7-TIME CARQUEST NATIONAL WINNER JOHN FORCE READY FOR RACE IN DESERT

PHOENIX (February 24, 2016) —- Even though John Force’s last victory at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals happened in 2001 the seven-time winner knows that the winner’s circle is always right around the corner. Force raced to seven wins in eight seasons at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park from 1994 through 2001. In addition to those wins Force also has five additional runner-up finishes most recently in 2010 the year he won his 15^th Mello Yello Funny Car championship. The winningest driver in NHRA history enjoys racing in Phoenix and is eager to get to the track this weekend for the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.

“I have had a lot of success at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. We have match-raced there, tested there and I’ve won the national event there. I am part Indian from my mom who was from Oklahoma and I love being in the desert. My hot rod ran good in testing a few weeks ago and we were pretty good in Pomona to start the season. I love being around these young kids on my team and they give me heart,” said Force, who currently sits No. 4 in the Mello Yello Funny Car points.

Last year was a struggle for Force with the switch to a new manufacturer and a new primary sponsor for over half the races with PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant. The remaining races where picked up by Chevrolet, Traxxas, and Lucas Oil but in 2016 Force is excited to be in the blue PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for the full season. The marketing partnership has grown and is expanding thanks to the efforts of Bryan Emrich, PEAK Chief Marketing officer and Force’s salesmanship.

“Bryan Emrich the Chief Marketing Officer for PEAK told me when we started working with PEAK that we were going to market differently. Boy has he proven it since B to B is what it is all about. Seeing my Funny Car emblazed with Republic Services on the side is exciting. I am from the old world,” said John Force, 143-time Funny Car winner. “I have done everything from selling shoes to working at Taco Bell and Denny’s. I drive a race car now but I have delivered money all over downtown LA with Garrett Freight Liners that came from the mint in Denver. I have never driven a trash truck and I am hoping to get the opportunity to ride along or drive a Republic Services truck when we are in Phoenix.”

For Force working with sponsors comes as naturally as turning on win lights. Last year Force picked up two wins in four final round appearances. For many drivers that would be a solid season but for a driver who has amassed 143 wins over the past three decades Force is looking for a turn-around season in 2016. He knows that his young team led by second year crew chief Jon Schaffer is up to the task.

“Last year we had a new car, new sponsors and I had a whole new team led by Jon Schaffer. He really impressed me with his work ethic and how well he worked with our brain-trust led by Mike Neff. I feel really good about this season and I think you saw good results in Pomona. We are running with everybody. Robert is quick and so is Courtney. My hot rod was running good in qualifying and on race day so we will be in the hunt this weekend,” added Force.

“I am excited to be starting the race week at Henry Brown Chevrolet in Casa Grande on Thursday night. Robert and I will be there from 4:30 until 6:00 p.m. signing autographs and then we will get to work at the race track on Friday.”

HIGHT HOPES DAYTONA MOTIVATION DRIVES HIM TO PHOENIX WINNER’S CIRCLE

PHOENIX (February 24, 2016) — 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion Robert Hight spent his off weekend between the Winternationals and the upcoming Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals checking an event off his sport bucket list. Hight was in sunny Florida last weekend for the annual running of the Daytona 500 representing John Force Racing, NHRA, Auto Club, and Chevrolet. It was not the first NASCAR race for Hight but it was his first trip to Daytona and it made an impression.

“That facility is amazing. It is a state of the art stadium. The whole experience was awesome. I met a lot of fans and talked about NHRA and our new FOX TV show. There was a lot of positive feedback coming out of the first race in Pomona. I usually go to these races with John (Force) and he gets a lot of attention but I was surprised that a lot of the fans recognized me and wanted to talk about NHRA and especially the first race,” said Hight.

While Hight was in Daytona he took some time to walk the garage area and talk with some of the mechanics and crew guys he had met at previous trips to NASCAR races. There are similarities between the two series and Hight enjoyed talking wrenches and tune-ups.

“Getting to spend some time in the garage area was definitely a highlight. We see some of the guys from other teams when we race in Charlotte for the Four-Wide or the Charlotte Countdown race. I am impressed with how much they can do in the garage area and also out on the track. They are also really amazed by how quickly we can tear down an engine and get it back together. We are a lot more than gas and go on our pit stops of course,” added Hight.

Hight will take some of the race day excitement from Daytona with him to Phoenix where he raced to a semi-final finish last season after qualifying No. 10. Hight had to race both of his Funny Car teammates in the first two rounds before losing to 2015 Funny Car champion Del Worsham in the semis. It was Hight’s second straight semi-final to start the 2015 season and this year the Auto Club Chevrolet driver also started the season with a semi-final finish.

“Last year we made a quick start with some semi-final finishes and even a runner-up in Las Vegas but we didn’t get our usual win total and we were behind on performance. We made up a lot of ground at the end of the season and over the winter. We are running with the top teams again and I made career best runs in testing, 3.88 seconds, and to start the season in Pomona, 3.913 seconds. I feel great about where this Auto Club team is coming into Phoenix,” said Hight, the 2012 Carquest Auto Parts Nationals winner.

Once again Hight will spend some time with the Los Angeles Dodgers before the race enjoying a few hours at the Spring Training facility with friend and Dodgers player Justin Turner. The diversion helps Hight get focused on his job this weekend.

“You have to be focused to race NASCAR or play in MLB but I think the focus you have to have on the starting line is so important now in NHRA. Races are being decided by thousandths of a second and that all comes down to driver reaction time and driving skill. I am always looking to get better and talking with NASCAR drivers or baseball player or John Force definitely helps,” summed up Hight.

