Funny Car points leader Robert Hight gunning for 340 mph with Auto Club Chevrolet in Reading
READING, PA – What does Robert Hight do for an encore? How about 340 miles per hour?
Hight, driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, won the first race of the Countdown to the Championship last weekend in Charlotte, taking over the Funny Car points lead in the process.
Now, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series heads to Maple Grove Raceway for the NHRA Nationals this weekend in Round 2 of the championship-determining segment of the season.
And, in addition, to wanting to build on his 44-point lead in the Funny Car standings, Hight has another number in mind.
He already holds the national record for elapsed time (3.793 seconds) and speed (339.87 mph) and was the first Funny Car driver in the 3.7-second range. But Hight would love to add to his legacy by being the first to top 340 mph.
“I look forward to it, because you know that elusive 340 mph run is out there,” Hight said. “I know we can get it. We’ve made the first part of a run, and different parts of the second half of a run. If you put them together, it’ll run over 340. You just have to have the conditions.
“It’d be cool to get that barrier. We were the first in the 3.70s this year, so to be the first in the 340s, that’s one that will stick for a long, long time. Maple Grove is a perfect place to do that.”
If Hight were to go faster than 340 mph this weekend, he’d do it in the 300th race of his career. He started driving at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif., in 2005, and his piled up some impressive numbers since.
Hight has 40 victories, 62 final-round appearances and 54 No. 1 qualifiers in 299 races – and won the 2009 Funny Car championship.
Hight’s performance prowess this season began when John Force Racing team owner John Force decided to move crew chief Jimmy Prock and co-crew chief Chris Cunningham to Hight’s Auto Club team in March. Prock, still adjusting to JFR’s six-disc clutch, took a few races to get rolling, but Hight has been spectacular since.
He’s won three of the last six races and grabbed five No. 1 qualifiers since the beginning of June. Hight had qualified third or better in the last 11 races, but that streak was snapped by a No. 6 starting spot in Charlotte – not that it stopped Hight.
“We’ve had a great race car over the last 15 races – in hot or cold conditions,” Hight said. “We’ve been collecting a lot of those little bonus points along the way, and I think that’s what you’re going to have to do in this Countdown. It’s almost impossible to have six great races, so if you have one bad one but collect a lot of qualifying points, that can make up for a bad race.”
Two qualifying rounds each are scheduled for Friday (2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (1:30 and 4), with final eliminations slated for noon on Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will television one hour of qualifying on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern (live) and Sunday at 2 a.m. FS1 will broadcast three hours of live coverage on Sunday at 2 p.m.
PEAK Chevrolet driver John Force hopes to capitalize on Reading success this weekend
– Sixteen-time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion John Force is no stranger to success at Maple Grove Raceway.
The Yorba Linda, Calif., driver and living drag racing legend has seven victories and 14 finals appearances at the east Pennsylvania track, but hopes for an eighth victory this weekend as the Countdown to the Championship moves north from North Carolina.
Force, driving the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, made it to the quarterfinals of last weekend’s NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. He won his first-round race with ease, though dropped a close second-round matchup to daughter Courtney Force despite making a solid pass. Courtney Force went on to make it to the finals.
But John Force had one of the most consistent cars in qualifying at Charlotte, earning three bonus points after topping one of the rounds, and setting the fourth quickest time in two other sessions. Without that matchup against his daughter, the No. 1 qualifier, he’d likely be higher in the points standings, as he guns for a record-extending 17th title.
Force’s success at Reading goes beyond overall race victories. He’s won 59 elimination rounds and recorded eight No. 1s, and qualified outside the top half of the bracket only four times in 32 races. And while many people are looking toward record-breaking numbers on the scoreboard, Force is looking to add as many points as possible.
“I know Reading well,” Force said. “I think we’re going to go into Reading motivated. We tested at Charlotte earlier this week, so we’ll see what happens.”
Two qualifying rounds each are scheduled for Friday (2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (1:30 and 4), with final eliminations slated for noon on Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will television one hour of qualifying on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern (live) and Sunday at 2 a.m. FS1 will broadcast three hours of live coverage on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force heads to Reading with momentum, seeking another strong race
– Courtney Force was oh, so close to winning her first race of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season last weekend at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C.
