John Force Racing 2 for 2 Winning Gatornationals
March 17, 2011 by pikesan · Leave a Comment
Team Force Wins Gatornationals
TEAM JFR RACE REPORT
2nd of 22 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Series
42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals
Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, Florida
March 13, 2011
* * * *
Final round results from Sunday’s 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, second race in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
FUNNY CAR – Mike Neff, Fishers, Ind., Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 4.092, 310.48 mph, def. Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg, Ind., Snap-On Toyota Camry, 7.819, 99.32 mph.
TOP FUEL –Del Worsham, Chino Hills, Calif., Al-Anabi dragster, 3.858, 318.00 mph def. Tony Schumacher, Brownsburg, Ind., US Army dragster, 3.866, 318.39 mph
PRO STOCK – Jason Line, Mooresville, NC, Summit Pontiac GXP, 6.554, 211.96 mph def. Greg Greg Anderson, Mooresville, NC, Summit Pontiac GXP, 6.545, 212.43 mph
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – Eddie Krawiec, Brownsburg, Ind., Harley Davidson V-Rod, 6.847, 197.08 mph def. Karen Stoffer, Gardnerville, NY, Geico Suzuki, Red-light DQ, 6.949,193.27 mph.
* * * *
CASTROL GTX’S NEFF WINS GATOR NATS
GAINESVILLE, FL — Mike Neff and his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang were hot on Saturday and they got hotter on Sunday racing to a second career win as a driver at the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals. The win was the 198th funny car win for John Force Racing and it was the eleventh win for JFR at Gatornationals seven by John Force, one by Tony Pedregon, one by Gary Densham, and one by Ashley Force Hood in TAD. This was the first funny car win for JFR at Gatornationals since 2003.
It was the second win in a row for JFR in 2011, Robert Hight won the season opening NHRA Winternationals, and the fourth overall going back to John Force’s championship clinching wins at Las Vegas and Pomona at the end of 2010.
“This is just a great day for our whole team. We needed this to keep the Force string going,” said Neff. “This is four in a row for team Force. It feels good. Fortunately I have a great Mustang. It is the car John drove last year and I just got in it. Now it is just a matter of not messing it up as a driver. That is the hardest part for me.
This was Neff’s first final round and win at the NHRA Gatornationals as either a driver or crew chief. Neff was crew chief for Scotty Cannon and Gary Scelzi. His previous best at the Gatornationals was two appearances in the semi-finals with Scelzi.
Neff is pulling double duty as crew chief and driver but he is not carrying the load by himself. He was quick to spread the credit for the team’s success to his crew and teammates.
“I am mentally drained. Losing an hour of sleep last night didn’t help me either. We have so much help with people looking at the track like (track specialist) Lanny Miglizzi and (crew chief) Bernie Fedderly. I’ve got guys like (crewmen) Danny (Hood) and Jon (Schaffer) in the pits helping me. They help carry the load and they do a lot of the hands on stuff. The hardest part is the mental side. That mental drain just kind of wears you down over the course of the day. It is all worth it now.”
Neff didn’t know he would be back in the driver’s seat until the end of January. For the unflappable Neff the return to the seat was a welcome diversion but also a mentally taxing endeavor. When he was asked if he could slip back into the crew chief role if Force suddenly reversed field Neff was eager to make his driving plans clear.
“I want to give it a run all year now. I love tuning and that is what I will be doing for a long time. This driving deal might just be a one year deal for me. I am trying to make the most of it. When I drove a couple of years ago I was disappointed with my results,” said the seven time NHRA national event finalist driver. “I just felt like we didn’t achieve what I would have wanted to achieve. I made some mistakes driving. For whatever reason I just felt kind of unsatisfied. It is important to me that I want to be a good driver. That is what I am really trying to work on. This win means more to me than the other one by far. This is just a great, great day here.”
