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ROBERT HIGHT, BRITTANY FORCE TOPS FOR JFR ON FRIDAY

BAYTOWN, TX – Robert Hight and the AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car started the day with a successful Robert Hight - Houston, Ron Lewisrun and it was third year pro Brittany Force and the Next Generation Top Fuel Dragster who ended the day on a positive note for the 18-time Mello Yello World Championship team. Hight will go into Saturday as the No. 7 qualifier on the strength of his first qualifying run. Brittany Force wrapped up Friday’s qualifying as the No. 6 quickest Top Fuel dragster.

Hight and the AAA Texas Chevy Camaro SS Funny Car came out of the box on a hot track posting a solid 4.058 second elapsed time at 317.05 mph. His run was the third quickest of the session and garnered Hight one qualifying bonus point.

“That was pretty good. They have done a great job on this race track. This is a good start for the AAA Texas Chevrolet Funny Car. We tested in Las Vegas on Monday in the heat and I think that is going to pay off,” said Hight after the first qualifying session.

In the second session Hight and the rest of the Funny Car class had to wait out a few rain delays during the second Pro Stock qualifying session. Track temperatures cooled down considerably and the performance window was thrown wide open. The Mike Neff tuned Funny Car was set up for a much quicker run but over powered the track and Hight coasted across the finish line beside former teammate Tony Pedregon.

John Force and the Chevrolet Camaro SS wrapped up the first day of qualifying as the No. 12 qualifier. The most recent Funny Car winner will carry his 4.334 second run over into Saturday. Force had to pedal his Funny Car both sessions and the winningest driver in NHRA history posted respectable times on both runs. Going into tomorrow’s final day of qualifying Force and his Chevy Camaro team will be looking to move up the qualifying ladder and try and pick up some the valuable qualifying bonus points.

Courtney Force made the 14th quickest run Friday with a 5. 913 elapsed time and will start over with a clean slate for the remainder of qualifying on Saturday.

“We came out here to qualify for the Spring Nationals and our Traxxas Chevrolet team went down there on the first pass. We’ve had some problems with rain delays. The humidity is high out here and makes it a challenge for us. It spun the tires down track; I pedaled it, got it down there and got number on the board which is what we needed with the risk of rain,” said Force. “Tonight it pulled me to the right, but with the dark track and it was so early (in the run) I didn’t pedal it. We ended up in the No. 14 and we’re just going to have to come out tomorrow and work harder. We’re excited with what we’re seeing with the performance of the car early so we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

The Friday qualifying session in Top Fuel was laced with stellar times and awesome performance conditions. The Texas sun was down and the cloud cover aided in dropping track temps to optimal levels. Brittany Force and the Next Generation Top Fuel team were the first team to capitalize on track with a strong 3.779 second run at 324.44 mph. It was the quickest run of the session for approximately two minutes before Richie Crampton lowered the time by two hundredths.

“That is how racing goes out here. You get nervous when you pull up there and you don’t know if you are going to get all your runs in this weekend with the rain. My visor was fogging up. I just wanted a clean pass and to get this car down there and we did just that. We are excited with that run,” said Brittany Force from the top end after her No. 1 position slipped through her Simpson Racing gloves.

That run tied Force’s season quickest ET from the Winternationals in Pomona where she qualified No. 10.

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