JFR #2, 3 and 5 in Funny Car, #4 in Top Fuel as Qualifying Closes for the Winternationals
PEAK’s John Force reels off second-fastest Funny Car speed, qualifies No. 2 for Winternationals at Pomona
POMONA, CA – A day after securing a lifetime sponsorship with PEAK/Old World Industries, John Force’s career-
best speed peaked during Funny Car qualifying.
And with that solid run during Saturday’s third-round qualifying session, Force grabbed the No. 2 starting spot for Sunday’s 57th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the opening round of the 2017 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
Force pushed the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS to an astonishing 335.15 mph in a third-round qualifying effort, a run that tied him with daughter Courtney Force with the second-quickest time overall (3.849 seconds) and the quickest of the third qualifying session.
John Force’s speed was just off the all-time best, set by Matt Hagan at 335.57 mph at Heartland Park Topeka in 2016 (and subsequently tied by Hagan in Saturday’s final session).
Force will line up against Phil Burkart Jr. in the first round. It marks the first time the two will race against each other since 2007, when Force won at Reading, Pa., to move to 10-9 against his former driver and JFR teammate.
“We really only got one run here, but when it did hit a lick, it ran well,” Force said. “We ran a big speed, which really impressed me, because I didn’t mean to drive it that far. It was trucking, and it got there quicker than I thought. Overall, we’re doing well at JFR, and this year it looks like we can do some damage.”
Force seeks his eighth Winternationals victory Sunday and 16th NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car victory at his hometown track.
“(Sunday) is a whole new ballgame,” he said. “The weather is going to be good, so we’ll see where it goes. I want to win, but so does everyone else out there. They all want to win, so we wish them all luck, and go out and do what we do, which is step on the gas.”
Two of Force’s other drivers, Courtney Force and Robert Hight, also had strong showings and will be in the top half of Sunday’s first-round matchups. Courtney Force, in the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, is No. 3, while Hight is No. 5 in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Elimination rounds for Funny Car are scheduled to start 11 a.m. Sunday, with Top Fuel immediately following. The Winternationals will be televised live on FOX starting at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Courtney Force to start No. 3 with Advance Auto Parts Chevy for Winternationals at Pomona
POMONA, CA – Courtney Force will stand on her second-round qualifying time of 3.849 seconds and start No. 3 in the Funny Car class for Sunday’s Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway, the opening round of the 2017 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
Force – driving the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS – set the 3.849-second time Friday, with a speed of 330.23 mph. While she was second after Friday’s qualifications, her father and team owner, John Force, matched her time Saturday, and set a speed of 335.15, the second-fastest speed in Funny Car history. That dropped Force to No. 3.
Courtney Force earned a bonus point in the third round of qualifying with a 3.855-second run at 327.82 mph, the third-fastest of the session, but during the fourth round, her car had tire shake and was unable to improve on her best time.
“We were pushing the car hard in Q4 and it was a really cool track,” said Force, the 2013 Winternationals winner. “(Sunday’s) going to be a lot warmer, so we can run the setup we had from the heat of the day and dial in on race day. My dad got around us with that 335 mph, but it’s really cool that we’re running so close to each other, and (teammate) Robert (Hight) is right behind.
Her first-round matchup will be against No. 14 qualifier Jim Campbell, whom she is undefeated against (3-0). All three victories against Campbell have come in a first round.
“I’m looking forward to race day, the first one on the 2017 season,” she said. “I’m really excited to hopefully put on a good show for the Advance Auto Parts team, and the Chevy Camaro is obviously running pretty solid. We going to try to keep it consistent through race day.”
John Force will start No. 2 in Funny Car in his PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS, while Hight, in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, will be No. 5.
