ST. LOUIS – Robert Hight recorded his second No. 1 qualifier at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals today. The 2010 winner of the annual NHRA national event held at Gateway Motorsports Park posted his best time 3.893 seconds at 328.38 mph on Friday night and today in the final qualifying session Hight made one of the quickest runs of the day 3.91 seconds in the heat. A broken blower belt robbed Hight’s AAA Insurance backed Funny Car team from another 3.80 second time.

“On that last run it was going to run in the 3.80s again. It shut off at 3.5 seconds because the belt came off. It was running right with our 3.89 second run from last night. It didn’t have any cylinders out. It broke the blower belt real early,” said Hight who picked up his 48th career No. 1 qualifier.

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ST. LOUIS – Today on a hot track at Gateway Motorsports Park Robert Hight and the AAA Insurance Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car picked up where they left off just four days ago in Charlotte. On Monday Hight and his team were testing new components in hopes of finding a tune-up that could carry the 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion further into championship contention. After the two quickest runs of the day in the ultra-competitive Funny Car class Hight, the 2010 AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals winner, ended the day as the provisional No. 1 qualifier.

“This was a big day for us. It is only one day. When you test on Monday and it was only us and John (Force), it is hard to judge your performance. You don’t have other cars there. You don’t really know if you have improved until you go to the next race track. The Funny Car class is the most competitive it has ever been. To go out there and be No. 1 two runs in a row out there with all that we have changed on this race car just show how good my team is,” said Hight.

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ROBERT HIGHT LOOKING TO ST. LOUIS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP BUMP

ST LOUIS – In 2009 Robert Hight used a race win at the Countdown opening race in Charlotte to propel him to his first NHRA Funny Car championship. The 2005 NHRA Auto Club Road to the Future Rookie of the Year raced from the No. 10 spot to the championship on the strength of that win as well as two other wins over the final six races. That year Hight followed up his Carolina Nationals win with a first round defeat at the AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals. Last weekend Hight raced to the quarterfinals but the 37-time winner is not worried about slipping out of the Countdown conversation.

“I think if you can average semifinal finishes throughout the Countdown you should be in a position to have a shot at the championship when we roll into Pomona for the Auto Club Finals. Three of the last five Countdown races are sponsored by the Auto Club so I know I will see a lot of friendly faces and support. This weekend in St. Louis is a race I have won before and feel good about getting to. We tested on Monday (in Charlotte) and made some really quick runs in the heat and cooler conditions,” said Hight.

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CHARLOTTE, NC – John Force made the most the first Countdown race of 2016 picking up his 146th career win and moving from the No. 8 to No. 3 position in the Mello Yello point standings. Force outran Dave Richards, Tim Wilkerson, Ron Capps and then Tommy Johnson Jr to pick up his first win at the Carolina NHRA Nationals. From the winner’s circle stage Force dedicated the victory to his sponsors and announced he would be sending the Wally trophy to Advance Auto Parts who were emblazoned across the side of his Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car along with primary sponsor PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant.

Going into the final round John Force was 7-1 against Tommy Johnson Jr. and Force’s Advance Auto Parts PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car was looking for its third win of the season. The last final round match-up between these two racers was last season’s New England Nationals where Force also took the win.

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BRITTANY FORCE No. 2 IN TOP FUEL

CHARLOTTE, NC – John Force has the most consistent race car going into Sunday’s elimination rounds at the 9th annual Carolina NHRA Nationals that the 2-time 2016 winner has had all season. Force’s Advance Auto Parts PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car was one of the top three quickest Funny Cars every session of qualifying earning a total of eight qualifying bonus points. Force will go into race day as the No. 3 qualifier and will face Dave Richards in the first round.

Joining Force in the top half of the Funny Car field will be Robert Hight, No. 7 and Courtney Force, No. 8 qualifier. JFR could advance three Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Cars to the semifinals.

In Force’s final two qualifying runs the 145-time winner had the second quickest race car and picked up four qualifying bonus points. In the final session he blasted down the track with an impressive 3.914 second elapsed time. This was the first time this season that Force collected qualifying bonus points in every session and he was the only Mello Yello Series driver to achieve that feat this weekend at zMax Dragway.