With the win Neff moved into sole possession of the Full Throttle points lead. He became the 37th different points leader in funny car class and he is the sixth different JFR driver to lead the funny car points. He joins a list led by John Force, Robert Hight, Ashley Force Hood, Tony Pedregon, and Gary Densham.
For the crew chief turned driver he improved his final round record to 2-5 and he has now won his last two final round appearances. He is 2-5 versus Cruz Pedregon. Ironically, Neff’s first touring job was working on Pedregon’s McDonalds Oldsmobile in 1992 when Pedregon won the funny car championship.
He opened the day with a first round win over friend Jim Head. Neff dispatched fellow Ford driver Bob Tasca III in the second round and he defeated Jack Beckman in the semi-finals before outrunning the two-time world champion Pedregon in the final.
Neff’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang clicked off an impressive string of elapsed times: 4.095, 4.059, 4.126 and 4.092 for a round average of 4.093 seconds on a track that reached a temperature in excess of 110 degrees.
Neff’s last win was 2009 Auto Club NHRA Finals when he defeated teammate Ashley Force Hood.
While Neff was extending the JFR win streak his teammates were battling to maintain their positions in the Full Throttle top ten point standings. No. 10 qualifier Robert Hight had the toughest draw in the opening stanza racing against teammate and legend John Force. Hight made his best lap of the weekend, a session quickest 4.079 seconds in route to first round win. Hight dropped his next round race to Jack Beckman when his Auto Club Ford Mustang went up in smoke at half track.
After his first round win over Force Hight told the near capacity crowd, “That is what we have to do. We have to quit messing up. Our team was behind this run. (Crew chief) Jimmy Prock and (assistant crew chief) Eric Lane were great. Now my team gets to put some of these Mac Tools to work. It is tough when you have to race the boss but now he is going to tell me to go out there and get this win now.”
At the top end after his first round loss Force was philosophical but not concerned by his slow start for the 2011 season.
“I make (Hight) president and now he is sending me home every week. It ain’t no good if we have to race each other in the first or second rounds. We need to stay away from each other and get everyone up in the top half. Jimmy said OK and then he runs a 4.07,” said Force.
“I thought good as long as one of these Fords wins. My son-in-law is my new president. At the end of the day he whipped me in Pomona and I had to fight my way back here. I am just excited because he is still in and Neff is still in. (Co-crew chiefs) Dean Antonelli and Ron Douglas were taught by Austin Coil, the very best.“
When Force looked back on some of his personnel changes from the past two seasons, the winningest driver in NHRA history doesn’t know how to evaluate their success.
“I don’t know if I am lucky or smart. I keep having to make changes amongst the teams and move my drivers and crew chiefs around. Mike Neff proved that he could win when he won Pomona (in 2009). To see him come out here and win is great,” said the 132-time winner.
“He was on his game all day. The car was consistent. He has Danny and Jon working with him and these kids are working hard for him. They are working like Austin and Bernie. The car isn’t missing a lick. Not only is he doing great as a crew chief but also a driver. He was on his game every round. I was really proud. He was under a lot of pressure. He showed he can do it. He is in the game up in the points. I am not worried about Guido and Ron Douglas and my team. We know how to win and we just have to get our deal jiving. I made some good calls. All our sponsors Castrol, Ford, Auto Club, Mac Tools, and BrandSource get the payday.”
The three John Force drivers will leave Gainesville Raceway in first, fourth and ninth place in points.
