AAA Chevrolet driver Robert Hight earns 50th career No. 1 qualifier, looks for victory in Epping
Courtney and Brittany Qualify #2 in Funny Car and Top Fuel, John Force at Lucky #13
EPPING, NH – Robert Hight took his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to new heights Saturday, setting the New 
England Dragway track records for elapsed time and speed to earn the 50th No. 1 qualifier of his stellar career.
Hight will start from the No. 1 spot for Sunday’s NHRA New England Nationals, marking the 13th season – all consecutively – he’s earned at least one No. 1.
Hight’s 50th No. 1 qualifiers ties with him with the legendary Don Prudhomme in the Funny Car category.
“That’s pretty cool,” Hight said. “Fifteen years ago, I never would’ve thought my name would’ve even come in the same sentence as Don Prudhomme’s. He’s one of the greatest of all time. He dominated in his day. Fifty No. 1s – that’s pretty awesome. To have my name in the record books with Don Prudhomme is pretty surreal. It’s harder and harder to get these No. 1 qualifiers.”
Overall, Hight broke a tie with Angelle Sampey and stands 13th in NHRA history with the 50 No. 1s.
“Every single year I’ve qualified No. 1 at some point,” Hight said. “I’ve had good cars, and I’ve got a good team around me. When you qualify No. 1, you really need to put it to good use and get the win on Sunday.”
That’s the plan this weekend, and with the fastest Funny Car on the property, Hight will be a top contender for his first victory of 2017 and 38th of his career. He snared the No. 1 spot with a track-record ET of 3.822 seconds at a track-record 336.74 mph.
But even on that pass, Hight said he and crew chief Jimmy Prock left some speed on the table.
“That Q3, when it ran .82, the clutch never locked up,” Hight said. “Jimmy Prock kept telling me, there is a lot left in this thing. We went up there swinging tonight, trying to put up a big number, and it didn’t make it. There’s some big numbers out here. These conditions we’re getting and this surface here in New England is one of the top in the country.
“I think we’re going to have more of the same kind of conditions tomorrow, so you could see some records. But we’ve got to get some wins. It’s time for this AAA car to get in the winner’s circle.”
Hight will start the first round of eliminations against Mike Smith, who qualified No. 16 with a pass of 6.237 at 111.25 mph.
“It’s good to be back with Jimmy Prock,” Hight said of reuniting with his crew chief in Gainesville, Fla., earlier this season. “We got used to doing this a lot when I first started with him. I’ve got a good car. This is really a great way to start off four in a row, the ‘Eastern Swing,’ as No. 1 qualifier.
“But qualifying’s behind us. We never did get down the right lane. Don’t know how big a deal that is for tomorrow. I’m sure that no matter what, we’ll be picking the left lane.”
Hight hopes to join John Force Racing teammates John Force and Courtney Force as Funny Car winners in Epping. Courtney won the first race here, in 2013, while John won in 2015. Could Hight continue the odd-year trend?
“Sometimes history has a way of repeating itself, and I don’t quite understand that because every year, we change things on the cars,” Hight said. “But there’s just certain race tracks that you well as an individual team or as a whole team. We’ve done well here, and I’ve qualified No. 1 here before. We’ve had a lot of success here, and I want to add my name to that winner’s circle. Courtney and John have both won, and it’s AAA’s turn tomorrow.”
The NHRA New England Nationals begins at 11 a.m. Eastern Sunday. Fox Sports 1 will provide three hours of live finals coverage starting at 3 p.m. Eastern.
16-time Funny Car champion John Force looks for speed out of his PEAK Chevrolet
– If anyone can find a way, it’s 16-time Funny Car champion John Force.
Force is looking for speed from his PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS after qualifying No. 13 for the NHRA New England Nationals on Saturday at New England Dragway.
Force knows the speed is there, as a test at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis confirmed some setup changers worked. But the team has yet to transfer that speed here.
“It’s a combination we ran .82 with at Indy in testing after Topeka,” Force said. “It was fast, and somewhere, we haven’t found it yet here.
“The dragster (of Brittany Force) is No. 2, Robert (Hight) was low ET and Courtney (Force) is fast,” Force said. “I’m not where I want to be. I’ve got a brand-new combination, tested at Indianapolis, and it was fast. It’s not on here, but we found some issues, and had to make some changes. We just got behind.”
Force had a best pass of 3.965 seconds at 323.43 mph and will line up against No. 4 qualifier Matt Hagan in the first round on Sunday. Hagan’s best run was 3.874 seconds at 333.00 mph.
