

John Force leaves the Circle K NHRA Winternationals with his 139th race win, the points lead and a new Funny Car both the elapsed time and speed record, something he hasn’t done since 2004. “You take a 64 year-old-man and put him in a fire suit, you are Superman but I am back in the game and we are excited. Everything is just going right. I just don’t get it. There is a lot going on and we are excited that PEAK joined us,” said John Force, who’s average elapsed time today was 3.999 seconds on his four winning runs.

Robert Hight entered today as the No. 2 qualifier and his Auto Club Ford Mustang was the first Funny Car to advance to the second round. His Mike Neff tuned Auto Club Mustang outran Tim Wilkerson convincingly, posting a new career best elapsed time, 3.986 seconds at 318.69 mph. Hight made his first official three second run on Friday night a 3.996 second pass.

“That first round win was great. It ran just what Neff thought it would run. We had a good handle on the track and it was cool with cloud cover. The Auto Club Mustang was pulling and this is just what we needed to do. We are trying to find sponsors and the best way to do that is to win rounds,” said Hight.

In the second round against eventual finalist Matt Hagan Hight lost a close side by side race. With nearly identical reaction times Hight’s Funny Car was even with Hagan the full length of the track losing by less than a fender at the stripe. The elapsed times were 4.033 seconds for Hight and 4.035 seconds for Hagan.

“That was a tough loss but a great race. You want to put on a show for the fans and side by side Funny Cars at 320 mph and 4.03 seconds is a good show. This race will motivate us for Phoenix in two weeks. We have a great team here with Auto Club and it was great to see John go on and get the win,” said Hight.

When Courtney Force arrived at the race track on Friday to compete in the first event of the season, the 2014 Winternationals, she didn’t see her Traxxas Ford Mustang team packing up so soon on Sunday.

“It was great to be back here at the Winternationals in Pomona. I love coming out to this track because it’s a great facility, our John Force racing teams always do well here and we’re surrounded by friends and family since it’s our home track,” said Force.

The 25-year-old Funny Car driver was shorted one qualifying pass when the throttle cable broke during her burnout in the first session, but she came back with a 4.046 at 320.13 mph to eventually put her Traxxas Ford Mustang team in the No. 7 spot going into race day.

Force lined up against Matt Hagan in the opening round of eliminations. Despite putting on a great show for the fans, Force lost when her Traxxas Ford Mustang posted a 4.083 to Hagan’s 4.036 ET.

“We wanted to come out and defend our title here, but unfortunately we had a tough competitor with Matt Hagan. We ran a 4.08 which is a good pass for us. We were looking to run a little bit better than that. He just flat out gave us a good race. He ran a 4.03, got out ahead of me and turned on the win light,” said Force.

Force and Hagan now have an even record of 5-5 in eliminations.

“We ran out of race track and Hagan got the win against me, but luckily my dad was able to defend my title today when he got matched up against Hagan. Dad got the win for me. He went on to win the first race of the season,” said Force.

Brittany Force had a short day today at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals as well with her first round loss to rookie Richie Crampton, but her spirit and attitude remain upbeat as she’s more determined to put her Castrol EDGE Dragster in the winner’s circle. With the CarQuest NHRA Nationals rolling into Phoenix in less than two weeks, her team will be more than ready to step it up and go rounds at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

Like any professional driver, Brittany’s was anxious for the season to begin. “I’m glad to be out here as it’s the start of the season and I’ve been so ready to come to Pomona and get back in the driver’s seat of my Castrol EDGE Dragster. We have a new team as Todd Smith came onboard and we’re all excited to get the season going,” said Brittany Force

During round one of Top Fuel eliminations, Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster shook the tires at the hit of the throttle. “It shook so hard, I tried to stay in it and drive through the tire shake. I tried pedaling it and the car picked back up but it was long hard shake and I couldn’t recover it in time. Richie (Crampton) was on a killer run and I knew I couldn’t catch him,” said Brittany Force

It takes a while for new crew to get in the groove and the Castrol EDGE team is no different. “We are starting to come together and gel, we just need a few races to figure it out,” said Brittany Force. With new crew chief Todd Smith who came onboard earlier this year the team is focused on consistent improvement at every race.

“We made some good calls on Saturday in getting a better handle on the car and the combination. We had pretty good track conditions on Sunday but I just didn’t hit it right and make the right call. I’m in a little bit of a learning curve but the more runs we get on the car, the performance will improve. For now, we’ll lick our wounds and head to Phoenix,” said Castrol EDGE Crew Chief Todd Smith.