* * * *
UNOFFICIAL FULL THROTTLE POINT STANDINGS
FUNNY CAR – 1. Mike Neff, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 201; 2. Cruz Pedregon, 161; 3. Matt Hagan, 175; 4. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 170; 5. Jack Beckman, 116; 6. Ron Capps, 105; 7. Jeff Arend, 104; 8. Johnny Gray, 100; 9. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 88; 10. Jim Head, 86
TOP FUEL – 1. Del Worsham, 186; 2. Tony Schumacher, 162; 3. Shawn Langdon, 148; 4. Morgan Lucas, 147; 4. Larry Dixon, 147; 6. Antron Brown, 141; 7. Spencer Massey, 136; 8. Steve Torrence, 87; 9. Doug Kalitta, 85; 10. Terry McMillen, 84
PRO STOCK – 1. Jason Line, 230; 2. Greg Anderson, 182; 3. Greg Stanfield, 148; 4. Roger Brogdon, 138; 5. Ron Krisher, 131; 6. Erica Enders, 115; 7. Kurt Johnson, 85; 8. Shane Gray, 83; 9. Ronnie Humphrey, 82; 9. Vincent Nobile, 82.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – 1. Eddie Krawiec, 124; 2. Hector Arana, 104; 3. Karen Stoffer, 100; 4. LE Tonglet, 74; 5. Andrew Hines, 62; 6. Matt Smith, 54; 7. Gerald Savoie, 53; 7. Shawn Gann, 53; 9. David Hope, 32; 9. Jim Underdahl, 32; 9. Angie Smith, 32; 9. Mike Berry, 32
THE DRIVERS
JOHN FORCE, 61, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 7th at 4.119 seconds, 310.48 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 0
Race Results: Lost to Robert Hight.
Quotable: On Mike Neff – “He is trying to lead tune the car and lead drive the car. That is a lot of overload. Then you have the pressure of stepping into my hot rod. I told him there is no pressure. This is our house we own it. Nobody tells us what to do and I only make changes when changes are due. I am just excited for the whole group and we have a strong three car team. Ford says we are One Ford. We are all in the top ten and we will be OK.” – JOHN FORCE
MIKE NEFF, 44, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 3rd at 4.074 seconds, 311.05 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: +7 (3rd quickest of Q2 and quickest of Q3 and Q4)Race Results: Beat Jim Head, Bob Tasca III, Jack Beckman, Cruz Pedregon
Quotable: After second round win – “I felt pretty good rolling up there. We went down the race track when it was a little hotter than this. I just kind of ran in like yesterday. I hate to say it but I am a little surprised it ran that quick. It feels good the old Castrol Ford has been running good. I am just going to try and not screw it up.“ – MIKE NEFF
ROBERT HIGHT, 41, Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 10th at 4.133 seconds, 309.20 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: 0
Race Results: Beat John Force. Lost to Jack Beckman.
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FOLLOW JOHN FORCE RACING AT www.twitter.com/jfr_racing.com
****
NEXT EVENT:
12th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals, April 1-3, Las Vegas, Nev.
2nd annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, April 15-17, Charlotte, N.C.
24th annual O’Reilly Spring Nationals, April 29-May 1, Houston, Texas
31st annual Summit Southern Nationals, May 13-15, Atlanta, Ga.
23rd annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals, May 20-22, Topeka, Kan.
John Force is Big in Texas
March 8, 2011 by pikesan · Leave a Comment
Force Selected As Newest Inductee Into Texas Motorsports Hall Of Fame
FORT WORTH, Texas (March 8, 2011) – John Force, one of drag racing’s most legendary figures, will add yet another racing accomplishment to his illustrious career resume when he becomes just the fourth NHRA racer inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Force, a 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion (1990-‘91, ‘93-2002, ’04, ’06, ’10), will be honored Thursday, April 7, at the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala held in the Speedway Club’s Grand Ballroom at Texas Motor Speedway during the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR doubleheader race weekend.
Force’s induction will highlight an evening that recognizes the accomplishments of some of the biggest names in motorsports, all while benefitting Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway. Others being recognized are seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Richard Petty; defending race winner of Texas Motor Speedway’s Samsung Mobile 500 and AAA Texas 500 Denny Hamlin; five-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson; four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon; and veteran motorsports reporter Terry Blount.
