Brittany Force, Monster Energy team up for the challenge in AAA Texas FallNationals
DALLAS – Brittany Force is ready to bounce back from a tough race in the most recent event of the Countdown to 
the Championship near St. Louis, as she will drive her Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster in the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals this weekend at Texas Motorplex.
After posting the third-quickest elapsed time ever in Top Fuel competition in the first round in St. Louis, Force fell in the second round. But thanks to other championship contenders dropping out, Force maintained third in the Top Fuel standings.
“Leaving St. Louis, we got a little lucky,” Force said. “Things didn’t change that much. We still picked up bonus points, we went a couple rounds, and we maintained No. 3 position, which is really helpful for what we need to do.”
She’s 41 points out of second and 83 out of first with three races remaining in the 2017 season. Dallas marks the fourth of six races in the Countdown.
Force, though, knows it’s go time, and second-round losses won’t cut it. But she relishes the chance for her and her John Force Racing team to prove they belong in the title hunt.
“We need to go beyond that in Dallas,” Force said. “We need to go rounds, we need to win the thing, we need to gain as many points as we can because the fight for the championship is not out of reach. We’re still going after it.
“The Monster team is strong, and I know that if we put our mind to it, and we work hard, it’s possible.”
Two qualifying sessions are slated for Friday (3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Central) and Saturday (2 p.m. and 5 p.m.), with eliminations slated for 11 a.m. Central on Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will televise one hour of live qualifying on Friday at 5 p.m. Central, one hour of coverage at 1:30 a.m. Sunday and three hours of live qualifying at 1 p.m. Central on Sunday.
AAA Texas driver Robert Hight ready to continue battle for 2017 title at AAA Texas FallNationals
– AAA Texas driver Robert Hight takes the battle for the 2017 NHRA Funny Car championship to the AAA Texas FallNationals this weekend at Texas Motorplex.
Hight has won three races this season, including the opener to the Countdown to the Championship opener in Charlotte. He sits second in the Funny Car standings, just 46 points out of the lead, with three races remaining in the season.
“It’s race No. 4 on the Countdown,” Hight said. “We’re still within striking distance of the points lead, and we need to get in there and win this race and get this points lead back.”
This race is a special one for Hight, and not simple because he’s a two-time winner in Dallas. Hight has a long relationship with AAA and the Auto Club of Southern California, dating back to his rookie season of 2005.
“I like all these AAA races,” Hight said. “I’m thankful that AAA and the Automobile Club of Southern California sponsor half the races in the Countdown. It keeps me busy, and it shows that they believe in NHRA drag racing. We want to go in there and do a good job for them. We’d love to get a win.
“We’re excited about going to their headquarters and meeting all the employees on Thursday before the race starts. Hopefully, some of those employees can come out to the race and join us. Maybe we can get them in the winner’s circle. That’s the goal.”
Hight and all the John Force Racing drivers will tour AAA Texas headquarters in Coppell, Texas, on Thursday before racing begins Friday.
Once at the track, Hight and all the racers will be treated well, as owner Billy Meyer is a past racer himself.
“I love going to Dallas,” Hight said “It’s the first quarter-mile, all-concrete race track in the world. What makes Dallas a little different is Billy Meyer, the owner, is not just an owner – he’s a former race car driver, he’s a racer. He knows what we need as racers and what the fans want to see. He always puts on a great show at a great facility.”
Two qualifying sessions are slated for Friday (3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Central) and Saturday (2 p.m. and 5 p.m.), with eliminations slated for 11 a.m. Central on Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will televise one hour of live qualifying on Friday at 5 p.m. Central, one hour of coverage at 1:30 a.m. Sunday and three hours of live qualifying at 1 p.m. Central on Sunday.
Courtney Force heads to Dallas with determination, pink Advance Auto Parts Chevy
– The outside of Courtney Force’s Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS may look different over the next two races, but underneath the bodywork and inside the cockpit, the fiery determination of winning remains, as Force seeks to run down the frontrunners in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car points standings in seeking her first career title.