FORCE STAYS No. 1 AT WINTERNATIONALS

 POMONA – John Force and the Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang Funny Car will start the 54th annual NHRA Circle K Winternationals as the No. 1 qualifier. On Friday Force reset the track record twice on the way to establishing a potential (records do not become official until after an event) national elapsed time record, with his runs of 3.983 seconds and then the record run of 3.966 seconds. He also set the track speed record with his mph run of 324.12 mph. This if the first time John has set the elapsed time record at Pomona.

“We were trying to run what we ran last night. We couldn’t do it in the first session but we thought we could in the second session. We pushed it hard. (Crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) said there was more out there. He just wanted to know. We had nothing to lose unless (Ron) Capps could pull it off in the next lane. We are also looking at conditions for tomorrow. It is supposed to overcast tomorrow so we will have the same conditions. If it was going to be hot you would not want to try this. We got the record and we should get the points,” said Force.

This was Force’s 147th No. 1 qualifier, an all-time NHRA record and his 10th at the Winternationals. Force has won 57 races from No. 1 including six at Pomona and two at the Winternationals (1997, 2002). It is the first time since 2006 that Force will go into race day as the No. 1 qualifier.

Today with warmer conditions Force’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang Funny Car smoked the tires during the first session and then with improving conditions in the final qualifying session Force smoked the tires beside Ron Capps. The last three pairs of Funny Cars were all gunning for the top spot and all came up short with various degrees of tire smoke. Force will race Paul Lee in the first round tomorrow.

While Force was holding onto the top spot Robert Hight and the Auto Club Mustang held serve and will go into final eliminations as the No. 2 qualifier. He will race fellow Ford driver Tim Wilkerson in the first round.

“We were going for a race day set up today and Neff felt pretty good about that last run. We were second quickest of the session with a 4.01 and we have a great handle on this Auto Club Mustang,” said Hight, the 2011 Winternationals winner.

In the final session Hight’s run was the second quickest of the field and earned the 2009 Funny Car champion two more qualifying bonus points.

“This is the first race of the season and you want to start getting some positive momentum. Getting our first three second run out of the way and being No. 2 behind John is a pretty good way to start. There are a lot of tough Funny Cars out there and it will be a tough race for sure,” said Hight.

The Traxxas Ford Mustang team struggled during Saturday’s qualifying sessions today at the Winternationals. Courtney Force, defending event champion, made two incomplete runs and did not improve on her 4.046 ET from Friday’s evening session.

“We didn’t get down the track today as well as we had hoped. We shook the tires loose on the first run. On the second run the car pulled toward the centerline and I had to get out of it. Luckily, we had a good run last night and we were able to move up into the top half of the field. We stayed there and we’ll go into race day in the No. 7 spot,” said Force.

The 25-year-old will match up against Matt Hagan in the opening elimination round on race day. This will be the tenth time the pair have matched up in eliminations. Currently, Force is 5-4 against Hagan in previous events.

“We have a tough first round match-up tomorrow against DSR driver Matt Hagan. He’s going to be tough to beat, but we’re going to give it our best and hopefully we’ll be able to get around him. We’re happy to back here defending our title from last year. I’m hoping to go some rounds for our Traxxas Ford Mustang team and start the season in a good position,” said Force.

It was a night and day difference for Brittany Force and her Castrol EDGE Dragster during Saturday’s qualifying. If Friday’s disappointing runs proved anything, it was the determination of the team to turn it around in a hurry. With two solid and consistent runs today, Brittany qualified in the top half of the field with a career best 3.778 second that placed her in the eighth spot for Sunday’s eliminations.

“It was very exciting to run a 3.77, my career-best, for the Castrol EDGE team. I was super pumped and excited about that. I got out of the car at the other end and my guys were giving me high fives and jumping up and down. I could tell how excited they were,” said Brittany Force. “Then to go back up there and run a 3.78 was really exciting. We think we have this car figured out, especially going into tomorrow.”

Like all NHRA classes, Top Fuel requires a lot of tuning skills to work out persistent bugs whether it’s the clutch, chassis, electronics, engine or other things. To get the car right come qualifying and race day is mandatory for any team to go rounds and wins races.

