Auto Club driver Robert Hight ready to boot Funny Car field in Seattle

Courtney #4 and John #8 in Funny Car; Brittany #5 in Top Fuel

SEATTLE – Fans of the Seattle Seahawks know the importance of a good kicker, as three points for a field goal is often the difference between winning and losing.

The Seahawks can only hope their kicker is as consistent as Auto Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight has been in qualifying for the NHRA Northwest Nationals this weekend at Pacific Raceways.

Hight earned three bonus points in qualifying three different times, the last also earning him the No. 1 spot for Sunday’s final eliminations.

“This thing is like a great field-goal kicker,” Hight said. “Every time we go down the track, it’s putting up three points.”

Hight was No. 2 after the first session, then quickest in each of the final three. In Q4, he and crew chief Jimmy Prock saved their best for last, lowering his elapsed time to 3.883 seconds at 329.34 mph to snare his fourth No. 1 of the season and 53rd of his career.

“This is definitely the best qualifying effort we’ve had with this Auto Club Chevy all year long,” Hight said. “We were No. 2 after the first session, and then the next three qualifying runs No. 1. That gives you a lot of confidence.”

Hight earned 11 bonus points in qualifying, the most of any pro driver in Seattle.

“We picked up a lot of points here,” Hight said. “That’s huge, especially this time of year. If we can keep doing that, you never know what could happen. Getting to second (in points) is definitely attainable for this team. If things really go our way, we could get to the top spot. That’s what our goal is.”

Hight’s strong performance moved him into a third-place tie in points, and he’s only 48 points out of second with three races before the Countdown to the Championship starts.

Hight squares off against No. 16 qualifier Jeff Diehl in the first round. Diehl’s best pass this weekend was 5.998 at 120.28 mph.

Hight, though, wants to keep the qualifying momentum moving into Sunday.

“We’ve got to put four together like we did in qualifying on Sunday – and we’ll be up here talking to you guys tomorrow night,” Hight said, referring to the post-qualifying and post-race press conferences being held in the media center.

Saturday’s conditions should mimic Sunday’s, and Hight and Prock are confident their Chevrolet Camaro SS should continue to perform well.

“He believes it’s safe,” Hight said. “A lot of times when you’re quicker than everybody else, you’re right there on the ragged edge, but he says it’s plenty safe and he says we can do this four more times tomorrow.

“What we saw today is what we’re going to face all day tomorrow. Jimmy’s really confident that we can do that four times. If he’s confident, I’m confident.”

Elimination rounds for the Northwest Nationals begin at 11 a.m. Pacific on Sunday. FOX will televise three hours of live coverage beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Pacific.

Brittany Force ready to take consistent Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster to Seattle winner’s circle

– The key to success in NHRA drag racing is often consistency. The team that can make four good runs on Sunday usually ends up in the winner’s circle.

Brittany Force and her Monster Energy team hope that’s the case in the Northwest Nationals on Sunday at Pacific Raceways. Force has been remarkably consistent through qualifying, making three solid passes and snaring the No. 5 qualifying spot for final eliminations.

“It’s a great start to the weekend for the Monster team,” Force said. “To make three solid passes down the race track, especially in the heat, and our last run was the best run of the weekend, we’re super pumped about that.”

Force and her team saved their best for last, too. Her run in the final qualifying session was her best of the weekend: 3.780 seconds at 324.05 mph.

“We’re getting ready to go into race day,” Force said. “We’re set up well, No. 5, and we race Troy Buff. I think we’re going to have a good, long day tomorrow. We’ve been running consistently all weekend, and that’s what you need to keep up and battle all day long.”

Force indeed faces Buff, the No. 12 qualifier, in the first round. Buff’s best pass of the weekend was 3.862 seconds at 309.98 mph, and Force knows she’ll have to make another good run to advance to the second round.

“We’re feeling good right now,” Force said. “Three great runs, especially the one in Q4, really sets the tone, sets the mood for getting ready for tomorrow.”

Force has history on her side. In nine previous races in which she qualified No. 5, she’s won in the first round eight times.

