JFR EAGER TO RACE AT BIR

Dear Media Members-Below are the pre-event releases for John Force Racing
heading into the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals this weekend at Brainerd International Raceway. If
you need any additional information or team photos feel free to contact me at
any time. Thank you for your continued coverage of JFR and NHRA.Elon Werner, JFR PR, 214-244-1184, elon@johnforceracing.comIf you would like to be removed from this list please simply
respond with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.COURTNEY FORCE EAGER TO GET BACK ON TRACK IN BRAINERDBRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) --- Following a first round
collision with the guardwall at Pacific Raceways in Seattle Courtney Force is
eager to get back on the track at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals this weekend. In
the first round against Jeff Diehl Force pedaled her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro
SS Funny Car in the left lane and just past the mid-track point the 10,000 hp
Funny Car swung to the left making hard contact with the concrete safety
barrier. Force exited her Funny Car under her own power but was transported to
a local hospital for evaluation. She was cleared and released later that day
and has spent the past two weeks rehabbing and preparing to return to racing
action.“I am excited to get back in the seat. After how I last left
the track (in Seattle) I am definitely ready to get back in the car and go down
the race track. I have been going through physical therapy every day. I have been
working with Dr. Ortmeyer who is the same doctor that worked with my dad after
his crash. I am seeing huge progress every day with my knee,�?? explained Force the
Wednesday before the race. “ I have gone from being on crutches the first
couple of days to getting comfortable walking on it to being able to bend it
all the way now. I definitely feel good enough to be back in the race car. That’s
my throttle leg so I will be ready to pound on the throttle for sure.�??Force has not had much success in the Land of 10,000 Lakes
but the fifth year pro knows that momentum can start rolling at any time. With
her win in Houston plus two runner-up finishes getting back into the racing
groove is critical for the 2012 Rookie of the Year. She was also looking at the
very small bright side from her Seattle incident.“I didn’t want to lose out on racing Brainerd because this
is the time to get everything in order for Indy and the Countdown. We had
planned on front halving my Traxxas Chevy after Seattle. If anything if you had
to crash a car that was a good time to do it since we were already planning on
doing a lot of work between races. You never want to crash but thankfully I
have great guys at the shop in Indy that were ready to go to work on it. Since
my team had to do so much extra work I sent them a “Man-Crate�?? full of beef
jerky and different kinds of nuts to say I was sorry for crashing the car,�??
said Force.Last year a winless Force was looking to secure a guaranteed
spot in the Traxxas Shootout and battle her way into the Top Ten at the Lucas
Oil Nationals. She was able to compete in the Shootout thanks to the fan vote
and lottery but missed the Top Ten for the first time in her career. In 2016 a
whole new attitude has enveloped Force and her Traxxas Camaro SS Funny Car team.“This is a huge turnaround from where we were last year. I
think this is the best shot at the championship we have ever had. We are
hopefully going into the Countdown in the No. 2 spot. We are trying to hold
onto that position right now with two races left. Being in that spot would give
us a lead going into the last six races of the rest of the Top Ten for the championship,�??
said Force. “This is definitely a huge difference from where we were a year
ago. I love the team that I with and the crew chiefs I am working with. The car
they have given me definitely feels like the most consistent race car I have
ever had in my five years of racing Funny cars. I am thrilled about that as a
driver. This is the best time for me to really be on my game with reaction times.
I have really been trying hard to be the most consistent that I have ever been
before. If we can get everything right we definitely would have the full
package. I think we have a great shot of going after the championship this
year. I am not going to let that slip away.�?? Finally Force will be in a brand new look Funny Car for the next
two races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The wild multi-colored
Camaro has been retired and Force will roll into Brainerd International Raceway
with blue Camaro that should be as quick as it is eye-catching.“I am going to run a cool blue Traxxas Camaro for Brainerd
and Indy. It is kind of an electric blue with lightning bolts running through
it. It is a nice change from the multi-colored Funny Cars which I also loved.