“The trick now will be to see if the dragster will repeat that 3.77 run it had in the third session,” said Crew Chief Todd Smith. “We are starting to get a handling on this and everything is coming together. We’ve been working on everything but it’s a lot of little things that finally got ironed out. We been working on this dragster every day to address problems and fix issues. That’s how it is but all comes together at once and the car runs what you want it to.”

Come Sunday, Brittany Force will face rookie Richie Crampton for round one of eliminations. “He’s the new rookie out here this year. I haven’t met him yet so I want to go over and say ‘hi’ because I was in that boat last year. I’m sure he’s nervous with it being his first season and first elimination round. I’m still nervous and I’ve been out here for a year. It should be a good, close race. He’s right behind me in the field; he ended up No. 9. I hope it’s a good race for the fans and the Castrol EDGE team takes that first round win,” said Brittany Force.

JOHN FORCE FLIES TO NAT’L ET RECORD ON POMONA FRI

POMONA – John Force picked up right where he left off in 2013 when he raced to his unprecedented 16th Mello Yello Funny Car championship. On the first day of the 2014 NHRA season at the 54th annual NHRA Circle K Winternationals the winningest driver in NHRA history lowered the track elapsed time record he set in November at the Auto Club Finals twice en route to unofficially setting the national elapsed time record. NHRA national records become official at the conclusion of the race but his 3.966 second pass to close out the second qualifying session has a great chance of standing up for a long time.

The last time Force held the national E.T. record was November 11, 2006. For good measure Force piloted his mean green Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang Funny Car to the national mph record with a blast of 324.12 mph which was the fastest speed ever for a Funny Car at 1,000 feet.

“I knew I was going for a ride or I was going to the burn center. That was awesome. A lot of good stuff is happening for John Force Racing lately. We aren’t done yet and this is getting to be way too much fun for me. That 3.96, let’s face it. Something just goes down and something just went good for me. Sometimes the cards just fall your way. I am going to keep fighting,” said Force in the Shav Glick Media Center.

“I am going on a quest to win another championship with one of our cars. I am going on a quest to find sponsors. I am going to work every day. That run was awesome. When a motor is that good the first thing you do is get out and look underneath it to make sure it is not leaking. When it is fast it is fast. I have great people around me.”

In the opening session Force flew down the track in 3.983 seconds at 317.72 mph. Force was thrilled with his performance to start the season.

“When you have a hot rod like this that (crew chief) Jimmy Prock has tuned and it flies like that it is pretty exciting. All the crew chiefs are working together. We have new sponsors here with PEAK antifreeze and we have Auto Club up there and they just signed for five years. We needed to go down the race track. We wanted to give the fans a show and that 3.98 surprised me. I will take it. That was awesome,” said Force.

Right before Force made his second historic run of the day teammate Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang made their first run into the three second range posting a 3.996 second run and moving up to the provisional No. 2 spot. The run was a relief to the 2011 Winternationals champion.

“It is like getting a monkey off your back. To be honest I am just glad it is over. It is not a big deal anymore. Matt Hagan did it two years ago. I am not taking anything away from our guys. It is a good way to start the season,” said Hight a two-time winner in 2013. “It seemed like every time we tried to go out and run a three second run something screwy would happen. It doesn’t always work out to push on these cars and have a positive result. Now that we have done it I think it will be more frequent. We can’t let the boss have all the fun.”

With similar weather conditions forecasted for tomorrow Hight feels that his times could improve even further.

“Tomorrow will be unbelievable. Luckily we have three Funny Cars that we can look at the data. I am sure tomorrow we will pick our Auto Club Mustang’s performance up some. I am glad for my guys,” said Hight.

Defending event champion Courtney Force made her presence known today at the Winternationals after two qualifying sessions were complete. Currently, the 25-year-old occupies the No. 5 spot and hopes to improve on that position on Saturday.

“It’s great to be back out here at my home track in Pomona,” said last year’s Funny Car field leader. “Coming out here as defending champion is definitely exciting and uplifting for my Traxxas Ford Mustang team.”

Force and her team beginning their third season in the Funny Car category, encountered a setback in the opening round today due to a part failure and were not able to make a pass down the race track. The delay put Force’s team at the front of the pack for Friday’s evening session, but paid off when the Traxxas Ford Mustang made a straight, clean pass down the race track with a 4.046 ET at over 320 mph.

“My first round didn’t go as we had hoped. We had a throttle cable break on the burnout which ended my run pretty quickly. We pulled back to our pit area and thrashed to get the car back together and ready. We made a pretty solid pass with a 4.04 ET at 321 mph,” said Force.

