Team Force Readies for the Gator Nats

NEW LOOK JOHN FORCE WANTS MORE AT GATORNATIONALS

GAINESVILLE, FL – For the first time in his career John Force will roll into the historic NHRA Gatornationals driving a blue Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car. His 10,000 hp race car will be adorned with new sponsors BlueDef and Peak Anti-Freeze and Coolants for this race and Force is ready to put on a good show for his new primary sponsor and the tens of thousands of fans who will pack the grandstands.

“Robert (Hight) and I have been working for almost two years on new sponsor deals. I am excited to have BlueDef on the side of my Chevy hot rod this weekend. They are doing a national promotion with my team and have been followings us all the way from our Brownsburg shop to Gainesville. BlueDef is the lifeblood for these Freightliners and winning is my lifeblood,” said an excited Force.

Force has won at the Gatornationals seven times but he has not stood in the winner’s circle as a winning driver since 2001. He narrowly missed getting his eighth win last season but he was bested by his teammate and JFR President Robert Hight in the final round.

“You hate to race a teammate but at least going into the final we knew we were going to get the win for all our sponsors. We carry every sponsor logo on all the race cars so everyone wins no matter who the driver is. I want to win for Peak and BlueDef, Robert wants to win for Auto Club and Courtney wants to win for Traxxas. We are still trying to get that first Top Fuel win too,” said Force.

“We brought on Chevrolet and Lucas Oil so we want to get wins for them. Trust me the competition is tough and I know my hot rod is just about to turn the corner. We ran good in testing and we have just had some bad racer luck. It is a long season and I know we will be in the hunt for the championship.”

Leading John Force’s Chevrolet Funny Car team is Jon Schaffer a newly promoted crew chief that has been in the JFR brain-trust developmental program for a number of years. Schaffer was the assistant crew chief to Mike Neff and has also tuned for a number of veteran drivers including fellow Californian David Baca.

“I have a young crew led by Jon Schaffer and these young guys give me energy. I have a ton of experience but these guys have energy and a drive to be successful. We work great together because when I put on my firesuit I feel like a 20 year old so I fit right in,” joked Force.

Force along with Robert Hight, Courtney Force and Brittany Force spent the off-weekend before the Gatornationals promoting Chevrolet at the Detroit Autorama and then he flew to Dallas to spend a day with AAA Texas employees at their annual employee car show.

ROBERT HIGHT EYES GATORNATIONALS REPEAT THIS WEEKEND

GAINESVILLE, FL – Last year Robert Hight and his Auto Club backed Funny Car team picked up their first win of the season at historic Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville. It was Hight’s second win in the past three seasons at a track and event Hight considers one of the “Majors” on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour.

“I have won the Gatornationals a couple of times including last season. This is a race you want to win in your career for sure. It is right up there with Indy and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona as far as history. Kenny Bernstein made the first 300 mph run here and they have great crowds,” said Hight. “It is the first time we are on the East Coast to start the season so the fans are super excited to see us. You can see the history from Thursday night’s Hall of Fame ceremony right through the weekend.”

This year the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car has raced to two semi-final finishes and has the 2009 Funny Car champion sitting in the No. 3 spot in the Mello Yello point standings. For a driver that has won at least two races every season of his professional career Hight is ready to step back into the winner’s circle. Hight has started the first two raced from the No. 7 and the No. 10 qualifying positions but at each race he has picked up two round wins and lost close races in the semi-finals.

“I have said many times that I want to win a championship by dominating all season. I still think we have a chance to do that with this Auto Club Chevy Camaro. I get my confidence from Mike Neff and having a great race car. I try and give my guys confidence by not making mistakes when I am driving. Winning races is a partnership. Everyone on the team has to work together. This class is so competitive that everything needs to almost perfect to get a win,” added Hight, a former crewman himself.

In Hight’s two Gatornationals victories he has had to beat formidable opponents in his final rounds. Last season it was 16-time NHRA Funny Car champ and then points leader John Force. In 2012 it was veteran racer Johnny Gray. The level of competition has never been higher in Funny Car so Hight is appreciative that his crew chief Mike Neff also has a win at the event as a driver in 2011 when he defeated Cruz Pedregon in the final round.

With three wins in the last four Gatornationals John Force Racing is looking to extend that dominance that team leader had in Gainesville in the 1990s when he won in Florida a track record seven times most recently in 2001. Hight knows that history and success at a particular track is not an exact science or a guarantee from year to year.

“There are some tracks that you just feel comfortable at and you do well. I have had some success at the Gators the past couple of years and John Force was so dominant here in the 90s. You want to do well here because this is the first race on the East Coast and you have so many fans that have been cooped up all winter. The stands are always packed it is great to see so many people in the pits,” said Hight.