It gets people talking about what is coming next,�?? summed up Force.Force has teased the look on her social media platforms and
fans will get their first full look during at the track on Friday.ROBERT HIGHT DETERMINED TO GET BACK TO BACK WINS IN BRAINERDBRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) --- Last year the pressure on
Robert Hight heading into the last race of the regular season was mounting on a
variety of fronts for the 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion. Hight who had never won
at Brainerd International Raceway was winless for the season and staring at the
possibility of missing a guaranteed spot in the Traxxas Shootout unless he
picked up a win at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. The 2005 Rookie of the Year
dialed in and raced to victory as the No. 6 qualifier beating Ron Capps, Brian
Stewart, Tim Wilkerson and Tommy Johnson Jr. In the pressroom afterwards an
obviously relieved Hight talked about what the win meant to the Auto Club team.
The win was Hight’s 35th of his career and moved him into a tie on
the all-time Funny Car win list with Don Prudhomme and Cruz Pedregon.“Brainerd has been a horrible race for me; the worst one on
tour. To finally get a win here will give me a little confidence coming back
here next year. Bristol was a killer for me too for a while. We got in the
Traxxas Shootout with that win which is big. To have my name mentioned with Don
Prudhomme and Cruz Pedregon that is impressive,�?? said Hight in the Brainerd
pressroom.This season Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro have
taken an eraser to his personal record books at almost every race. In four of
the last six races Hight has posted elapsed times quicker than he has ever run
in his career. Two weeks ago during a historically quick Northwest Nationals
Hight was shockingly the No. 9 qualifier with a 3.894 second qualifying effort
and in the first round of eliminations Hight ran a career quickest at 3.862 at
over 331 mph to get the win over Chad Head. “You see the performance numbers and you have to shake your
head. In Seattle we ran a 3.8 and didn’t have lane choice in the first round.
Last year in Brainerd you saw a ton of low numbers and I think you will see
more of that this weekend. These Funny Cars a handful now to drive. They carry
the front end and it is a lot of fun. The competition is very tough too. You
have to have a total package to get a round win. You need a quick car, a great
reaction time and you have to keep it in the groove,�?? said Hight.At the season’s third race Hight picked up his 37th
career Funny Car win adding a third Gatornationals “Wally�?? to his trophy case.
The win secured his spot in the Traxxas Shootout and moved Hight into the
points lead. Following that race Hight held the points lead for two more races
before relinquishing it to teammate Courtney Force in Houston. Since Houston
Hight has raced to three more semifinal finishes but has yet to pick up another
final round appearance or win. “We have been consistently quick and we are winning rounds
but we haven’t been able to put together a complete race day since the
Gatornationals. We have two more races before the playoffs plus the Indy test
session before the U.S. Nationals. I feel good about how we are running and how
I am driving. We won in Brainerd and were runners-up at the Traxxas Shootout
and U.S. Nationals last year. I feel confident about our chance in Brainerd and
beyond,�?? said Hight.BIG WEEKEND IN STORE FOR BRITTANY FORCE AND MONSTER ENERGYBRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) --- Last year Brittany Force
and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster were looking for their first win and
first double up win for JFR at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Going into the
final round Force had just seen her teammate Robert Hight take out Tommy
Johnson Jr. and only Lucas Oil teammate Richie Crampton stood between the 2013
Rookie of the Year and her first victory. Crampton, the No. 1 qualifier, made
the third quickest run in NHRA history to get the win but Force left Brainerd
even more motivated to chase down her first win.This season at the historic Gatornationals Force once again
saw teammate Robert Hight pick up a win in front of her she would not be denied
a second time, winning for the first time in Top Fuel and securing the first
double-up win for John Force Racing. It took Force 75 races to get her first
Top Fuel win and then two races later she picked up win No. 2 at the unique
Four-Wide NHRA Nationals in Charlotte. The lone JFR driver in Top Fuel led the
Top Fuel points for four races and has been a fixture at the top of the point
standings all season. “I am just so proud of this Monster Energy team. We almost
got the win in Brainerd last year but we just had to wait a little bit.
