Semifinal at Englishtown a 'pretty good day' for Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force

Semifinal at Englishtown a 'pretty good day' for Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force Photo credit: Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery EDITOR'S NOTE - Corrects spelling of Englishtown in headline ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 11) – Courtney Force made her second consecutive Funny Car semifinals appearance in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, before falling victim to a red light in the 48th annual NHRA Summernationals on Sunday at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.   Force, the No. 1 qualifier and driver of the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS, whisked through the first two rounds of competition with ease, despite dropping cylinders on both runs.   She defeated No. 16 Jeff Diehl first and then No. 9 Matt Hagan, in a matchup of last weekend’s finals at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H. That sent her to a second straight semifinal and poised for a second consecutive trip to the finals.   But it wasn’t to be. Facing No. 4 Jack Beckman in the third round, her chances were heightened when Beckman experienced problems at the starting line. But she tripped the red light just .012 seconds before the start, nullifying the event’s only sub-four second run of 3.993 seconds at 317.49 mph. Beckman went up in smoke when the green light turned on, and he coasted to victory.   “It was a pretty good day for our Advance Auto Parts Chevy Camaro team,�?? Force said. “Coming into the race as the No. 1 qualifier with the 3.86 that we ran in Friday qualifying, and then coming out here in the heat of the day with two solid passes and able to get a win in those two and went into the semifinals was great.   “Unfortunately, with a .012 red light, we kind of threw that run away. Of course, it was actually the best run of the weekend for us and the quickest run of the day in Funny Car.�??   Despite the early exit, it matched the furthest Force had advanced at the New Jersey track in six races (she was also a semifinalist in 2012). It continued to show that the spare car, nicknamed the ‘old junkyard dog,’ has the stamina to win races.   “Honestly, I’m very proud of my team and feel really bad that I let them down in the semis,�?? said Force, now fourth in Funny Car points standings. “It gets us excited with what we can do going into Bristol next weekend. This is a tough way to end Englishtown, but definitely feel great that we have a great race car and running solid in the heat. We’ll see if we can outrun them next weekend.�??   Force returns to competition for the third of four consecutive race weekends Friday with the first of two days of qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.   4-Second Reads:   Best Qualifying Effort: 3.862 seconds/331.12 mph (Round 2); Qualified No. 1 Elimination Round 1 (Left Lane): 4.019 seconds/294.18 mph, defeated No. 16 Jeff Diehl, 11.687 seconds/77.47 mph; vs. Diehl – now 4-1 all-time; 3-0 this season; 1-0 at Englishtown Elimination Round 2 (Quarterfinals, Right Lane): 4.094 seconds/312.28 mph, defeated No. 9 Matt Hagan, 4.374 seconds/268.90 mph; vs. Hagan – now 11-12 all-time (breaks seven-round losing streak); 1-2 this season; 2-0 at Englishtown Elimination Round 3 (Semifinals, Left Lane): 3.993 seconds/317.49, lost (disqualification, red light) to No. 4 Jack Beckman, 9.145 seconds/72.26 mph; vs. Beckman – now 7-8 all-time; 1-0 this season; 1-0 at Englishtown Force is now 12-10 this season in 22 elimination rounds. Force is now 4-6 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in 10 elimination rounds. Force is now 28-11 all-time in 39 elimination rounds from the No. 1 qualifying spot. Force is now 143-121 all-time in 264 elimination rounds. Funny Car Points Standings: 1. Ron Capps, 931; 2. Matt Hagan, 802; 3. Jack Beckman, 652; 4. Courtney Force, 648; 5. Robert Hight, 645; T-6. John Force, 587; T-6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 587. About John Force Racing John Force Racing, Inc., based in Yorba Linda, Calif., and Brownsburg, Ind., is a professional sports dynasty, one that has earned 18 NHRA championships and claimed 252 professional victories in Funny Car (248) and Top Fuel (4). Led by team owner and driver John Force, a 16-time Funny Car Champion, 1996 Driver of the Year for all of American motor racing, 2011 International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, and driver of the PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, JFR is additionally comprised of Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS driver Robert Hight, 2009 Funny Car champion and 2005 NHRA Rookie of the Year; Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS driver Courtney Force, 2012 NHRA Rookie of the Year; and Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster driver Brittany Force, 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year. For more information, please visit johnforceracing.com. Media Contact: Lee Montgomery John Force Racing Public Relations (704) 258-0903 lmontgomery@johnforceracing.com Media Contact: Michael Harker John Force Racing Public Relations (386) 547-3943 mharker@johnforceracing.com Connect with us       John Force Racing | 498 Southpoint Circle, Brownsburg, IN 46112 Unsubscribe submit@theautochannel.com Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by lmontgomery@johnforceracing.com in collaboration with Try it free today