The youngest daughter of John Force will have two passes on Saturday to move up in the field before eliminations on Sunday.

“We had a great announcement that went out today; we’re partnering up with Peak and we’re just excited to be out here kicking off the season. Our JFR cars are looking pretty strong so we’re looking forward to improving on our ET tomorrow,” said the youngest Force.

Day one of Brittany Force’s Top Fuel sophomore season at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals proved to be challenging yet still optimistic for this 27 year-old driver looking for her first win. Knowing that her work is cut out for her, Brittany’s even more determined and focused on getting her Castrol EDGE Top Fuel Dragster qualified in the top half of the field and ready go rounds come Sunday at the NHRA season opening at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

“We made two runs today. I’m glad to be here at my home track in Pomona. We have a new team and a new crew chief on board, Todd Smith, but we’re still trying to figure this dragster out. Qualifying didn’t go as planned, but we still get two more shots at it tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

On her first qualifying pass, her 10,000 horsepower dragster ran a respectable 3.91 ET despite hazing the Goodyear slicks near the top end of the track. It still placed the 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year in the 14th qualifying spot.

During the second qualifying run, Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster ending up going into a severe tire shake condition at the hit of the throttle. Rather than risking damage to the car, she quickly aborted the run. “We’re going to really go after it tomorrow. We have to. Right now our aim is to get this Castrol EDGE Dragster in the top half of the field to position ourselves for race day come Sunday,” said Brittany Force.

As in any professional sport, athletes go through a learning curve and Brittany’s no different. By the end of her freshman year in 2013, it was obvious to her fellow competitors that her confidence had improved and it was reflected in the way she handled her dragster.

“At this exact race last year I was so nervous. Now, as a driver, I feel a lot more comfortable in the car. A year ago I was nervous about everything. I had been testing for an entire year, but never had anyone in the lane next to me. I had only made two passes in West Palm Beach next to Clay Millican. That was a big adjustment in itself just having to stage with someone and sees another car in the lane next to you,” said Brittany Force.

Even though her performance at the opening day of the Circle K NHRA Winternationals could’ve been better, Brittany’s not too worried. “Now, it is the first race of the year, but I’m not as nervous as I was. I’m confident in my team that we can do better tomorrow, continue to figure some stuff out and go some rounds on Sunday.”

COURTNEY FORCE EAGER TO REPEAT AT WINTERNATIONALS

POMONA, Calif. (February 5, 2014) – The NHRA Mello Yello Series 24-race schedule begins this week with the 54th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.  Defending Winternationals Champion, Courtney Force, has had one busy off season, but the 25-year-old Traxxas Funny Car pilot is looking to win this weekend, making it two-in-a-row for her Ford Mustang team.

At the 2013 Winternationals, Force qualified in the No. 1 spot and dismissed Phil Burkart Jr., Matt Hagan, Bob Tasca III, and Ron Capps to claim the title and  become just the second woman in NHRA history (after older sister Ashley Force Hood) to lead the Funny Car point standings.

“I’m excited to be going into Pomona as the defending champ in Funny Car and I absolutely cannot wait to get our Traxxas Ford Mustang back on a familiar track. It’s great coming out here because this is my home track and I’m excited to kick off the new year in hopes of taking home another win at the Winternationals,” said the youngest daughter of legend John Force.

This is her third year racing in the Top Fuel Funny Car category. The 2012 Auto Club Rookie of the Year has three national event wins under her belt, three No. 1 qualifiers and eight final rounds. In the past two years, Force has qualified for each event on the circuit and has won 53 rounds of racing on Sunday.

“It’s crazy to think I’m already going into my third year of Funny Car. Every season I learn something new and I’m eager to get back out there and see what we can accomplish this year.  Each year, I set my standards for myself a little higher and hope to continue to improve as a driver, but as a team, we have our eyes set on that Championship,” said Force.

John Force Racing teams traveled to West Palm Beach, Fla. For pre-season testing, putting them back on track to win their 19th team championship in 2014.

“We tested in West Palm Beach to prepare for the upcoming season and as a driver, I’m back at it in the gym. I’m working out to be physically prepared as well as practicing my reaction times to be more mentally prepared for getting back in the seat and driving,” said Force.

Both Courtney and her sister Brittany will take part in the NHRA press conference in Pasadena before the race weekend starts and participating in various media opportunities in the area.

