COMMERCE, GA – Robert Hight and the Auto Club Mustang started and ended qualifying on a high note at the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals. They were second quickest of the first session and on Saturday they made the quickest run of the category in the final session to go into race day with a lot of confidence and momentum. His best time of the weekend a blistering 4.03 second run has the 2009 Funny Car champion in the No. 3 position.

“Last night we didn’t really learn anything and we messed up last run in Q3. It is a must to go into race day with two good runs. We made a good run early on Friday. I am sure there is more out there than a 4.03 but Mike Neff played it smart and put the Auto Club Ford in a great spot going into tomorrow,” said Hight.

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COMMERCE, GA – John Force Racing came out swinging at the 34th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. In the opening session John Force and Robert Hight were the two quickest Funny Cars with Courtney Force just a shade off the quick pace. Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster were in the top half of the field going into the second session. At the end of the day all four JFR entries would carry qualifying times over into Saturday’s final day of qualifying.

As the Mello Yello points leaders Hight and Force had their Auto Club and Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang Funny Cars at the back of the pack for the first qualifying session. Being able to see all their competitors make runs proved fortuitous for the championship drivers as Force blasted down the track in 4.077 seconds and Hight was right beside the 16-time champion running 4.093 seconds.

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COMMERCE, GA –  In advance of the seventh Mello Yello NHRA Drag Racing Series event of the 2014 season NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force will make a fan appearance at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Commerce, Georgia on May 15th. In addition to Force the Traxxas Ford Mustang from her rookie season will also be on display. The free fan event will take place from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. and will also include a number of interactive displays for fans of all ages.

“I can’t wait to get to Commerce to start getting ready for the race weekend. We had my dad’s (16-time Funny Car champion John Force) Funny Car on display here once but he wasn’t able to come to the Wal-Mart. I am excited to spend some time with the fans signing autographs and taking some pictures. Having the Mello Yello interactive booths at the event will make is especially fun,” said Force, a three-time Funny Car national event winner.

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HIGHT ON CUSP OF 300^TH ROUND WIN AS TOUR HEADS TO ATLANTA

ATLANTA, GA – With five final rounds in a row and back to back wins Mello Yello points leader Robert Hight is not losing his focus as his Auto Club team heads to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend at Atlanta Dragway. Hight and the Auto Club team have reached the finals in the Peach State five times in his career driving away with two wins most recently in 2010.

“Atlanta Dragway is a track where I have had a lot of success. The first three years of my career I was in the final there. We are starting to get to some of the tracks where it can be hot and tricky. Those are great Mike Neff conditions. He does a tremendous job of tuning a Funny Car to get the most out of the available track conditions,” said Hight a three-time winner already in 2014.

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DEARBORN, MI – For the fourth year, Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car driver Courtney Force is stepping up to the plate as the official spokesperson for Ford Driving Skills for Life. Today, Force spoke to over 400 teens at Ford Driving Skills for Life’s “Strive for a Safer Drive” event, a teen driving initiative aimed at reducing serious traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities among Michigan’s most inexperienced drivers – teens.

“We were very happy to have Courtney with us today to support the Driving Skills for Life program. She has been a very strong advocate of teen safe driving. The schools here today were part of a program called Strive for a Safer Drive in the State of Michigan, so they’ve done in-school programming and this is kind of the icing on the cake; getting to come out and do hands-on training with professional drivers and getting to meet Courtney, so we’re really happy she’s here. She did a great program about wearing seatbelts and we’re just glad she’s here supporting Driving Skills for Life,” said Jim Graham, manager of Ford Driving Skills for Life.

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BAYTOWN, TX –Robert Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang back into the Winner’s Circle for the second consecutive race of the season at Royal Purple Raceway’s during the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals. The Mello Yello points leader defeated Bob Tasca III, Alexis DeJoria and Del Worsham before outrunning Jack Beckman in the final. With this win, Hight also put a 55” flat screen TV in the hands of Sherry Mely of Denham Springs, Louisiana, compliments of BrandSource and the “Win with Force” promotion. This was the thirteenth final round in a row for John Force Racing going back to 2013.