“Being inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame is a great honor,” Force said. “I have a lot of great memories racing in Texas. They say everything is bigger in Texas. I won my 100th race in Houston and that was a huge milestone. When you think of the other great Texas drag racers like Raymond Beadle, Kenny Bernstein, Eddie Hill, Lee Shepherd, to add my name to that list is amazing. The fans in Texas have always been some of my best. When I was in the hospital after my crash in 2007 (at the Texas Motorplex), they brought cakes to Baylor (University Medical Center in Dallas) for me and waited outside for days. I’ll never forget that.”
Force will become the 13th member enshrined into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. He joins previous inductees A.J. Foyt (2003), Johnny Rutherford (‘03), Terry Labonte (‘04), Lee Shepherd (‘04), Kenny Bernstein (‘05), Jim Hall (‘05), Eddie Hill (‘06), Mark Martin (‘07), Jim McElreath (‘07), Bobby Labonte (‘08), Bruton Smith (‘08) and Joe Gibbs (‘09).
Force joins Shepherd, Bernstein and Hill as the only NHRA racers inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. The Lone Star State has provided the best and one of the more terrifying moments of Force’s career. Entering the 2011 season, Force has registered 13 of his 132 career victories in the state of Texas. One of his most unforgettable drag racing moments also came in Texas, and it wasn’t celebrating a win or championship. In 2007, Force was involved in a near-fatal accident when he blew a tire that sent his car careening into Bernstein. After six hours of surgery and several months of rehabilitation, Force returned to for the season opener in 2008. His redemption came in 2010 when he became the oldest NHRA champion, winning his record 15th championship at the age of 61.
Petty, one of NASCAR’s iconic figures, will be honored with the Bruton Smith Legend Award. Petty has been synonymous with NASCAR, starting his career as a driver in 1958 and since retiring from racing in 1992 he has remained active in the sport, serving as car owner of Richard Petty Motorsports. Petty’s career is highlighted by his seven series championships (1964, ’67, ’71, ’72, ’74, ’75, ’79), which is tied for the most in history with the late Dale Earnhardt. Petty’s ultimate racing honor came last year as he was among the five individuals inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.
Hamlin, last year’s most dominant Sprint Cup Series driver at Texas Motor Speedway, will be awarded the Texas Motor Speedway Racer of the Year. Hamlin became just the second driver in speedway history to sweep both Sprint Cup Series races in the same season – winning April’s Samsung Mobile 500 and November’s AAA Texas 500. His victory in the AAA Texas 500 served as a clear indicator that he was a championship contender as he overtook Johnson for the championship lead, marking the first time since 2005 that Johnson was not leading entering the final two races of the season.
Johnson, the defending five-time Sprint Cup Series champion, will receive the Texas Motor Speedway Sportsmanship Award. Johnson has dominated the sport – becoming the first driver to win five consecutive Sprint Cup Series championships – and doing so with his modest and humble personality. He also embodies the ideals of sportsmanship off the track. His charitable contributions through the Jimmie Johnson Foundation have helped raise more than $3.5 million for charitable organizations.
Gordon, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, also will be recognized for his contributions off the track as he will receive the Maj. General Thomas Sadler Award. He has championed the efforts of Speedway Children’s Charities through his contributions with the Jeff Gordon Foundation Corvette Raffle. Since beginning the raffle in 2006, he has helped raise more than $400,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway.
Veteran motorsports journalist and Houston native Terry Blount will receive the Excellence in Motorsports Journalism Award. Blount’s career has spanned more than 30 years with tenures at some of the largest newspapers in the United States. He has worked at the Houston Post, Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News and currently is a motorsports writer/columnist for ESPN.com. During his career, he has missed only one major race at Texas Motor Speedway since it opened in 1997.
Blount has earned numerous writing honors, including the Citation for Writing Excellence from Hearst Newspapers and the Excellence in Journalism Award from the Houston Press Club.