“It was a long off-season so I’m more than ready to be back piloting my Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car. I’m eager to be back on the road and back in my routine- that’s the hardest part when you’ve been out of the seat for so long. I need to get back in, brush the dust off and hopefully pick up from where I left off in November,” said Force.

BRITTANY FORCE READY TO START SOPHOMORE TOP FUEL SEASON

POMONA, Calif. – When the 10,000 horsepower BOSS 500 engine of the Castrol EDGE Dragster fires up at the 2014 Circle K NHRA Winternationals, February 7-9, it will not be soon enough for driver Brittany Force, who is pumped and ready to climb back into the cockpit. There is also a renewed focus for the 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year as she will be a serious player going into her sophomore season in the highly competitive Top Fuel class.   She will be rolling into Auto Club Raceway with a newly canopied Top Fuel Dragster and a new crew chief Todd Smith.

“I am looking forward to racing with Todd Smith as my crew chief. Guido (Dean Antonelli) is still working on my car and I they will work really well together. We made some good laps during testing and I am ready to get the season started,” said Force who narrowly missed the Countdown last season. 

Looking back, the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello season was a steep learning curve for the newest racing Force. “It was really great to be at the NHRA banquet and take home the Auto Club Road to the Future Award as NHRA’s top rookie, not just for Castrol, but for all of John Force Racing. It really proved all our hard work paid off in the end,” explained Brittany Force. Her consistent driving skills in handling one of the fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet proved to her competitors in the next lane that she meant business.

During the offseason, many drivers are restless and can’t wait for the NHRA season opener in Pomona. All they do is count down the days until they’re back in the seat, strapped in, throw the ignition switch and fire up their supercharged race cars ready to assault the drag strip like a guided missile. Force is just like the drivers she races against, with a competitive spirit deep within their soul that’s adrenalin fueled. “It was nice to get some down time once the season ended and hang out with my family and friends. But after a while, you start to get bored and want to get back on the track. I’m so ready and even anxious to get out to Pomona and get this season started, driving the Castrol EDGE Dragster,” commented Force.

Force, along with her fellow John Force Racing teammates, headed to Palm Beach International Raceway for the PRO Winter Warm Up last month. “It felt great to come down to Florida and test because I haven’t been in the dragster for over two months. Being out of the driver’s seat for that length of time, it feels like taking a step back,” voiced Brittany Force. “I was nervous at first but then I went back into my routine, got focused and then the nerves immediately went away.”

During testing, Brittany also had the opportunity to race her father the first time to the delight of the crowd. “It was very cool to race my dad, I wish the outcome would’ve been different.  It was pretty crazy. Just running him that one time makes me think I could never be in Funny Car. We had about 100 pep talks. I was fine going up there. I don’t ever worry or try and think about who I am running. He had me so worked up about him being in the other lane. He was just trying to help me but it was a little too much,” said Brittany Force. 

On the eve of heading into Pomona, Brittany is more determined and focused despite the challenges of Top Fuel racing. “I’m still learning something every time I get in the car, but our goal for 2014 is to qualify in the top half of the field at every event and get a few wins for the Castrol EDGE team,”  concluded Force.

Pomona is considered a home track for Force. It’s filled with childhood memories of watching her legendary father drive his Funny Cars down the sacred grounds of Auto Club Raceway to numerous wins and championships. With some luck, she will make her own history at this year’s Circle K NHRA Winternationals and pilot her Castrol EDGE Dragster to a victory.   

JOHN FORCE TO COME OUT SWINGING AT NHRA SEASON OPENER

POMONA, Calif. – In 2013, John Force won his 16th NHRA Funny Car championship, an unprecedented record by any stretch of the imagination. But that was last year and he knows he’ll have a bigger target on his back, even if it’s from fellow team teammates and family members Courtney Force and Robert Hight. As the Castrol/JFR Teams roll into the hallowed grounds of Auto Club Raceway for the 54th running of the NHRA Circle K Winternationals, all eyes will be on this 64-year-old racing icon, but that’s nothing new to John Force as he starts his 37th pro season. He’ll be driving his 8000-horsepower Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang in pursuit of a 17th NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car Championship.

At the conclusion of the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season, the newly crowned 16-time champion tried to get some R&R with his family but it’s not always that easy. “We didn’t have much of an offseason but it did give us a chance to get caught up on business things. We did spend a couple weeks in Lake Tahoe with the family and that was nice,” said Force, the winningest driver in NHRA history. “We’re still chasing corporate America for 2015 but luckily we’re financially stable right now through the end o
f this season with Castrol, Ford, Auto Club, Traxxas, Mac Tools and others.”

