INDY DAY 4: JFR drivers look forward to Countdown after tough day in U.S. Nationals

BROWNSBURG, IN – The John Force Racing team was primed for a successful run in the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals on Monday at Lucas Oil Raceway, but fate put a hole in those plans.

Dropped cylinders – often called “putting a hole out” – ended the day early for the three JFR Funny Cars: Robert Hight in the second round and John Force and Courtney Force in the first round. Also, Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster driver fell in the first round after a close battle.

“Indy wasn’t good to us and it’s our fault,” said John Force, driver of the Chevrolet Performance/PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS. “We have no one to blame. We did the testing and it didn’t go our way. We will turn this thing around. The Countdown (to the Championship) begins in Charlotte and we’ll be testing all day here tomorrow.”

Force qualified No. 4 and was off the line first in his first-round race with Del Worsham. But the PEAK Chevy put a hole out at the hit of the throttle and slowed to a pass of 4.068 seconds at 318.17 mph, while Worsham survived with a 4.010-second run at 320.97 mph. He is seventh in points entering the Countdown to the Championship.

Hight, in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro, was the quickest of the first round with his pass of 3.867 seconds at 330.15 mph that beat Justin Schriefer. But Hight’s car dropped a cylinder early in his second-round run, and he slowed to a 4.102-second run at 286.50 mph that fell to Tim Wilkerson’s 3.940 seconds at 326.79 mph.

“We haven’t dropped a cylinder in 25, 30 runs and were feeling pretty good about that, and then second round it does,” said Hight, who enters the Countdown to the Championship second in points. “We have to work on that and may test now tomorrow and see if we can work on different things. That was our demise with the four in a row earlier this year. We have to get to the bottom of it because you’re not going to win the championship dropping cylinders.

“We have a great car, the performance is there. We just have to keep it on eight cylinders and the driver do his job, and we’ll win this thing.”

Courtney Force’s Advance Auto Parts Chevy qualified No. 3, but her car suffered a dropped cylinder in her run against Cruz Pedregon, and his pass of 3.946 seconds at 328.62 mph was enough to beat her 4.055-second run at 300.20 mph.

“It wasn’t the run we wanted,” said Force, who will enter the Countdown to the Championship sixth in points. “I was really feeling good and we had a consistent car through qualifying. Unfortunately, we had a hole out on the head, broke a crankshaft – we kind of had a mess of problems on that run. It was really unfortunate. I think we had a car to go rounds at this race, so disappointed that we didn’t have a longer day.

“But I’m really proud of my team. We’re locked into the Countdown to the Championship, where we need to turn our focus and stay positive and really get things together and get ready for Charlotte. We’ll have to focus on making the start to the Countdown to the Championship count and do well at Charlotte. Going after the championship is the most important thing at this point.”

Older sister Brittany Force’s day ended in the first round despite a great pass of 3.724 seconds at 329.02 mph. Shawn Langdon left the starting line with a .034-second advantage and his run of 3.756 seconds at 325.69 mph was enough to get the win.

“We had some problems earlier in the season, smoking the tires, getting stuck in one spot on the race track,” said Force, who will enter the Countdown to the Championship sixth in Top Fuel. “We’ve overcome that, and we figured out what the problem was, and our car is going down the race track – that’s what’s most important.

“Now, we need to get me on the same page. I struggled this weekend, but I have my Monster team behind me. I have the most supportive group of guys, and they have my back. This is a tough one, losing on a holeshot. It was that close at the finish line, and it’s tough to swallow. But I do believe that everything happens for a reason and it’s going to make me stronger, going to make me a better driver in the end.”

All four JFR drivers are locked into the Countdown to the Championship, which begins with the NHRA Carolina Nationals on Sept. 15-17 at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C.