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CHARLOTTE, NC – The first day of the Countdown for the Championship started at zMax Dragway and both Brittany Force and John Force made the most of their two qualifying runs. The Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster wound up in the No. 2 provisional spot while the 16-time Funny Car champion John Force will go into Saturday’s second day of qualifying as the No. 3 Funny Car. Teammates Robert Hight and Courtney Force held onto spots in the top half today at the Carolina NHRA Nationals.

John Force was impressive in both sessions today driving the Advance Auto Parts PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Camaro Funny Car. In the first session Force had the quickest Funny Car posting a 3.921 second elapsed time that was a track record. He also set the track speed record at 326.71 mph.

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JOHN FORCE ENTERS COUNTDOWN FOCUSED ON CHARLOTTE WIN

CHARLOTTE, NC – For over three consecutive decades John Force has finished the NHRA season in the Top Ten. Sixteen times over that period when all the round wins were added up Force was the world champion. The last time Force, the winningest driver in NHRA history, hoisted the world champion Funny Car trophy was at the conclusion of the 2013 season and for Force that seems like a lifetime ago. Heading into the 9th annual Carolina NHRA Nationals this weekend Force is looking to return to championship form with his Advanced Auto/PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car. Force will start his race for his unprecedented 17th Mello Yello NHRA Funny Car championship this weekend at zMax Dragway.

“I haven’t won the championship since 2013 and my team hasn’t gone three seasons in a row without a Funny Car championship since before 1990. I am looking to get another championship and if I can’t then I am pulling for Robert or Courtney. I have a great hot rod and my young team is getting better. I am excited to be heading back to Charlotte. The last couple of years we have started the Countdown with some success but I want to start with a win,” said Force, who has two regular season wins in 2016.

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YORBA LINDA, CA – John Force, 18-time NHRA Funny Car world champion team owner, is only focused on bringing the 19th Mello Yello NHRA Funny Car and first Mello Yello NHRA Top Fuel championships to the Yorba Linda, California and Brownsburg, Indiana based race teams. The team concluded the 2016 NHRA regular season with four Funny Car national event wins, three Top Fuel national event wins and a Traxxas Nitro Shootout victory in an all JFR final round with rising star Courtney Force edging teammate Robert Hight for the $100,000 top prize.

Heading into the 9th annual Carolina NHRA Nationals John Force’s PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team will be looking to win their unprecedented 17th NHRA Funny Car championship. Crew chief Jon Schaffer, who led the team to two victories during the Western Swing, will be joined by Jason McCulloch in sharing the tune-up duties. Nick Casertano will continue his day-to-day duties of crew management and Funny Car operations on the PEAK team.

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INDIANAPOLIS – For just the third time in eleven years John Force Racing did not advance a Funny Car to the final round of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Robert Hight and Courtney Force were defeated in the quarterfinals today stopping their efforts to win their fourth or first U.S. Nationals title, respectively. All three JFR Camaro SS Funny Cars qualified in the top half of a very tough Funny Car field. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster were also unsuccessful in their second round race today.

In the quarterfinal match-up with eventual winner Matt Hagan Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car were pulling ahead for the win when his race car over-powered the track. The extra power caused his tires to lose traction and erased Hight’s advantage as Hagan shot past the three-time U.S. Nationals. After the run the 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion was hopeful about the future performance of his Auto Club Camaro SS Funny Car after switching to a new race car after a massive explosion on Saturday.

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C. Force, B. Force Lead Strong JFR Contingent Into U. S. Nationals

INDIANAPOLIS – Courtney Force wrote her name into the Funny Car history books once again becoming the first female to win a Funny Car specialty race today at the 5th annual Traxxas Nitro Shootout at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. Force racing in her first specialty race final round barely outran teammate and now three-time runner-up Robert Hight in an all-Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car final. Force’s winning time of 4.018 seconds was enough to hold off Hight’s 4.596 second run. Both JFR Funny Cars were powering down the track and shredding their blower belts from the enormous power created by the 10,000 horsepower motors.

“Dan Hood, Ronnie Thompson and the guys gave me a great car. My belt was shredding down there at the top end and I was just waiting for Robert to drive around me but we were able to get the win. For everyone at Traxxas, at Chevy, for Peak, for Monster, AAA and all our sponsors this was really a big win and the first time I have done this. This is so awesome for me and I just want to thank everyone at Traxxas and the series for having this, it’s a big win for the team,” said Force.

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