Monster Energy driver Brittany Force hopes to add to family’s legacy at U.S. Nationals

Published August 29, 2017

After pre-event testing, All JFR Teams Ready for the Big GO!

BROWNSBURG, IN – John Force Racing has a long, storied history in the Funny Car class of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, winning the Big Go a record 12 times.

Monster Energy driver Brittany Force would love to add to that legacy – in the Top Fuel class.

Force has raced in the prestigious U.S. Nationals four times in Top Fuel, and she’s still looking to add her name to the legends who have won this race. But she’s been coming to the Big Go nearly all her life, watching her dad John Force win this race four times and older sister Ashley Force twice.

“Lots of memories coming here,” Force said. “We’ve been coming since we were kids. Being in the winner’s circle with my dad, my dad winning the Big Bud Shootout and celebrating in the winner’s circle with him. It’s pretty surreal that I’m here with the Monster team, and we get to compete in the Traxxas Shootout and come out here for the U.S. Nationals.

“It’s the biggest race of the year, and we’re hoping that we kick ass and end up in that winner’s circle and take home the Wally.”

The Traxxas Shootout is a non-points-paying race for Top Fuel and Funny Car held in conjunction with the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. Eight drivers compete for the $100,000 first prize in each category.

The first seven winners in Top Fuel and Funny Car are automatically entered, with Force earning a spot by winning in Epping, N.H. earlier this season.

But Force is also looking beyond the Traxxas Shootout and the U.S. Nationals, as the Countdown to the Championship begins in Charlotte on Sept. 15-17.

“We’re also focused on the end of the year,” Force said. “We’re focused on the Countdown, moving up in points. We want to keep moving up that ladder and gain as many points as we can.”

The U.S. Nationals can be a grind, as obligations away from the race track often fill drivers’ schedules. But Force has the perfect sponsor, Monster Energy, to help keep her going.

“It’s tough,” Force said. “There’s so much going on. It’s doing one thing at a time and catching your breath in between. When you strap in that race car, you put everything out of your mind and focus on doing your job.”

Five qualifying sessions are scheduled for the U.S. Nationals (all times Eastern): Friday at 7:15 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.

Fox Sports 1 will provide two hours of qualifying coverage (all times Eastern): Sunday at noon and 5 p.m. and two hours of live eliminations at 11 a.m. FOX will provide three hours of live eliminations at 1 p.m.

Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force looks to join father, sister with Indy victory

– As a child, Courtney Force watched as her father John Force set NHRA record after record, win championship after championship, and create a fanbase that is second-to-none in the drag racing world.

Of course, she dreamed about becoming a racing driver like dad, blasting down the drag strip at 300-plus mph and winning races. And eventually, dreams became reality, as she drives the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour.

“Growing up, I knew this was a big deal, even as a little kid, that this was the biggest race of the season,” Force said. “Everyone knows just to be out here, just to be qualified for the U.S. Nationals, and to have a car that is competitive in this race, is such a huge accomplishment.”

But dreams still exist, and she’s hoping to turn a few of them into reality soon. One of them is becoming a champion like her father, who has 16 championships in his storied career. Another is winning the most prestigious race on the series calendar, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

She’ll fight to win the U.S. Nationals like her father, sister and two-time winner Ashley Force Hood, current teammate and three-time winner Robert Hight, and give John Force Racing its 13th championship at The Big Go.

The first round of qualifying is Friday, and two rounds are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Elimination rounds are scheduled for Monday, Sept. 4.

“I grew up watching my dad compete in this race as a little kid, and this is the race that ends summer and starts that battle for the title,” Force said. “I’m so excited to be a part of this race, and already can’t wait to get back on this race track. I’m confident we’ll have a great race car when we show up for The Big Go.

“There’s so much attention that goes into this race. Obviously, it is Indianapolis, the heart of racing here. Being that there are two races within one weekend, I think it makes it exciting for fans. It’s two races in one, it’s a double feature. They’re seeing some of the top drivers in the world come here and compete because it is Indianapolis, because it is the U.S. Nationals.

Force has enjoyed varied amounts of success at Lucas Oil Raceway. In five races, her best result came in 2014, when she advanced to the semifinals. She also earned the No. 1 qualifier – the first of her Funny Car career – in 2012.

She won the annual Traxxas Shootout at the track last year, and is counting on strong support from her fans to participate in this year’s event. Fan voting for the Traxxas Shootout ends Tuesday morning.

“To be able to tell people that you’ve won the U.S. Nationals takes you to a whole new level,” Force said. “And that’s what we hope to do this weekend. We hope to get that job done, and walk away with the U.S. Nationals victory for the first time. I want to do it because I’ve seen my dad do it multiple times, my sister Ashley, other teammates. I hope we can do it. We’ve got a great hot rod. We haven’t gotten a win yet, but to get the first one of the year here, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Force was also among nearly a dozen drivers to compete in last week’s test in Brownsburg. The team tested a backup car, in which Force made six passes over two days with a best run of 3.868 seconds at 332.18 mph. The team is still deciding whether to use this car or the primary car. Either way, her test results give Force confidence in going rounds and winning the U.S. Nationals.

Five qualifying sessions are scheduled for the U.S. Nationals (all times Eastern): Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. and Sunday at 12:45 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Three-time U.S. Nationals winner Robert Hight ready to take Auto Club Chevy to another Indy win

– One victory in the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals can make a drag racer’s career.

Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car driver Robert Hight accomplished that goal in 2006, when in his second season he won the Big Go.

But Hight is far from satisfied with one U.S. Nationals title. Or with two. Or even with three. So the three-time winner wants another when drag racing’s best converge on Lucas Oil Raceway this weekend.

“Before I started driving, even as a crew member, I knew how big Indy was,” Hight said. “When you won it as a driver, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. I’m sure it’s like winning the Daytona 500 for NASCAR. I remember one Tuesday morning after the race, I met Don Garlits in the hotel, and he congratulated me and said, ‘Hey, kid, you can retire now. You won Indy.’ I’m like, ‘No way, man. I want to win it some more.’

“I’ve been in quite a few finals here and have gotten beat, and I’ve won it. (Crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) and I have won it several times together, and we’re back together.”

Hight beat Whit Bazemore in the 2006 final, and he followed that up with a win in 2008 and 2013, both over Jack Beckman. Those victories – and three other final-round appearances – have contributed to John Force Racing’s dominance at Indy, where JFR has won 12 times and went to the final every year from 2006-2015.

Plus, Hight has been to the final of the Traxxas Nitro Shootout, a special non-points race run in conjunction with the U.S. Nationals, in each of the last three years.

“I’ve never won it,” Hight said. “This is the year.”

Hight’s optimism is grounded in reality, as he’s won two of the last four Funny Car races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, all while setting the national elapsed time record (3.973 seconds) in Brainerd and the national speed record (339.87 mph) in Sonoma.

The recent hot streak has moved Hight to No. 2 in the Funny Car standings, and he has a shot at being the No. 1 seed when the Countdown to the Championship starts after Indy.

“What makes Indy special this year is points-and-a-half,” said Hight in a reference to NHRA awarding 1.5-times the points for this race. “After this, you’re into the Countdown. What you want to do is win this race and roll that momentum right into the Countdown and not look back.”

First, of course, is the U.S. Nationals, drag racing’s biggest event. And the race is even more special considering that JFR’s race shop is three miles from the famed race track.

“It’s bigger than it used to be because it’s in our hometown,” Hight said. “We’re based out of Brownsburg and we race here now. All the teams and the family is here. Our machine shop, fab shop –everybody who works at JFR is here.

“All the who’s who of drag racing will be here. You’re going to see all the big names, the legends of the sport. They’ll be here. There’s a lot of energy and excitement.”

Five qualifying sessions are scheduled for the U.S. Nationals (all times Eastern): Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. and Sunday at 12:45 p.m. and 4 p.m.

PEAK Chevrolet driver John Force gunning for fifth U.S. Nationals victory

– Weekend after weekend, race after race, John Force relays the message to his teams, sponsors and fans: “We’re rounding the corner, we’re getting there, and we’ll be ready for Indy.”

After last week’s test in Indianapolis, Force’s message has been altered slightly, and for the good: “We’ve rounded the corner. We had a good test session. Big picture – I said we’d be ready for Indy, and we’re ready for Indy. We’re ready to go racing.”

The 16-time champion and driver of the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car is chasing after his fifth victory in the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, the biggest on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series calendar.

The four-day event at Lucas Oil Raceway begins Friday with qualifying, followed by two days of qualifying Saturday and Sunday and elimination rounds Sunday.

Force – seventh in the championship points standings with one victory, one No. 1 qualifier and 17 elimination-round wins – has four of John Force Racing’s 12 victories in The Big Go. He triumphed for the first time in 1993, joining a winner’s list that included several of his heroes, including NHRA legends Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Tom McEwen and Don Garlits.

Force added victories in 1996, 1998 and 2002, and remains just one victory shy of Ed McCulloch for U.S. Nationals victories in a Funny Car. McCulloch’s son, Jason, was a co-crew chief on Force’s car in his only win this season at the NHRA Gatornationals.

“Indy’s the mothership,” said Force, who also has 11 No. 1 qualifiers at Indy, also a record. “You just want to be part of it. There’s an old saying in IndyCar, ‘You can win the championship, but you’ve got to win the Indy 500.’ In drag racing, you could win the championship, but if you ain’t won Indy, you ain’t won (nothing).

“We have multiple races there for big money, like the Traxxas Shootout, and we’ll be fighting for it. But overall, it’s the big race that you want to win. It’s huge, it’s a big event, and trust me, every race team is coming in with guns a blazing. We’re going after it.”

Force’s victory at this year’s Gatornationals ended a 16-year drought between wins at the event, considered by many to be one of drag racing’s majors, so to speak. Force would like to end a 15-year streak between U.S. Nationals victories this year, with a car that has continued to make strides under crew chief Mike Neff, himself a two-time U.S. Nationals winner as a driver.

“We had a good test session,” said Force, following his test last week. “We changed a lot of motor stuff and the clutch, have been over the last couple races. And it’s starting to show – we’re running some good numbers. We ran an .86, and that was shutting it off at about 700 feet.”

Force – whose Camaro will exhibit a special Chevrolet paint scheme in honor of the manufacturer’s title sponsorship for the race – has said frequently this season that he and his crew chiefs making changes to make all of his cars more reliable. With the Countdown to the Championship on the horizon, and a spot already clinched, Force is looking to end the regular season strong and start the playoffs stronger.

“I’m going into Indy looking to do some damage,” Force said.

Five qualifying sessions are scheduled for the U.S. Nationals (all times Eastern): Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. and Sunday at 12:45 p.m. and 4 p.m.

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