Fans will once again have a say in the voting for the top moment of 2010 at Texas Motor Speedway. The choices have been narrowed to three moments: Hamlin’s sweep of Texas, Kyle Busch’s record fifth consecutive Nationwide Series victory at TMS, and Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton’s scrap on the backstretch during November’s AAA Texas 500. Fans can submit their vote by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.
The Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame, located in the outdoor atrium adjacent to The Speedway Club, is open year round and free to the public. The Hall of Fame atrium features pedestals of the inductees, including their career highlights.
The Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala benefits Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway. The organization’s mission is to care for children in educational, financial, social and medical need in order to help them lead productive lives. Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway has distributed more than $7.5 million in grants to local children’s organizations in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties.
A VIP reception hosted by previous Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees will take place prior to the awards ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT on the ninth floor in the Grand Ballroom. The Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will begin at approximately 8 p.m. CT.
Table sponsorships, beginning at $1,200, and individual tickets for $150 are available by calling the Speedway Children’s Charities office at (817) 215-8421 or by visiting www.scctexas.org.
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FOLLOW JOHN FORCE RACING AT www.twitter.com/jfr_racing.com
Hight’s Lucky Charm -Team Force 1-0
March 8, 2011 by pikesan · Leave a Comment
2011 Winternationals Winner Robert Hight
HIGHT MIXES LUCKY CHARM WITH FORD ONE APPROACH TO START SEASON 1-0
YORBA LINDA, CA (March 1, 2011) —Minutes after Robert Hight and his Jimmy Prock tuned Auto Club Ford Mustang raced to a season opening win at the 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals Hight was giving some of the credit to a lucky charm he picked up from a fellow Ford teammate last season. In honor of the Wood Brothers dominating performance at the Daytona 500 Hight raced all day with a commemorative coin Eddie and Len Wood gave him at Charlotte’s zMax Dragway in 2010.
“I had a little good luck charm (Sunday) besides my daughter Autumn. The Wood Brothers gave me this (commemorative coin) last year,” said Hight a three-time Winternationals winner. “It was a celebration of their 60 years of racing. They went out and won Daytona in the No. 21 car this year and they didn’t get lucky. They dominated kind of like John Force Racing did (on Sunday). This year is NHRA’s 60th anniversary. It was cool as the day went on to look at that coin and to think about how cool it was to have it riding with me. To have Ford Racing start out with wins at the Daytona 500 and the NHRA Winternationals is big. This baby is going with me to Gainesville.”
For Hight the win was a reversal of misfortune when you look at how he finished the 2010 season. His last round win came in August at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota and the 2009 Funny Car champion went 0-5 in the Countdown after starting in the No. 2 position last season. Through all the adversity Hight and his Auto Club Ford Mustang team never gave up.
“You don’t ever give up. That is how we won the Full Throttle championship in 2009. Don’t give up. We had a terrible first half. We just came to life in the Countdown (in 2009). You have to believe in the people around you,” said the 19-time NHRA national event winner. “You can’t fight and you just have to work through those tough times. It would have been worse last year if John (Force) would not have been winning and won the championship. As one big team, John Force Racing still pulled through it. That made it a little bit easier. What is funny is after 2009 John told me he was coming after me and this past winter I joked with John about coming after him.”
Hight along with 15-time Full Throttle Funny Car champion John Force and up and coming Funny Car driver Courtney Force will attend the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR race this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It will be a celebration of both Ford victories as well as the first event an early version of the John Force Racing Road Show will be unveiled.
“We are working on putting together the big PT Barnum John Force Racing Road Show but Chris Blair from Las Vegas asked us to bring what we have so far to his race,” said John Force. “I love working with (track owner) Bruton Smith and his people so we are heading over there for both races this weekend. We’ll have the full multi-trailer Road Show ready in a few weeks but we wanted to get out and start spreading the gospel about the NHRA as soon as possible. Come by and see what we have but just understand this is the tip of the iceberg. We are working with the NHRA, Ford Racing, Castrol, Mac Tools, Auto Club, BrandSource and all our sponsors to put together something fans have never seen before.”