JFR TOP FUEL RACER BRITTANY FORCE WANTS TO MAKE MARK AT GATORNATIONALS

GAINESVILLE, FL – Brittany Force and the JFR Top Fuel team would like to do something none of her current Top Fuel competitors has accomplished; win their first race at the historic NHRA Gatornationals this weekend. Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville has been the site of many historic events most notably the first 300 mph run by Kenny Bernstein and his crew chief the late Dale Armstrong. For the third year driver getting her first win at such a historic track would be nothing short of spectacular.

“I am pumped and ready to get to the next race. I am proud of my entire team. Going into Gainesville we will start all over again. Our plan will be to make some good runs and get a good qualifying spot. There is so much history around the Gatornationals I would love to get my first win there,” said Force.

So far this season Force has qualified for each race in Pomona and Phoenix, respectively. At the last event Force, the No. 10 qualifier, outran the No. 7 veteran Steve Torrence and then dropped a close race to No. 2 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the quarter-finals. Last year in Phoenix Force raced to her first career final. In 2014 the lone JFR driver competing in Top Fuel reached four finals and added three No. 1 qualifying efforts.

“Last year was a breakthrough year for sure. We didn’t get that first win but we got to four finals rounds and picked up three No. 1 qualifiers. (Crew chiefs) Todd Smith and Ronnie Thompson are working really well together this season and we had an awesome test session in Phoenix to start the season,” said Force, who sits No. 10 in the Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings.

“Everyone is focused on improving our performance and starting every race off on the right foot. We want to come out on Friday and make two good runs and then do the same thing on Saturday. Sunday is about going rounds for everybody. We got out of the first round in Phoenix two weeks ago and I think we are headed in the right direction.”

For Force it is all about seat time and continuing to get comfortable behind the wheel of the fastest accelerating race car on the planet. With every run the second youngest Force daughter learns something that she takes into the cockpit on the next pass.

“Even going into my third season seat time is so important. I have been out of the seat for a while so now that we are getting the season started I am getting back in the groove. It takes a little while until you are 100% comfortable in the seat.”

In both her previous races at the Gatornationals Force was taken out in the first round by an eventual finalist of the race. Last year at the Gatornationals Brittany qualified No. 13 and was narrowly defeated by eventual race winner Doug Kalitta 3.79 to 3.82 in the first round. In 2012 Force was again the No. 13 qualifier and lost to veteran driver Clay Millican who went on to a runner-up finish.

COURTNEY FORCE WANTS TO KEEP QUALIFYING MOMENTUM GOING INTO GAINESVILLE

GAINESVILLE, FL – For the fourth consecutive year, Courtney Force and her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team are preparing for the third stop along the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Series tour, the fan-favorite NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. The 26-year-old is coming off a strong weekend in Phoenix where she qualified in the No. 2 spot with a 3.996 second run at 321.58 mph.

“Gainesville always has a fun atmosphere and is usually one of the most packed races. The track is unique but I’m hoping that now after a few years running on it, I’ll have a better handle on things this year. I can’t wait to get out there with the Florida fans and hope to go some rounds on race day for my team, the fans and sponsors.

“This is a tough track and we have struggled with consistency here in the past, however last year we started to get it figured out better and I learned how to drive on it better and were qualified No. 5 only to be defeated by my dad (John Force) in the semi-final round on race day. I think we have continuously improved here year after year and I think that with past experience on this track and with how well our Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS is running lately, I’d say we have a pretty good shot at it at all the Gators,” said Force.

Last year, the now winningest female in the Funny Car category with a total of seven national event wins qualified in the No. 5 spot at the Florida event and dismissed Matt Hagan and Tim Wilkerson from eliminations before squaring off with her father and 16-time champion John Force in the semi-finals. It was an unfortunate match-up between two teammates which ended in a round win for the veteran driver. Both cars hazed the tires, but the Traxxas-backed hotrod went up in smoke while the car in the other lane just slowed a bit, but crossed the finish line first.

“It’s important at the beginning of the season to learn about the car and test so we can have a better handle on things now at the beginning of the season so we can be prepared in the countdown. However we need to do well early on in the season so we can lock into the Countdown early. Also we are determined to get a win quick so we can grab a spot in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout,” said Force.

The Traxxas team, led by long-time tuner Ron Douglas, has managed to get the young driver qualified at every event since her Funny Car debut at the 2012 Winternationals in Pomona. Force is the youngest daughter of Funny Car legend John Force and is the only female Funny Car driver to ever win back-to-back national events.

“I’m so thankful and proud to be driving such a consistent and fast race car this season. Obviously I struggled last race in the second round by losing on a close hole shot against my teammate so I’m putting extra pressure on myself to improve because my team and crew chiefs Ron Douglas and Dan Hood are giving me a dream car right now and it’s my job to give it the full package if we want to win,” said Force.

Force is also chasing down her 100th round win. Currently she has 85 round wins in her young career and a win at the Gatornationals will get here considerably closer to that significant career mark. Courtney’s sister Ashley Force Hood holds the career round win mark for a female Funny car driver with 105 so with another strong season the youngest Force could add another record to her career by-line.