That she was defeated by a teammate and current Funny Car points leader, Robert Hight, in the final round made it no less easy to handle.
The good thing about the Countdown to the Championship, though, is that she’ll be back in her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS this weekend, for the annual NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway and second of three consecutive race weekends. She enters the race third in points, vaulting from the sixth-place standing she had leading into the six-race Countdown.
That Force was able to move up so substantially – and contend for victory – is a testament to her driving and the preparation by her team. Force picked up bonus points in qualifying No. 1 as well. The goal, however, is still to pick up maximum points with continued strong qualifying results as well as a victory.
“I think our Advance Auto Parts team is going to be ready to see what kind of numbers we can put on the board,” said Force, who owns seven No. 1s, topping all Funny Car drivers this season. “Hopefully we can get qualified in that top spot again, but more importantly, we want to end the weekend on another high note – but in the winner’s circle for our Advance Auto Parts team.”
Force is also looking for some luck at Maple Grove, a track which has eluded her of results in the past. But she’ll look to add to her John Force Racing team’s total of 10 race victories at the east Pennsylvania track. And she’ll hope to carry momentum over from last weekend’s race, at which she recorded her first career finals appearance at Charlotte, a track where she owns the elapsed time record in Funny Cars.
Speaking of records, Reading is a track where records routinely fall.
“Reading’s obviously one of these tracks where drivers and teams are going to be setting those records – track records, but probably national ET records as well,” Force said. “Robert Hight is one of those that everyone is watching out for, but I’ve noticed DSR is always tough, and the Kalitta cars have turned a corner (recently). There are a lot of great teams out here and a lot of fast hot rods, so it’s going to be interesting going into Reading. It’s going to be a fast track.”
Two qualifying rounds each are scheduled for Friday (2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (1:30 and 4), with final eliminations slated for noon on Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will television one hour of qualifying on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern (live) and Sunday at 2 a.m. FS1 will broadcast three hours of live coverage on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Monster Energy driver Brittany Force ready to keep rolling at Reading
– Monster Energy driver Brittany Force is in her fifth season in a Top Fuel dragster and just started her third Countdown to the Championship.
Each year, Force has improved, finishing seventh in 2015 and sixth last season. She’s learned how to deal with the pressure of contending for a title, and she intends to put those lessons learned to good use in the NHRA Nationals this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway – the second of six Countdown races.
“Pressure plays a big role in it, and you can’t let that get to you,” Force said. “You climb in that car, and it has to be like any other run. At the end the day, you’ve got your team behind you, you’ve got your sponsors behind you. I have the best group of guys around me. They always have my back, no matter where we end up.
“What gives me confidence this team can go after a championship is the team itself. They are the hardest-working guys I know, and I’m so proud to be teamed up with them. They never give up, they never quit, they keep pushing. Even on tough weekends when we’re down, they pull together and pick me up when I’ve screwed up. They’re a great team, and I’m grateful for all of them.
“Every team wants the championship, every team wants to win. The Monster team, we’re going to hang in there, never give up, keep pushing – and we’re going for the championship.”
Force moved up to fourth in the Top Fuel standings with a semifinal finish in Charlotte, and she’s only 56 points, less than three rounds, out of first. And now she heads to one of her best tracks in Maple Grove. Force has raced to two final rounds in her four races here, including a final last season. She has one No. 1 qualifier at Maple Grove and owns an 8-4 round-win record.
“I’m pumped to get to Reading,” Force said. “We’ve always had a good race car there. We’ve been No. 1 in points after there, we’ve been to finals there. Now, this year, we just need to take it a little bit further.”
If she does, it would be an impressive start to the Countdown, but Force also know her Monster Energy team needs to keep rolling.
“Not only is it important to start off strong, but also to continue being a strong team all the way to the end because there’s only six races in the Countdown, and you have to bring it every single time you go out there – every qualifying pass, every pass on race day,” Force said. “There’s no place for mistakes, and you have to bring it all the way through until the end, and that’s how you win the championship.”
Two qualifying rounds each are scheduled for Friday (2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (1:30 and 4), with final eliminations slated for noon on Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will television one hour of qualifying on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern (live) and Sunday at 2 a.m. FS1 will broadcast three hours of live coverage on Sunday at 2 p.m.