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FOLLOW JOHN FORCE RACING AT www.twitter.com/jfr_racing.com
****
NEXT NHRA EVENT:
42nd annual NHRA Gatornationals, March 10-13, Gainesville, Fla.
12th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals, April 1-3, Las Vegas, Nev.
2nd annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, April 15-17, Charlotte, N.C.
24th annual O’Reilly Spring Nationals, April 29-May 1, Houston, Texas
31st annual Summit Southern Nationals, May 13-15, Atlanta, Ga.
23rd annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals, May 20-22, Topeka, Kan.
Team Force Break’s Hagen’s Heart in Pomona Again!
February 27, 2011 by pikesan · Leave a Comment
2011 Winternationals “Hole Shot” win for Hight
TEAM JFR RACE REPORT
1st of 22 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Series
51st annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, Calif.
Feb. 24-27, 2011
* * * *
Final round results from Sunday’s 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, first race in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
FUNNY CAR – Robert Hight, Yorba Linda, Calif., Auto Club Ford Mustang, 4.056, 312.71 mph, def. Matt Hagan, Christiansburg, Va., DieHard Dodge Charger, 4.023, 310.20 mph.
TOP FUEL – Morgan Lucas, Brownsburg, Ind., GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster3.835, 316.38 mph def. Shawn Langdon, Brownsburg, Ind., Lucas Oil dragster, 4.047, 313.73 mph
PRO STOCK – Jason Line, Mooresville, NC, Summit Pontiac GXP, 6.529, 211.89 mph def. Greg Stanfield, Bossier city, La., Safety Sentry Inc. Pontiac GXP, 6.595, 210.70 mph
* * * *
HIGHT WINS WINTERNATIONALS FOR THIRD TIME
POMONA — Robert Hight had to endure a long cold winter. Beginning with his last round win in Brainerd at the Lucas Oil Nationals in August the 41-year old former crewman’s season ground to a halt when over the next seven races Hight posted a 0-6 record with an October DNQ in Las Vegas.
Those struggles and tribulations lasted for an extra few weeks as the NHRA started its 60th anniversary season two weeks later than usual opening the season this weekend at the 51st NHRA Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals.
That is all past history as Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang to the winner’s circle for the third time to open the season today. Hight defeated a “Who’s Who” of tough competitors. In the first round he dispatched fellow Ford racer Bob Tasca III and then he out-distanced boss and 15-time funny car champion John Force. In the semi-finals Hight had to outrun Don Schumacher Racing veteran Ron Capps before besting DSR’s young star Matt Hagan in the final. In the final Hight used a reaction time advantage to beat Hagan on a hole shot. The win was reminiscent of Force’s 2010 Winternationals hole shot win over Capps.
“The biggest deal for me is how long it has been since we have won even a round. It goes clear back to Brainerd last year,” said Hight, a 19-time NHRA national event winner.
“The only thing that made (last year) good was John winning everything and Ashley (Force Hood) winning the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. We stayed together as a team. What is really important to me is this is the fourth year in a row that my team has been together, 100% of them. That makes it so easy to get out here and do what you know how to do. You don’t have to train new people and everyone knows how to do their job. It makes it that much more special when you win because you pulled together and you stayed together. I was on John’s teams a lot of years and we had the same nucleus of guys. You become a family. They are like brothers to you and that is what makes these times so special. To win the Winternationals to start the year it has been a long winter. To win at Auto Club Raceway is just awesome.”
This was Hight’s third win at the Winternationals (2006 and 2008) and it was John Force Racing’s 8th win in eleven events at Auto Club Raceway. Last year John Force won both events in Pomona and Mike Neff closed out the 2009 NHRA season with a win here.
