Team Rorce Ready to Rock 4-Wide
COURTNEY FORCE SEEKING FIRST FOUR-WIDE WIN
CONCORD, NC – Courtney Force returns to zMAX Dragway this week for the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals; one of the most 
challenging race tracks and events on the NHRA Mello Yello Circuit for the youngest daughter of John Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang team.
“zMAX Dragway is a unique track. Bruton Smith has built the Bellagio of drag strips, which makes it exciting to be a part of such a one of a kind race. Racing three other cars at once is so extreme, but thrilling for both the drivers and the fans. You can’t see this kind of racing anywhere else,” said Force.
In both 2012 and 2013, the 25-year-old qualified in the No. 12 position at Four-Wide and went out in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.
“I’m excited, but of course, very nervous going into the four-wide race. This is one of the more challenging tracks on the circuit for both drivers and crew chiefs, being that you only have one shot in each lane throughout qualifying to learn about that lane, which is a little nerve racking,” said Force.
The last NHRA event two weeks ago was a little less nerve racking for Force. She started from the No. 1 spot for the fourth time in her young career. She posted low ET of the weekend at 4.006, set a new career best for speed and ET and set the track record on both ends. She moved into a fifth place tie with Melanie Troxel for the most No. 1 qualifying among female racers.
“Four-wide is just different. As a driver you’re competing against three other cars, but really racing yourself since you can’t see if the other cars are struggling in their lanes or not. It’s challenging as a driver because you’re staging completely different and are looking at more lights on the tree so you really need to be 100% focused when pulling up to the line. It’s a lot of extra horsepower on the track at once and just an exciting race for everyone,” said Force.
BRITTANY FORCE READY FOR SECOND FOUR-WIDE START
– Brittany Force, with her Castrol EDGE Dragster is on the cusp of going to her second Top Fuel final round appearance during this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Charlotte. The 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year is in her sophomore year and this 26 year old understands the challenges and intricacies involved in racing in a four-wide format, but is confident her improving skills as a driver will make her a contender.
“Going into Charlotte, it’s going to be whole different ballgame there. Racing the four-wide nationals means I have to change the way I stage when I pull up my Castrol EDGE dragster to the line. The Christmas tree is also totally different and is tricky. That’s always hard to adjust and get back into a groove but once we make one or two qualifying passes, then we’ll be good,” said Brittany Force.
At last year’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, qualifying was reduced to only two sessions due to rain showers and a tornado warning and despite making two good qualifying runs; Brittany suffered a first round loss to Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher. However, that was last year and Brittany and the Castrol EDGE team have been steadily improving this season.
“We stayed over in Vegas after the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals last week to do some testing to prepare us for Charlotte. I’ll really focused on working to improve my lights. I felt my reaction times during the Vegas race weren’t as good as I wanted. I was really bummed out and even disappointed on my half of that but I’m working on it. My crew and I also worked on a new staging routine and we’re confident we got it right for Charlotte,” said Brittany Force.
Brittany Force is currently in the eighth position and has 191 NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel points, trailing the current leader, Doug Kalitta, by 221 points. She’s looking at moving up in the chase during the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, and is looking forward to the challenge of pulling her Castrol EDGE dragster up with three other 10,000 horsepower Top Fuel machines.
“It’s pretty insane when four of us pull up to the line. Bruton Smith has made zMax Dragway a beautiful track and for the fans to see four Top Fuel Dragsters go down the race track next to each other is one heck of a show,” said Brittany Force.
HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB TEAM FOCUSED ON FOUR-WIDE SUCCESS
– Robert Hight made it four in a row when he won the 2012 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Bruton Smith’s zMax Dragway. The Auto Club team capped an impressive streak that season winning four Funny Car national events in a row. This year he is looking at keeping another streak alive as he looks to reach his fourth final round in a row and pick up his second win of the season.
Hight took over the points lead from teammate and reigning Funny Car champion John Force with his final round appearance two weeks ago at the Summitracing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas. Unfortunately the only driver standing between Hight and a possible four race win streak is Alexis DeJoria and the Patron XO Café Funny Car. Hight has faced her in two final rounds this season and has yet to hoist the winner’s trophy.
“Alexis has been tough this year. She has always been a strong competitor but we haven’t been able to get around her in the final round this season. We are happy to have the points lead and a spot in the Traxxas Shootout but we would like to have a three race win streak coming into zMax Dragway again like we did in 2012,” said Hight, who secured his 30th Funny Car win in Gainesville at the famed Gatornationals earlier this year.
The Auto Club team has shown a performance consistency that Hight and crew chief Mike Neff hope will carry them to the Mello Yello Funny Car championship this season. The pair matched up last year with wins at the U.S. Nationals and the NHRA Carolina Nationals. This year the dynamic driver and crew chief combo knows that the season is a marathon not a sprint but they would like to be the team setting the pace.
“You want to go as many rounds as possible throughout the season because that is what keeps your team sharp. We want to dominate and learn as much as we can every week. We want to unload and get set up to run low ET in that first qualifying session on Friday. That will really set the tone for the weekend,” said Hight.
The unique four-wide format only gives each team one shot at each lane in qualifying. Luckily the weather forecast for the Charlotte area calls for blue skies and good temperatures so teams should have info for all four lanes going into race day. After the two days of qualifying Hight’s goal is to be one of the two quickest Funny Cars in the first two quads of races on Sunday. In the final quad Hight wants to once again be the first to the finish line and pick up his second Four-Wide win as well as his second win of 2014.
“The staging procedure takes the most concentration at the Four-Wide Nationals. You have two extra Funny Cars you have to account for and you still need to follow your routine. You can’t catch yourself getting frustrated because someone else isn’t staging fast enough or someone stages too quickly because then you could be late on your light. I enjoy the challenge and I am looking forward to getting to zMax Dragway,” said Hight.
“Charlotte is a great place to race and now that we have been there for a number of years we are seeing new fans but also a lot of people are making this a Spring tradition. I am seeing more familiar faces at the ropes and that is what you want to see. Drag Racing is really getting some momentum in NASCAR country and we love it,” added Hight.
JOHN FORCE WANTS MORE HISTORY AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
– After coming off a disappointing first round loss due to a faulty part and being bumped out of the points lead in Las Vegas over a week ago, John Force is on track to get back to the winner’s circle at this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. With a Jimmy Prock tune-up, the Castrol GTX Mustang will be ready to take on the competition at Bruton Smith’s zMax Dragway in Charlotte.
“I love racing at the Four-Wide, this place is like the Bellagio of drag strips. Bruton Smith and his family have given the fans a treat to see four funny cars race side-by-side. That’s got to be a rush from up there in the stands when almost 40,000 horsepower is on the track at once,” said John Force.
Despite a first round loss at last year’s race, this iconic driver and 16-time Funny Champ has great memories at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals and he is looking to capture another win. During the inaugural event in 2010, John Force raced team driver and future crew chief, Mike Neff, in a side-by-side duel that had the fans on their feet as John crossed the finish line first.
“That was a fun race and to see Mike Neff right there outside my window the whole way down the track was pretty cool. I’d like to face Courtney or Robert in the final this weekend and mix it up. We want to go rounds and stay up there in points,” said John Force.
Going into this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, John Force is in second place in the NHRA Mello Yello points standing with 358. He’s only nine points behind current leader Robert Hight who just happened to be his son-in-law. John also knows the importance of making sure his fellow teammates qualify well and stay competitive throughout the season as the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship can sneak up on a driver real quick.
“We always try to stay positive and focus regardless who’s in the points lead. Robert and Courtney’s cars have really started to come around these past few races and Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster is improving and running good,” said John Force.