Brainerd has been a fast and quick track and I think you’ll see great numbers
there this weekend. We set the national ET record earlier this season and I
think you could see record numbers at Brainerd International Raceway this
weekend,�?? said Force.It was at the Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka that
Force and the Monster Energy team grabbed the performance headlines running to
the No. 1 spot in qualifying with a national record 3.676 seconds time. It was
Force’s first national record and the importance of writing her name into the
record books was not lost on Force who joined father John and sisters Ashley
Force Hood and Courtney Force as national record setters.“I think it is neat to be able to join my family with their
list of accomplishments. The fact that we all now have set a national record at
one time or another is cool,�?? said Force.“It is still pretty unbelievable to think about that record.
It is exciting to set a record like that with this Monster Energy team. I have
to thank Alan Johnson, Brian Husen and all my crew guys. That record is
something we are all really proud of and we’ll always be able to hang onto that
memory.�??This weekend Force will be getting the race started with
multiple appearances for Monster Energy on Friday before heading to the track
for Friday qualifying.JOHN FORCE READY TO CONTINUE WINNING IN BRAINERDBRAINERD, MN (August 17, 2016) --- No other driver has had
the kind of success John Force has enjoyed at Brainerd International Raceway.
The 35th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals will be contested this
weekend and Force will be looking to race into his 16th final round
and possibly pick up his 12th win. Since 1986 Force has picked up 74
round wins and has won in three different decades. Those kinds of stats are not
lost on Force who is looking to pick up his third win in four races as the NHRA
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series winds down the regular season.“I have had a lot of success at Brainerd and I love racing
there. I get a lot of energy and motivation from the fans at every track but
the fans in Brainerd are awesome. I am looking forward to getting up there and
racing this PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevy Camaro. We have been putting up
so great numbers on the track and I know we’ll have good conditions in
Brainerd. This PEAK Chevy team will be ready to hurt some feelings,�?? said
Force.Force has experienced a resurgence of success in the past
month winning the first two legs of the Western Swing before dropping a tough
first round race against Tommy Johnson Jr., in Seattle. The wins in Denver and
Sonoma catapulted Force from the bottom of the Top Ten into the middle of the
pack and a guaranteed spot in the Countdown to the Championship. For the 32nd
consecutive season Force will finish in the Top Ten and he will be in the thick
of the NHRA Funny Car championship battle, chasing his unprecedented 17th
Mello Yello NHRA Funny Car championship.“Getting the wins in Denver and Sonoma were key for this
PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS team. We are in the middle of the fight and I don’t
think we were ever out of the fight. We just needed to get a win and then we
got another one. (PEAK crew chief) Jon Schaffer has been doing a good job
leading this team and we are working really well together. You see the
excitement from these young guys when we win and that gets me even more excited.
I loved being on FOX and being able to thank all the sponsors and our fans,�??
added Force.Heading into Brainerd Force will be starting to focus on the
end of the regular season and the start of the Countdown. One last hurdle for
the winningest driver in NHRA history will be earning a berth in the Traxxas
Nitro Shootout. For the first time under the current Traxxas Shootout
parameters Force will be in the fan vote. While Force is one of only a four
drivers with multiple wins he was not one of the first seven Funny Car drivers
to win in 2016 and will have to leave his chances of grabbing the eighth and
final spot to the fans and fate. Fans will be able to vote on the NHRA’s
Facebook page following the race in Brainerd until the Tuesday before the
Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.“We got wins but we just didn’t get them early enough. I
have won a lot of Shootout races and I want to race in this one with Courtney
and Robert and the rest of the Funny Cars. One of our sponsors Traxxas puts up
the money and I won the first one. I would love to be the first two-time
Traxxas Shootout winner. I’ll be voting and I want all my fans to vote too,�??
said Force.