“For tomorrow, we got (Matt) Hagan, and we’re gonna load ‘er up and see what we can get away with,” Force said. “She’ll run an .82, she did that at Indy, and then we’ll be back in the game. We’re off, but we’re gonna fix it.”
Force has a stellar record in the five years since New England Dragway came back on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. He won here in 2015, went to the final in 2013 (losing to Courtney) and went to the semifinals in 2014 and 2016. He has an enviable 11-3 won-loss record in 14 rounds of racing.
The NHRA New England Nationals begins at 11 a.m. Eastern Sunday. Fox Sports 1 will provide three hours of live finals coverage starting at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force secures No. 2 qualifying spot for NHRA New England Nationals
– Courtney Force earned the No. 2 qualifying position for the second consecutive NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series race in the Funny Car class, standing on Friday’s qualifying efforts for Sunday’s New England Nationals at New England Dragway.
Force, driving the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, ran a pass of 3.842 seconds at 331.53 mph in Friday’s initial session. But that car was destroyed moments after crossing the finish line, the engine exploding due to a leak in the fuel line. She exited the car unscathed.
Force’s Advance Auto Parts crew prepared a spare car for her, which she drove for her other qualifying effort Friday and both sessions Saturday. But she was unable to put together a full pass in those three attempts. The right-front brake locked up in Friday’s second attempt following her burnout, and she did not make the pass.
She broke loose in Saturday’s first session, and tire shake forced her to shut the car off early in the final attempt. Teammate Robert Hight, in the AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS, took the top spot, a career-best 3.822-second pass at 336.74 mph.
Though she has not made a full pass in the spare car this weekend, she remains confident that she can win Sunday’s race. And, the No. 2 spot marks her best start in five races at New England Dragway.
“Starting No. 2 is great for my Advance Auto Parts team,” Force said. “I’m really proud of my guys; they had to put together this spare car, bring it out, and run it. It may not have run the two or three best runs we had hoped for, but just the fact that it’s put together, it’s there – we’ll figure it out and get it ready for Sunday.”
Force is a former winner at New England Dragway, having won the inaugural race in the Funny Car class in 2013. She will race No. 15 Jim Campbell in Sunday’s opening matchup. Force is 1-2 against Campbell this season, having fallen in each of their last two matchups.
“It’s a matter of getting it right, figuring out this race track which is a little tricky, but we have some good conditions, and if the rain holds off, I think you’ll see a fast hot rod,” Force said. “I’m excited being in that No. 2 spot, proud of my guys, and looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a better day, and we can get that race car down to the other end.”
Sunday’s NHRA New England Dragway begins at 11 a.m. Eastern. Fox Sports 1 will provide three hours of live finals coverage starting at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Monster Energy driver Brittany Force records season-best No. 2 qualifying effort for Sunday’s New England Nationals
– Brittany Force secured a season-best No. 2 qualifying effort in the Top Fuel class for Sunday’s NHRA New England Nationals, the ninth round of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
Force, driving the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster, made a pass of 3.686 seconds at 331.36 mph in Friday’s second qualifying round, which was the quickest run in the five-year history of the track. But she was shuffled back after Saturday’s efforts, falling to the No. 2 position.
Force made a solid pass of 3.694 seconds at 328.86 mph in the fourth and final round – the quickest of the session for all 15 Top Fuel cars – but fell just short of reclaiming the top position. Still, No. 2 shows what the vast improvement the team has made, recovering from three consecutive first-round losses in late April and early May.
“I’m expecting a lot out of race day,” said Force, who is also seeking her first career victory at the New Hampshire track. “We’ve really turned this car around. We want to get the job done for Monster and our other sponsors – PEAK, Auto Club, Chevy, Advance Auto Parts. We really want to bring a win home. I think we’re that close. We had two outstanding runs and qualified No. 2, which is awesome.”
Force and her team recently made a number of significant changes to the car after finding problems with the clutch in early May. She ran her career-best time (3.674 seconds) and speed (333.66 mph) in the most recent event at Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas, which gives her confidence in gaining her first victory of the season Sunday.
She’ll line up in Sunday’s first round against Steve Chrisman, in the first-ever matchup between the two. But the name in the other lane is of Force’s least concern.
“I don’t worry about it,” said Force, seventh in the Top Fuel points standings. “It doesn’t matter who’s in the other lane next to me. I just want to win.”
The NHRA New England Nationals begins at noon Eastern Sunday. Fox Sports 1 will provide three hours of live finals coverage starting at 3 p.m. Eastern.
