AUTO CLUB’S HIGHT WANTS TO KEEP RACING LIKE IT’S 2009
ENNIS, TX – Four years ago Robert Hight and the Auto Club team rolled in the historic Texas Motorplex after having reached the finals 
at the U.S. Nationals and starting the Countdown with a win at the Carolina NHRA Nationals. That year he went on to win the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals and eventually his first Mello Yello Funny Car championship. Fast forward to 2013 and Hight has a strong feeling of Déjà vu as he once again enters the second race of the Countdown No. 3 in Mello Yello Funny Car points and on a hot streak.
“I have confidence in this Auto Club team but we are not overconfident. Last week was a big win for us but we didn’t make up a ton of ground on Matt Hagan who is the points leader. That final round was a 40 point swing for us. If we lose that race we are 120 points back instead of 80. It was big for everyone in Funny Car to get that win,” said Hight.
“You can’t rely on history to repeat itself you have to do the work and make the wins happen. My crew chief Mike Neff and my crew guys are giving me a great race car. I am trying to give them my best driving performance every time I get in this Ford Mustang Funny Car.”
Hight extended a streak that goes back to his rookie year when he won for the second time this season. Throughout Hight’s career which started in 2005 he has won at least two races a season, been No. 1 qualifier and led the points. This season Hight has not been on top of the point standing but with five races left in the season the crewman turned driver turned world champion is feeling pretty good.
“I look back at 2009 and think about how we got hot in the Countdown. Last year we got hot in the first part of the season and won four in a row before I lost the next 35 races. So far we have three finals this season and we have won the last two races. I am going to have to win some more races if we want to have a shot at this Mello Yello Funny Car championship and I have three of the next five races sponsored by my primary sponsor AAA,” said Hight.
The three AAA races start with this weekend’s AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, then next weekend the tour will move to St. Louis for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals (Sept. 27-29) and the NHRA season will wind up with the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Nov. 7-10).
“You definitely want to do well and win at your sponsor’s races. The Automobile Club of Southern California is a great partner for John Force Racing and we want to get them in every winner’s circle,” said Hight, a 29-time winner on tour.
Two weeks ago Hight was in the Dallas area for the AAA Texas employee car show in north Dallas and now the two-time AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals winner is back looking for his third win in a row. If Hight can pick up another win it would be the third time in his career he has won three in a row going back to 2010 when he won St. Louis, Atlanta and then Topeka.