Hight will leave his home track with the points lead and for the seventh year in a row Hight has had the points lead at some point in the season. No other driver has ever led the points at least once for every year of their career. He is now tied with legendary driver Don “Snake” Prudhomme for second most career times holding the Funny Car points lead. John Force is the all-time leader with eighteen seasons as points leader.
Mike Neff shook the rust off after a one year break from racing to come within a few hundredths of a second from facing Hight in the final. In the semis Neff dropped a tight race to Hagan. Neff’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang was actually quicker on the track but a slight starting line advantage gave Hagan the win. Neff was pleased with his team’s overall performance and tough on himself.
He battled clutch gremlins throughout the day and thought he had the problem cured before the semi-final race.
“For whatever reason when we tested in Florida everything went smooth and in qualifying here everything went well. Then the first run today it wore an excess of clutch. It put a cylinder out in the first round. I thought that was kind of a fluke deal. I didn’t do a lot about it,” said the two-time funny car champion crew chief.
“It got even worse the second round. It murdered the clutch on that run. This last run I had to make some big moves to make the clutch wear I got it a lot better. It was still not anywhere close to where I wanted. It was one of those deals that it was good for a while then things change once and a while”.
“I am just kind of disappointed in myself. For whatever reason I was just dead late right there. The bummer is all through testing and qualifying I was cutting good lights. That is the worst light I have had all year. I have been out of the car for a year. Doing it in qualifying or testing is one thing but race day is what counts. I don’t have any excuses. I was just dead late.”
Team leader John Force did not accept Neff’s tough self assessment.
“(Neff) did his job for Castrol. That is what matters to me. Everyone is watching to see if we are going to fall apart this weekend,” said Force a 132-time winner. “We all stayed in the game. That is what is most important. (Neff’s) got overload as crew chief and driver but he did both your jobs well. That is all we expect. We’ll take good and then we’ll turn that into great.”
The three John Force Racing Mustangs will head to Gainesville in first, third, and fifth place in the Full Throttle points standings.
* * * *
FULL THROTTLE POINT STANDINGS
FUNNY CAR – 1. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 118; 2. Matt Hagan, 93; 3. Mike Neff, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 78; 4. Ron Capps, 73; 5. Cruz Pedregon, 63; 6. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 55; 6. Jim Head, 55; 8. Jeff Arend, 51; 9. Johnny Gray, 43; 10. Gary Densham, 32; 10. Bob Bode, 32; 10. Paul Lee, 32; 10. Jack Beckman, 32
TOP FUEL – 1. Morgan Lucas, 114; 2. Shawn Langdon, 94; 3. Antron Brown, 82; 4. Del Worsham, 74; 5. Larry Dixon, 64; 6. Tony Schumacher, 58; 7. Spencer Massey, 57; 8. Doug Kalitta, 53; 9. Terry McMillen, 51; 10. Steve Torrance, 33; 10. Brandon Bernstein, 33; 10. TJ Zizzo, 33; 10. Bob Vandergriff, 33
PRO STOCK – 1. Jason Line, 112; 2. Greg Stanfield, 95; 3. Greg Anderson, 80; 4. Ronnie Humphrey, 72; 5. Erica Enders, 61; 6. Ron Krisher, 57; 7. Kurt Johnson, 53; 8. Vincent Nobile, 51; 9. Allen Johnson, 38; 10. V Gaines, 35
THE DRIVERS
JOHN FORCE, 61, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 5th at 4.093 seconds, 305.84 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: +1 (3rd quickest of Q1)
Race Results: Beat Paul Lee. Lost to Robert Hight.
