Two-time Norwalk finalist Courtney Force ready to take winning step with Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet
NORWALK, OH – One more round. That’s all Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS driver Courtney Force 
wants in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals this weekend at Summit Motorsports Park.
The last two seasons, Force has raced to the final round at Norwalk – the only Funny Car driver to do so. And while she’s still looking for her first victory at Norwalk, Force and her team clearly know how to get to the final.
“Norwalk’s always been a pretty great track for us,” Force said. “Being in the final round the last two years definitely gives our team a boost of confidence knowing that we’ve been successful here before. We hope to seal the deal.
“Our Advance Auto Parts Chevy Camaro team, all my guys – Dan Hood, Ronnie Thompson – we’re going to fight hard to end this streak on a high note.
“We’re hoping for a good weekend. It’s probably going to be another hot track, and we’re looking forward to heading back to Norwalk.”
Norwalk marks the end of a four-race stretch in four consecutive weekends, and Force and her team have acquitted themselves well. She went to the final round in Epping, to the semifinals in Englishtown and to the quarterfinals in Bristol. Force has also extended her streak of qualifying in the top half of the field 35 consecutive races.
Norwalk also is a home away from home for Force, who is married to IndyCar driver Graham Rahal. Rahal is from Columbus, Ohio.
“It almost feels like a second home track for me, just being that my husband is from Ohio,” Force said. “I know there’s a lot of close friends of ours who will be watching. Really hope to impress them and take home a win just like he did in Ohio last year.”
Two rounds of qualifying are slated for Friday (5:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (12:45 and 3:15 p.m.), with final eliminations at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will televise one hour of qualifying on Friday (10:30 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (midnight). FS1 plans three hours of finals coverage at 6 p.m. Sunday.
PEAK Funny Car driver John Force heads to season’s halfway point seeking second Norwalk victory
– John Force has one victory so far during on this season’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series circuit, but would love to double that statistic as the series hits the halfway point at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.
The driver of the PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS, Force won the NHRA Gatornationals in March at Gainesville Raceway, defeating Jonnie Lindberg in his only final of the season.
He made semifinals appearances in three of the first four races this season, and would like none other than to return to early-season form in the final of four straight race weekends, starting June 3 at Epping, N.H., followed by races at Englishtown, N.J. and Bristol, Tenn.
“I know it’s going to be hot there, so I’m coming out there with guns a blazing.” Force said. “We’re going through a lot of changes, but we’re going to get there. We need a win, but so does the Auto Club car and Advance car. We’ve got a fast hot rod. All of my cars are fast, and we’re going to get there.”
Force has one victory at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park – in 2014, when he won from the No. 2 position – and two final-round appearances. Force and his team compete annual in the Night of Fire, an event in which JFR teams compete in a special exhibition race and a highlight on the track’s schedule. That Force and JFR contest the event in the middle of their NHRA season show Force’s commitment and love of the track.
“I know that track well, and so do the rest of my drivers, since we do match races there,” Force said. “The Bader family is among the top one or two promoters in the business. They’re great people, and we’re excited to go back to Norwalk and put on a good show.”
Two rounds of qualifying are slated for Friday (5:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (12:45 and 3:15 p.m.), with final eliminations at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will televise one hour of qualifying on Friday (10:30 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (midnight). FS1 plans three hours of finals coverage at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Auto Club driver Robert Hight looks to end four-race stretch on high note at Norwalk
– Robert Hight looks to end this month’s four-race stretch of NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events with his first career victory at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park and the first of the season for him and the Auto Club of Southern California team.
Hight, fourth in the Funny Car points standings, has four semifinals appearances this season and raced in the finals at Houston. One of those four semifinals came during this month’s three races on the East Coast, in Englishtown, N.J., where he established the event’s top speed, the sixth time in the first 10 races.
Hight looked strong last weekend in the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, setting the low elapsed time during one qualifying session and quick time on race day among all 16 Funny Car competitors. He looks to put a second-round defeat behind him and focus on Norwalk, where he has three No. 1 qualifying efforts.
“We’re looking to rebound following Bristol,” Hight said. “We’ve got to put that race behind us and look toward a strong race in Norwalk. This is a great facility, and we’re close to winning. Obviously, I’d like to really come out and end this stretch on a high note – not just for me but for my crew, which has given me a great car during this stretch.”
John Force Racing, as a team, has one win in Norwalk, and competes in a special match race – the Night of Fire – each season. Hight has contested the event – held in August – several times, and said competing at the track multiple times each season provides additional confidence.
“Each year, we come out and put on a special show for the fans,” Hight said. “It’s always a great time and an opportunity to have some fun. But it’s also a chance to get some track time there and more experience. And we’re hoping to have some more fun this weekend, and take the Auto Club of Southern California Chevy to winner’s circle.”
The first two sessions of qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals are scheduled for 5:15 and 7:45 p.m. Friday, with two more sessions scheduled at 12:45 and 3:15 p.m. Saturday. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday.
Monster Energy driver Brittany Force started Eastern Swing with a victory; can she end with one?
– Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster driver Brittany Force started the four-race “Eastern Swing” with a victory.
Now, she’s ready to close this segment of the 2017 NHRA season with another win – this time at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals this weekend at Summit Racing Motorsports Park.
“We did pretty well last year in Norwalk and went to the semifinals,” Force said. “But this year, we’re coming back and want to take it all the way. It’s the ending stretch of our four in a row, and there’s no better place to bring home another win than Norwalk before we start the Western Swing.”
The current four-race stretch began at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H., where Force took the Monster Energy dragster to the New England Nationals winner’s circle. That capped a season turnaround for Force and the team, which had reworked Force’s race car and fought through some struggles with the clutch tune-up.
Force continued to be strong after Epping, racing to the semifinals at Englishtown and to the quarterfinals at Bristol. She’s qualified fifth or better in each of the three races of the Eastern Swing.
Now she heads to Norwalk, where she earned a semifinal finish a year ago, hoping to continue momentum through to the Western Swing and the Countdown to the Championship later in the season.
“We want to win in Norwalk,” Force said. “The season seems like it has flown by. I don’t know where it went. We’re getting closer to Brainerd and Indy, and then the Countdown begins. We’re all hungry for it, we’re ready for it, and we’d love to bring home a win in Norwalk.”
Norwalk is a favorite stop on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour, especially its famed ice cream.
“I’m sorry to let you all down, but I’m not an ice cream fan,” Force said. “I’ve never been an ice cream fan, so I always skip the stand. I’m more of a frozen yogurt fan. But my mom and my sisters all stand in that line all day long to get their bucket of ice cream – and so will my team. Norwalk is a fun one just because they do special stuff like that.”
Two rounds of qualifying are slated for Friday (5:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (12:45 and 3:15 p.m.), with final eliminations at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will televise one hour of qualifying on Friday (10:30 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (midnight). FS1 plans three hours of finals coverage at 6 p.m. Sunday.
