Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force tops Carolina Nationals qualifying for seventh No. 1 of season
CONCORD, NC – Courtney Force’s quickest time Friday held over two days of qualifying for the NHRA Carolina 
Nationals as she secured her seventh No. 1 of the season in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car class.
Force, driving the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, made a pass of 3.891 seconds at 330.07 mph in the second session Friday. Hot conditions kept Force from improving in either of Saturday’s two sessions, as she suffered from traction issues in attempts in the left and right lanes.
But her competitors struggled, too, and she swept the No. 1s for the two races this year at zMAX Dragway. She set a track record in the Four-Wide Nationals with a 3.851-second pass in April. She now has three No. 1s at the track, but this is her first in the traditional “two-wide,” fall race.
“I’m really proud of my team for giving me a great race car,” said Force, who now has 17 career No. 1s in the Funny Car class. “It’s been a lot of fun to drive this car and get these No. 1 qualifiers. We know we have to bring that same success into Sunday, and I am just looking forward to tomorrow as we try to end up in the winner’s circle.”
Force will face No. 16 Bob Gilbertson, whose best pass was 4.448 seconds at 215.58 mph, in the first round. It marks the first time the pair will race each other in elimination rounds.
It marks a strong start to the Countdown to the Championship – the six-race stretch that determines the title in NHRA’s four professional categories – for Force, whose career-best finish in the points standings was fourth in 2014. She earned three bonus points via qualifying.
“We were just overpowering the track on those other runs, which I guess isn’t the worst problem to have,” Force said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow. This is the home track for Advance Auto Parts, so we want to show them we can shine and win tomorrow, and that would be a great start to the Countdown.”
Elimination rounds begin at noon Eastern tomorrow, with live television coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
Defending race winner John Force earns No. 9 position with PEAK Chevrolet for NHRA Carolina Nationals
– Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force will seek his second consecutive victory in the NHRA Carolina Nationals from the No. 9 position Sunday, as he recorded a best pass of 3.967 seconds at 325.06 mph in the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Force said his goal was to move up as much as he could from Saturday’s second-round pass of 3.976 seconds. He was close in Saturday’s early afternoon session, or third round of qualifying, when he posted a run of 3.985 seconds at 326.95 mph. While not quicker, it did mark the quickest run of the session, netting him three bonus points.
But in the hotter conditions of the late-afternoon session, Force was quickest, and momentarily moved into the eighth position with lane choice on the line. But the time was surpassed late in the session, and he dropped back to No. 9 with a meeting with No. 8 Cruz Pedregon, whom he has met more times in elimination-round competition than any other competitor. Pedregon’s time was 3.962 seconds at 314.02 mph. It will mark the pair’s 103rd matchup all-time, with Force holding a 2-to-1 advantage (68 wins to 34 losses).
While starting No. 9 isn’t the most ideal position, Force showed he was able to post consistent times. He was quickest in the third session and fourth quickest in the first and fourth sessions of the weekend, with solid 3.9s in the heat Saturday.
“We tried to move up today from No. 9, to get lane choice,” said Force, who enters the Countdown to the Championship, the NHRA’s version of the playoffs, seventh in Funny Car points. “Got the points the first session, but couldn’t move up in the last run even though I was quicker. Got bumped up, then bumped back down. But those runs were in the heat, and we’re going to race in the heat tomorrow.”
Force’s daughter, Courtney Force, will start No. 1 in the Advance Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS, while teammate Robert Hight was No. 6 in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS. Brittany Force, in the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster, was No. 6.
“I’m excited about how everyone is running,” Force said. “Life’s good; it’s time to start the Countdown.”
Elimination rounds begin at noon Eastern tomorrow, with live television coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
Leading final qualifying session, Monster Energy driver Brittany Force ready for Charlotte eliminations
– Monster Energy driver Brittany Force picked the right time to get hot in qualifying for the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
Force posted the quickest elapsed time in the final qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, barreling down a hot race track nice and smooth. That gives Force some positive momentum heading into eliminations on Sunday for the first race of the title-determining Countdown to the Championship.
“That last lap for the Monster team was a big one,” Force said. “It was super hot out and a hot race track – 135 degrees on the track – and that race car went straight down there. That’s what we were looking for going into race day because it’s going to be the same conditions.
“That was an important run for us. It was low of the session and gave us three points, so we’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
Force’s run of 3.777 seconds at 318.47 mph in Q4 led all Top Fuel dragsters, many of which struggled in the heat. But Force’s John Force Racing dragster, tuned by crew chief Brian Husen and consultant Alan Johnson, had no such issues.
That pass was nearly as quick as Force’s best of the weekend – a run of 3.749 seconds at 329.18 mph – contested in the second qualifying session on Friday.
She lines up against No. 11 qualifier Pat Dakin in round one on Sunday. Dakin’s best effort was a pass of 3.789 at 299.73 mph.
“I always feel good about this race, mostly because we’ve won here before,” said Force, who won the Four-Wide Nationals here last April. “Coming into the track, you feel like you’ve dominated on the track before, you can definitely do it again.”
Final eliminations are slated to begin at noon Eastern on Sunday, with Fox Sports 1 providing three hours of live coverage starting at 2:30 p.m.
Qualified No. 6 at Charlotte, Auto Club driver Robert Hight ready for Countdown challenge
– Great challenges always bring great opportunity. Auto Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight faces a great challenge in battling for his second Funny Car championship, as the best in the sport are primed for the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series title.
But Hight has a great opportunity, too, and it starts with final eliminations for the NHRA Carolina Nationals on Sunday at zMAX Dragway.
Hight qualified No. 6 for the first race of the Countdown to the Championship – making the best pass in the final qualifying session – and will line up against another leading contender for the title in the first round Sunday.
Hight will face No. 11 qualifier Matt Hagan, who is one spot behind Hight in the Funny Car standings, in Round 1.
“We have an opportunity here to really do something,” Hight said. “To win a championship, you’re going to have to beat a lot of these guys. Just so happens, we get Hagan first round. It’s a good way to start. If you want to be a champ, you’re going to have to beat them all, and you might as well get it out of the way right at the beginning.”
Hight posted a top pass of 3.911 seconds at 302.75 mph, run during Friday’s second session. But his most impressive pass may have been in Q4, when he whistled down the track with a run of 3.953 seconds at 327.77 mph to lead all the Funny Cars for that session.
“That’s nice going into Sunday,” Hight said, “having the quickest car in the last session.”
Hagan’s best pass was 3.981 seconds at 324.12 mph. Points leader Ron Capps, who had a 20-point edge on second-place Hight after the points were reset for the Countdown, is also on Hight’s side of the ladder. Hight shaved two points off that lead – now 18 points – with the three bonus points he earned in Q4. Capps earned one bonus point.
Hight and his team have been hot, winning two races in the second half of the season and setting national records for elapsed time (3.793 seconds) and speed (339.87 mph).
“We’re ready,” Hight said. “No issues. We’re ready.”
Final eliminations are slated to begin at noon Eastern on Sunday, with Fox Sports 1 providing three hours of live coverage starting at 2:30 p.m.