COURTNEY FORCE READY FOR FAST START AGAIN IN PHOENIX

(PHOENIX) February 24, 2016 —- In 2015 at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Courtney Force rocketed to the top of the Funny Car field on Friday with a 3.996 second pass, only her second run in the three second range after qualifying on the pole earlier that month at the 2015 Winternationals. She was bumped to the No. 2 position on Saturday which was her best qualifying effort to date at Phoenix.

This week, the Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team will return to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park for the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals and once again try to beat out the competition for the No. 1 spot.

“We had a great start at this race last year, qualifying towards the top and running my Traxxas car in the 3’s to do it,” said the 2012 Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award winner for NHRA’s Rookie of the Year. “Going into the race this weekend I’m so excited because we recently tested on this track prior to the season opener and learned a lot of things here that I think could only benefit us this weekend. During testing we got this Traxxas Camaro SS Funny Car to consistently run in the 3’s so we are hoping to carry that rhythm over this weekend.”

This is Force’s fifth professional NHRA season in the Funny Car ranks. In that time, she has picked up seven national event wins to make her the winningest female Funny Car driver in history, and sped to No. 1 qualifier nine times. Force is also right on the cusp of more female Funny Car history since she is just three round wins away from 100 Funny Car round wins. Only her sister Ashley Force Hood has more (105).

Two weeks ago at Pomona for the season-opening Winternationals, Force qualified her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car in the top half of the field in the No. 6 position and picked up five bonus points throughout qualifying. She went into race day with lane choice over Gary Densham, who wasn’t able to make the round. Force posted her career-best numbers in that round and moved on to the quarterfinals against teammate Robert Hight.

“I was extremely nervous going into the opening race, but ready for a fresh start. I loved being back in the seat of my car and with my team and excited to have Ronnie Thompson on board joining Dan Hood on the crew chief side. We did have a number of changes with the car and the team and so far everything has worked together great. I think our team will only be stronger after the hardships of last season. We had a lot of tough hurdles, but I think this will benefit us in the long run and hopefully make us unstoppable this year” said Force.

The Traxxas machine lived up to The Fastest Name in Radio Control when Force posted her career-best ET and speed on the single run. Her 3.925 ET at 329.34 mph was low ET and quickest of race day, but Hight dismissed her in the second round. She says she’s confident in her team and her crew chiefs to keep the Traxxas Chevy running consistent so she can tackle her ninth Funny Car win this season.

“The toughest race is against a teammate. For me, I know the teams my dad and Robert have behind them and I know they’ve got great race cars. I faced this challenge last year in the second round against Robert at Phoenix and again last weekend in Pomona. We had a problem with our car dropping a cylinder last weekend so I need to be on my game this weekend.  If we can keep the car running solid, consistent passes, we can be ready for rounds like that. These are the challenges with every opponent, but it is especially difficult with a teammate and we just have to fight even harder to get around them.

Even though we didn’t get past Robert on race day, we found the problem, fixed it, and we’re ready for Wild Horse Pass,” said Force.

BRITTANY FORCE READY TO RISE AT CARQUEST NATIONALS IN PHOENIX

PHOENIX (February 24, 2016) — In her previous three appearances at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park Brittany Force has had moderate but not total success. The Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team will return to the desert this weekend with the same game plan they took to the season opening race in Pomona. Starting on Friday at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals the team will focus on making consistent and quick passes each round of qualifying and then bearing down for a long day on race day.

“I am always proud of my whole Monster Energy team. They have been working their butts off all off-season. We made a lot of changes and a lot of them had to do with getting me comfortable in the dragster. I know we are going to have a good year and we are just getting started. We had some qualifying success in Pomona but struggled on race day. We will let it go and move on to Phoenix,” said Force.

Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park is the site of Force’s first career Top Fuel final round. In just the second race of her sophomore season Force qualified No. 10 and then took out Dave Grubnic, Tony Schumacher, and Steve Torrence before losing a close final round to veteran Antron Brown. Brown would become somewhat of a final round nemesis after that race as Force lost later that season to Brown in the Chicago final round and again last year in the Englishtown final. In fact the pair have raced six times with three of those races coming in the final round. Force does a short win streak started with her semi-final victory against Brown at last year’s Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd.

“I have raced and tested at Phoenix a lot so I feel comfortable here. You get asked if because you had success at a track do you think you can repeat that success and I don’t know if that is the case. Every season is different but we were just in Phoenix testing and I feel good coming back here. It is easier to stay in a racing groove when you go from testing to Pomona and then we are right back in Phoenix,” added Force.

This season Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel team have a new crew chief in Brian Husen who will work with Top Fuel consultant Alan Johnson to get the team race ready. Force has also ready enjoyed performance success with the new duo in charge of the JFR Top Fuel program. At the Circle K NHRA Winternationals the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster made five consecutive quality runs and they hope to continue that learning curve headed into Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park this weekend.

“The biggest thing for me is consistency and learning this new dragster. So much was changed inside the race car over the off-season that I am still get comfortable,” said Force, who has raced to six final rounds in her career. “Two weeks ago in Pomona it was great to come out and make quick runs and get some qualifying bonus points. All those points add up and we are in the Top Ten after the first race because of our qualifying success. I have so much confidence coming into this race that I am looking forward to Friday’s first qualifying session.”

Filed under: JOHN FORCE RACING 2016, MISC. ARTICLES 2014 Tagged: RACE, RACE IN DESERT