Quotable: “We are excited but at the end of the day Auto Club, Castrol, Ford, Mac Tools, BrandSource we are doing our job today. Mike Neff got bit there but he is new in the seat. His hot rod ran. He just got beat. Robert Hight is still in. We are excited about it. Most of all I am a fan and I am tripping out here. “– JOHN FORCE
MIKE NEFF, 44, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 3rd at 4.060 seconds, 312.42 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: +2 (2nd quickest of Q2)
Race Results: Beat Tim Wilkerson, Jim Head. Lost to Matt Hagan
Quotable: “I feel good. You are always a little disappointed whenever you lose. As a whole for the first race I feel pretty good. We ran pretty solid until today. The one thing I know is the Mustang is reacting well.” – MIKE NEFF
ROBERT HIGHT, 41, Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 4th at 4.071 seconds, 313.00 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: +3 (3rd quickest of Q2 and 2nd quickest of Q3)
Race Results: Beat Bob Tasca III, John Force, Ron Capps< Matt Hagan
Quotable: “The NHRA announces they are going to have pewter trophies and you think man I want one of those so bad. You look at the class and it is not that easy to get them. Look at the guys I had to beat today. Bob Tasca III, John Force 15-time champ, Ron Capps and Matt Hagan. It is not that easy. If we would have slipped up just a little in the final we would have been dust.” – ROBERT HIGHT
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FOLLOW JOHN FORCE RACING AT www.twitter.com/jfr_racing.com
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NEXT NHRA EVENT:
42nd annual NHRA Gatornationals, March 10-13, Gainesville, Fla.
12th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals, April 1-3, Las Vegas, Nev.
2nd annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, April 15-17, Charlotte, N.C.
24th annual O’Reilly Spring Nationals, April 29-May 1, Houston, Texas
31st annual Summit Southern Nationals, May 13-15, Atlanta, Ga.
23rd annual O’Reilly Summer Nationals, May 20-22, Topeka, Kan.
Trade Nitro for Newborn – Ashley Force Hood’s Taking a Break
January 31, 2011 by pikesan · 5 Comments
NHRA Drag Racing’s John Force Racing Team News
WITH FAMILY AT THE FOREFRONT, ASHLEY TAKES HIATUS FROM RACING
YORBA LINDA, CA (January 25, 2011) – Two-time reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Champion Ashley Force Hood, a top three finisher in the NHRA Full Throttle driver standings each of the last two seasons, announced Tuesday that she and husband Dan are expecting their first child.
Moments after informing members of her Castrol GTX team of the news via satellite hook-up with John Force Racing East in Brownsburg, Ind., Force Hood told those assembled for a press conference at JFR corporate headquarters that she will take a temporary hiatus and will not compete this year for the Full Throttle Championship.
The 28-year-old graduate of Cal State-Fullerton instead will focus on motherhood and her new responsibilities as president of John Force Entertainment, a JFR subsidiary that has been charged with responsibility for building the JFR brand on a variety of new and existing platforms.
The NHRA national record holder for Funny Car speed (316.38 miles per hour), Force Hood admitted that she is excited about both her pregnancy and about finally being able to make use of the college degree she earned in Radio, TV and Film.
“This past November, after watching my dad clinch his 15th championship, Dan and I decided we would try to start a family,” said the 2007 NHRA Rookie of the Year. “We knew it was unlikely to happen in such a short amount of time and, if it didn’t, I could still race the 2011 season and we’d try again next winter.
“We felt that if God wanted it to happen, it would happen. Well, God didn’t waste any time and I am pregnant and due at the end of the summer. Dan and I know there is always a risk at the beginning of a pregnancy so we waited as long as possible to say anything to make sure everything was all right and there were no problems,” she said.
“I will be taking off this season, but I will still represent Castrol, Ford, Auto Club, BrandSource and Mac Tools; will still be involved in media, commercials and interviews; and will definitely still be rooting on my teammates to go after that 2011 Championship.”
Force Hood also will spend time coaching youngest sister Courtney, who this year will be testing a BrandSource Ford Funny Car in anticipation of a later pro debut.
“I am excited to help my sister Courtney as she begins testing in fuel Funny Car,” Ashley said, “and I am very interested in seeing how she deals with dad! Handling 8,000 horsepower will be the easy part.”