Force’s Camaro is wrapped in hot pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, celebrated each October. Force had a hand in picking out the special shade of pink, which will adorn the car at this weekend’s AAA Texas FallNationals at Texas Motorplex and the subsequent, penultimate race of the season in Las Vegas.
“For us, this is going to be an exciting race, debuting our new car, and teaming up with Young Survival Coalition to help bring awareness of and educate people about breast cancer,” Force said. “I’m really excited to bring about the awareness in my pink Funny Car and for the fans to see it. This is really important to me. I worked with our graphic designer Brandon Baker to pick out the color and Advance Auto Parts to pick out the livery.”
Force is also working with fellow Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria and other female drivers to bring awareness to breast cancer, and signing autographs at special women driver-only autograph sessions in Dallas and Las Vegas. Additionally, women over the age of 40 are able to have mammograms performed at a special location at the track the next two events.
While the outside of car will be different for the next two races, Force’s mindset remains the same and the goal of winning an NHRA title hasn’t changed. The Yorba Linda, Calif., driver jumped from sixth to third in the opening event of the six-race Countdown to the Championship, which ultimately determines champions in NHRA’s professional categories. Her back-to-back finals appearances in Charlotte and Reading has her fighting for the title behind leader Ron Capps and teammate Robert Hight.
Fortunately for Force, she can draw on past successes at Texas Motorplex as she looks to close on the points lead. She won at the Dallas-area track in 2014 and has a pair of No. 1s to her credit.
“We had great momentum going over the last three races that were held all in a row,” Force said. “It was nice to have a break, and now, we’re ready for Dallas. Sure, we have some gaps in between races now, so I’m hopeful we can continue to carry that momentum, but honestly, we have a great race car.”
Two qualifying sessions are slated for Friday (3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Central) and Saturday (2 p.m. and 5 p.m.), with eliminations slated for 11 a.m. Central on Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will televise one hour of live qualifying on Friday at 5 p.m. Central, one hour of coverage at 1:30 a.m. Sunday and three hours of live qualifying at 1 p.m. Central on Sunday.
Sixth in Funny Car points, PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil driver John Force looks to move up at Dallas
– It took a pair of runs during a test in late September at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., to get John Force and his PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS team back on track.
Force had lost three consecutive first-round elimination races before the team opted to test a day after the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove. He posted two strong test runs before the team packed up and headed to the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the halfway point of the Countdown to the Championship, which decides champions in NHRA’s professional categories.
At Gateway, Force made quick run after quick run in qualifying, tying his career-best 3.832-second elapsed time, and setting two of his six career best speeds – both over 334 mph. That momentum carried over to race day, when he made it to the semifinals, where he led much of that race only to lift when he drifted toward the wall at top end.
Still, it showed the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion still has enough to push for a record-extending 17th title. That push continues this weekend with the AAA Texas FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, a track at which Force has triumphed seven times, the most of any driver in a NHRA’s professional classes.
Force also has 11 No. 1 qualifiers, 15 finals appearances and 71 elimination-round victories – the fourth most of any track in his career – in Dallas.
“We love Texas,” Force said. “I want to come back and win in Dallas – haven’t won there since my crash – so looking forward to winning there ago. It’s a great race track. Billy Meyer is one of the best promoters in the industry, and one of my old PR guys, Elon Werner, is out there helping to promote the race as well.”
Force’s semifinals run at Gateway moved him to sixth in the standings. With the season coming to a close in three races, Force needs to do more than just go rounds – he needs more runs like he had in his Maple Grove test and Gateway race, and to win races.
“We’re halfway through the Countdown, and we need to do some damage,” Force said. “I thought we had it at St. Louis, but that’s not going to do. (Points leader) Ron Capps is doing his job, but we’re coming with guns blazing.”
Two qualifying sessions are slated for Friday (3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Central) and Saturday (2 p.m. and 5 p.m.), with eliminations slated for 11 a.m. Central on Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will televise one hour of live qualifying on Friday at 5 p.m. Central, one hour of coverage at 1:30 a.m. Sunday and three hours of live qualifying at 1 p.m. Central on Sunday.