Elimination rounds for Funny Car are scheduled to start 11 a.m. Sunday, with Top Fuel immediately following. The Winternationals will be televised live on FOX starting at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Monster Energy driver Brittany Force begins chase for 2017 title from No. 4 spot
POMONA, CA – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team begin their pursuit of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series championship from the No. 4 spot at the Circle K Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Force’s pass of 3.706 seconds at 322.42 mph came in Friday’s lone qualifying session, as rain cancelled Q2. Crew chief Brian Husen and tuning consultant Alan Johnson worked to get Force’s dragster even quicker Saturday, but the Monster Energy car overpowered the track in the final two qualifying sessions.
“We lost one qualifying run, and we struggled a little today, but we still have that one awesome run Friday night – 3.70 – to work off of,” Force said. “I know the team is trying to push to see what we can do. We’ll get it back tomorrow, make some solid passes, and our plan is to end up in the winner’s circle.”
Force’s run means she will line up against No. 13 qualifier Terry Haddock in the first round of eliminations Sunday. Haddock’s best pass was 5.433 seconds at 123.04 mph.
Force and her team had a terrific test session at Nitro Spring Training at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park last weekend, giving her confidence to top a 2016 season that saw her win for the first time and contend for the championship.
“It feels so good to be back,” Force said. “It’s home out here with this team and this family. The offseason is great because you’re home and you get to be with your family and see your friends. But out here, this is what it’s all about. This I where I want to be, and I’m glad that we’re finally back in the swing. We’re going after it this year, and it starts this weekend.”
Force is 1-0 against Haddock in her career and is looking for her first win at Pomona, her home track. She lives in nearby Yorba Linda, Calif.
“It’s hard to prepare for race day because you can’t make nerves go away,” Force said. “First round is definitely the worst, but race day, there’s more excitement, there’s more pressure, there’s so much more emotion going into it that you’re nervous. My guys tell me they’re just as nervous as I am on that first run, so that makes me feel a little bit better.
“I try to pump myself up when I get ready to make that run, but I also take a deep breath and calm myself down. Before the run, my guys and I put on some music to get us ready, and we take it from there.”
Robert Hight takes Auto Club of Southern California Chevy to No. 5 spot in qualifying
POMONA, CA – Robert Hight and his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team saved their best for last during qualifying for the Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
And their best was good enough for the No. 5 qualifying spot in the season-opening race of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
“Great job by my team,” Hight said. “We had struggled the last two runs in testing (in Phoenix last weekend), and then the first three runs here, the same thing. But to see the teamwork – (John Force crew chief) Jimmy Prock coming over with (Hight crew chief) Mike Neff and going over things – that’s the kind of stuff you hope for. They all worked well together and tried to help each other.
“We made a lot of changes that last run, and it was very smooth – no sign of shake.”
Hight’s pass of 3.853 seconds at 327.43 mph moved him off the bump spot and well into the top half of the field. And it could have been even quicker.
“It was quick,” Hight said. “If we’d have run a little quicker in the middle, it could’ve been an .83 real easy.”
Hight, whose Chevy bears a California Highway Patrol paint scheme this weekend, did have a minor issue after going through the lights in Q4. A tire went flat and had to be replaced before he could return to the pit area.
“Maybe we were so embarrassing the first three runs to the Highway Patrol that they put one of those strips across the track because we had a flat tire,” Hight said jokingly.
Hight now faces Del Worsham in the first round of eliminations Sunday. Worsham qualified No. 12 with a best pass of 3.940 at 323.89 mph.
“Great job by everybody,” Hight said. “We’re at least on track now. It’s a new day tomorrow. I hope we can do it a few times in a row here and not go back to that shaking because that isn’t any fun.”
Hight and his team, including co-crew chiefs Jon Schaffer and Jason McCullough, will continue to work with teammates John Force and Courtney Force to get all three Funny Cars as fast as possible.
“We’ll be able to see what our teammates do,” Hight said “That’s why we have multiple cars, to help each other and work together. The goal is, tomorrow night at this time, to have a Chevy in the winner’s circle.”
FOX will televise three hours of live eliminations coverage at 4 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