As soon as the ball dropped in Times Square heralding in the New Year, John was itching to get back in his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Mustang Funny Car. Before he could slip into his fireproof suit, Force headed to the North American International Auto Show in the Motor City. Force was a guest of Ford Motor Company and took part in the “Behind the Blue Oval” media event. He mixed it up with 2012 NASCAR champ Brad Keselowski and Ford NASCAR racing legends Ned and Dale Jarret. Ken Block, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Brian Deegan and Ozz Negri were also part the Ford Racing discussion. With bloggers and members of the media firing off questions to the drivers, SCCA Trans Am legend Dorsey Schroeder had his hands full being the master of ceremonies during this standing room only event.  

From Detroit, Force hopped on a plane and headed Florida for the annual PRO Winter Warm Up at Palm Beach International Raceway. Here, he met up with his fellow team drivers Brittany, Courtney and Robert Hight, and used this event to test a variety of components in their supercharged racing machines before heading west to Pomona.  “Being down here testing at Palm Beach International Raceway gives you a head start on the season when it opens at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. A lot of teams don’t have the budgets, they come here, run for a day or two but luckily we can test for five days,” commented Force. 

The PRO Winter Warm Up brought nitro Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars to southern Florida and was a real treat for the fans. They also had had a surprise that has hasn’t happened on a drag strip in over a decade, pairing up a Top Fueler and Funny Car. “We had some fun racing Brittany in her Castrol EDGE Dragster in the final. Something the fans haven’t seen since the Winston No-Bull Shootout back in 1999 and 2000. I remember racing (Bob) Vandergriff (Jr.) in his dragster and was lucky enough to get the win despite both of us smoking the tires. I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to race Brittany again in my lifetime so it was very special,” said a thrilled Force.

ROBERT HIGHT GEARED UP FOR RUN AT CHAMPIONSHIP STARTING IN POMONA

YORBA LINDA, CA (February 5, 2014) — Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang will roll into Auto Club Raceway at Pomona ready to continue the dominant streak John Force Racing has established at the season opening Circle K NHRA Winternationals. JFR has won season opening Winternationals twelve times; John Force, 6 times (most recently 2012); Robert Hight, 3 times (most recently 2011); Tony Pedregon, twice and Courtney Force, once (2013). The team has won the last four Winternationals; John Force 2010 and 2012, Robert Hight 2011, and Courtney Force 2013.

“I don’t know what it is but there are some tracks where you just feel really comfortable racing. Auto Club Raceway is one of those places. We have been able to get in the winner’s circle pretty consistently at Auto Club Raceway but we don’t take that for granted. I love racing there and there is so much excitement at the Winternationals. We are ready after a good test session in Florida,” said Hight, who finished 5th in the Mello Yello point standings.

“I know I am always excited to do well at the Winternationals because everyone starts from the same spot in the points. You want to start strong and try and get some momentum. We want to do well for all our sponsors especially Auto Club of Southern California.”

Teamed with crew chief Mike Neff for the first time at the Winternationals Hight is looking forward to a full season with the two-time Mello Yello championship tuner. Last year Hight and Neff were teamed up for the last half of the season and won the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals as well as the NHRA Carolina Nationals.

“Getting the win at the U.S. Nationals and then starting the Countdown with a win in Charlotte were the two highlights for us last year for sure. We didn’t finish the season where we wanted to but you look at how Force got after we won and I don’t know that anyone could have stopped him and Jimmy. We are a team so we win together. Neff and I talked a lot over the off-season and we had a good tests session in Florida. We will be ready,” said Hight.

John Force Racing has won six of last eight Winternationals; Hight, 2006, 2008 and 2011; John Force, 2010 and 2012: Courtney Force, 2013. In 1999 JFR started season with eight consecutive wins; the longest consecutive win streak for team. In 2012 JFR started season with six consecutive wins.

“John got hot at the end of last season and we got hot in Countdown in 2009. We have started the season hot a couple of times but for me I want to be dominant for a whole season. You haven’t seen that in a while and I think it is because this Funny Car class is so competitive. If you go back to 2007 before John won last year there were six different Funny Car champions,” said Hight.

For Hight starting a personal win streak at the 54th annual Circle K Winternationals would start the momentum the 2009 Funny Car champion at one of his favorite tracks.