Hight qualified in the No. 4 spot this weekend with a solid 4.073 ET in Saturday’s first qualifying session. On Friday Hight’s Auto Club Ford Mustang did not run quick enough to carry a qualifying time over to Saturday. This was Hight’s third victory of 2014 and his fifth consecutive final round appearance this season. This is the fourth TV JFR has given away in 2014 in only six races.

“It was like we didn’t even show up on Friday,” Hight said.  “It was horrible. On the first run it got through the clutch and wore it out and eventually smoked the tires. Second qualifying session we just totally missed it.  It was weak and shook, but I didn’t lose faith in my team.”

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Baytown TX – Robert Hight came out on top again this weekend at the 27th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway where he won for the third time this year and extended his streak of consecutive final round appearances to five.

In Sunday’s eliminations, he dismissed Bob Tasca III, Alexis DeJoria, Del Worsham and Jack Beckman to score his 32^nd professional career event win, No. 229 for John Force Racing as a whole.

“It was like we didn’t even show up on Friday,” Hight said.  “It was horrible. On the first run it got through the clutch and wore it out and eventually smoked the tires. Second qualifying session we just totally missed it.  It was weak and shook, but I didn’t lose faith in my team.

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BAYTOWN, TX – Mello Yello Funny Car points leader Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team did not let two sub-par runs on Friday distract them on Saturday at the 27^th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals. All three John Force Racing Funny Cars qualified for the race and Hight was the highest positioned driver in the No. 4 spot with a solid 4.073 second pass at 312.42 mph. Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster will go into race day as the No. 8 qualified Top Fuel dragster.

Hight made the quickest runs of both sessions today grabbing six qualifying bonus points and serving notice that his Auto Club Ford Mustang will be one of the cars to beat during eliminations on Sunday at Royal Purple Raceway.

“Today was a really good day for this Auto Club Ford Mustang. We didn’t make good runs yesterday but today’s conditions are race day conditions and we were quickest of both sessions. I have a lot of confidence in Mike Neff and this team,” said Hight. “There was no panic over here last night. We are just focused on the task at hand. Right now that is getting a first round win tomorrow morning. You don’t know what the weather will do but I am excited to be No. 4 and have lane choice.”

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BAYTOWN, TX – What a difference a year makes. After failing to make the Top Fuel field at this event in 2013, Brittany Force’s Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster rocketed straight down Houston Raceway Park’s drag strip with a 3.85 second pass at over 317 mph in the first qualifying session. Force ended up in the No. 3 spot after the opening round of qualifying at the NHRA Spring Nationals. She also picked up a NHRA Mello Yello Performance Bonus Point for being the third quickest during the first session.

“It feels good to come out to Houston Raceway Park, and on the first pass end up running a 3.85. We ended number three and got a bonus point for that which is pretty exciting,” said Brittany Force.

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HIGHT LOOKING TO KEEP AUTO CLUB MUSTANG MOMENTUM ROLLING

HOUSTON, TX – With a streak of four final round appearances in a row heading into the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals this weekend at Royal Purple Raceway Robert Hight and his Auto Club team are not taking anything for granted. The current Mello Yello points leader and two-time winner this season is looking to the site of his first professional win as another chance to just go rounds.

“This team is not looking at streaks or final round appearances. We want to get the most out of every run because we know Mello Yello championships aren’t won or lost at the beginning of the season. The regular season is very important and having a spot in the Traxxas Shootout locked-up and having the points lead are important goals for the Auto Club team,” said Hight.

“The most important thing for our team is to stay focused and work on getting the maximum benefit from every run. (Crew chief) Mike (Neff) needs the data so we can put a plan together for the Countdown and for the warmer weather races coming up. We are always working on these Funny Cars and you can’t sit still on a tune-up. I have so much confidence in this entire team and in the whole John Force Racing operation. We are definitely enjoying some success now but our goal is to win a championship for John Force Racing and for all our sponsors like the Auto Club, Ford, Castrol, Mac Tools, PEAK, BrandSource and Traxxas.”

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