Elimination rounds for the Northwest Nationals begin at 11 a.m. Pacific on Sunday. FOX will televise three hours of live coverage beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Pacific.

Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force claims No. 4 qualifying position for Sunday’s Northwest Nationals

– Courtney Force saved her best qualifying effort for last, taking the No. 4 qualifying position in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car competition for the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

Driving the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, Force, who had struggled to make a full pass in the first three qualifying sessions, posted a solid run Saturday afternoon of 3.943 seconds at 325.14 mph. That was second-quickest of the session and moved her up from the No. 14 position. In the 15 races in which she has qualified this season, Force has yet to start outside the top four.

“It wasn’t the consistency we were obviously looking for, as we kept spinning the tires going down the track, and in one of the runs we dropped a hole at the hit of the throttle and had to get out of it early so we didn’t hurt any of the other parts,” Force said. “But I’m really happy that my Advance Auto Parts team gave me a car to make a good run when it counted on Q4. It put us in the top half of the field, and we even picked up a couple points.

“So I’m really proud of my guys. We still haven’t found that consistency, so it still makes me a little nervous going into race day, but at least we know that we can get that car down the track. I’m going to be pushing that car down the track and know that my team will be too.”

Force will race No. 13 Cruz Pedregon in the first round. Pedregon’s best run was 4.006 seconds at 311.49 mph.

Pacific Raceways is more than just a stop on the circuit. For Force, it marks the first track at which she recorded a Funny Car victory, during her rookie season in 2012. She’d love to get back to winner’s circle at the track, which would be her second at the Pacific Northwest track and first of the 2017 season.

“Sure, we’re looking to pick up some round wins, but we’re looking for a win tomorrow,” Force said. “This is a big race for us, as we’re finishing off the Western Swing as well as the regular season, and hoping our Chevy Camaro can get it done. There are a lot of tough guys out there we’re competing against, and excited to see my teammates doing so well, but we’re hoping for a good race day, too.”

Elimination rounds for the Northwest Nationals begin at 11 a.m. Pacific on Sunday. Fox will televise three hours of live coverage beginning at 1 p.m. Pacific.

PEAK Chevrolet Funny Car driver John Force earns No. 8 qualifying position at Seattle

– John Force’s quest for a ninth NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car victory in the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways will begin Sunday from the No. 8 qualifying position.

Force, driver of the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS and team owner of John Force Racing, made his best of four qualifying passes Friday – a run of 3.973 seconds at 307.23 mph. That set the 16-time champion atop the charts after the first qualifying session.

Force will take on J.R. Todd in the first round. Todd, the most recent winner on the circuit at Sonoma Raceway, qualified No. 9 with a pass of 3.981 seconds at 325.22 mph.

Force’s other two cars, driven by teammates Robert Hight and daughter Courtney Force, qualified No. 1 and 4, respectively, both with strong passes on Saturday in the final session.

“We’re struggling,” Force said. “I don’t even think it’s the heat; I think we’re just struggling. But we’re addressing it. I want more performance. We’re leaving here (Saturday) with low E.T., but we need to leave here with a win (Sunday). Indy (the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals) is coming soon, and we want to be ready for the Countdown to the Championship.

“We’ll have some meetings with the crew chiefs and get all of this sorted out. Robert got a 3.80 and Courtney ran better today, and Brittany’s up there in Top Fuel. I’m the only run really struggling.”

Force most recently won at Seattle in 2014. Though he wanted to qualify better than No. 8, he knows the race can be won from any position.

“Some cars get hot at times, and for us, we’ve got to make some changes,” Force said. “We did bend the chassis in a wheelstand at Denver and we’re still running it. We didn’t think that was the issue, but we noticed on the last run the car was spinning the tires at the starting line, and it shouldn’t have. And it was really soft. We were just trying to make it go from A to B. So we’re going to check the chassis, and I don’t think it’s the chassis, but we’ve got a brand new one we can pull out if we need to.”

Elimination rounds for the Northwest Nationals begin at 11 a.m. Pacific on Sunday. Fox will televise three hours of live coverage beginning at 1 p.m. Pacific.