HIGHT WANTS TO END SLOW START AT THUNDER VALLEY

John Force RacingHight Pre-Race PackageEvent: 9h annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, 8th of 24 events in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.Site: Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tenn.Dates: May 15-17, 2009* * * *HIGHT WANTS TO END SLOW START AT THUNDER VALLEY  “Coming into Bristol 10th in points is not where I want to be. We are going to keep fighting and hopefully we’ll get all four qualifying sessions in and then get four runs on Sunday. Getting eight solid runs on the Auto Club Ford Mustang would be huge for us.�?? - Robert Hight* * * *Team info at www.johnforceracing.comFollow John Force Racing at www.twitter.com/jfr_racingFollow John Force RaceStation store at www.twitter.com/JFRaceStationFollow Courtney Force at www.twitter.com/courtneyforce****The DriverRobert Hight, 39, driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, is entering 2009 following his fourth consecutive Full Throttle Top Five finish. He is the only Funny Car driver to have led the points each of the last four seasons.  The 2005 winner of the Auto Club’s Road to the Future award that identifies the Rookie of the Year, he owns the two quickest 1000 foot times in Funny Car history (4.056 and 4.005 seconds) and well as the quickest quarter mile times in Funny Car history (4.646 and 4.636 seconds). * * * *Robert Hight By the Numbers:3 – Number of first round losses at Thunder Valley in four appearances7 – Number of races for Hight without a win to start this season; the longest losing streak Hight has ever started a season with10 – Hight’s position in the Full Throttle point standings* * * *Full Throttle Point Standings (After seven of 24 Full Throttle events)FUNNY CAR -1. Ron Capps, 562; 2. Del Worsham, 443; 3. Tony Pedregon, 437; 4. Jack Beckman, 427; 4. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 427; 6. Matt Hagan, 413; 7. Bob Tasca III, 375; 8. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 363; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 349;10. Robert Hight, AAA Ford Mustang, 337; 10. Mike Neff, Ford Drive One Mustang, 337.TOP FUEL – 1. Antron Brown, 561; 2. Tony Schumacher, 543; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 517; 4. Cory McClenathan, 453; 5. Morgan Lucas, 437; 6. Larry Dixon, 402; 7. Shawn Langdon, 375; 8. Spencer Massey, 363; 9. Doug Kalitta, 320; 10. Joe Hartley, 302.PRO STOCK – 1. Jeg Coughlin, 637; 2. Jason Line, 588; 3. Mike Edwards, 498; 4. Greg Anderson, 478; 5. Greg Stanfield, 394; 6. Allen Johnson, 381; 7. Ron Krisher, 345; 8. Kurt Johnson, 338; 9. Rickie Jones, 304; 10. Larry Morgan, 263.****Track Records:Top Fuel- 4.477 seconds by Tony Schumacher, April '04; 331.53 mph by Doug Kalitta, April '06Funny Car- 4.746 seconds by Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, May ‘08; 329.26 mph by Gary Scelzi, April '05Pro Stock- 6.674 seconds by Warren Johnson, May ‘08; 207.43 mph by Johnson, May '08(*performance records will not be officially recorded in Top Fuel and Funny Car at this event) **** Race Schedule:Friday – Funny Car Qualifying:    5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Saturday – Funny Car Qualifying:    1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.Sunday – Pre-race:                       10:00 a.m.Final eliminations:          11:00 a.m.* * * *Television:Saturday, May 16, Professional Qualifying        6:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET (ESPN2)Sunday, May 17, Professional Eliminations       7:00 PM - 10:30 PM ET (ESPN2)Wednesday, May 20, Repeat Pro Eliminations   2:00 AM - 4:00 AM ET (ESPN2)Team PR and Marketing Contacts:Dave Densmore, PR                           Elon Werner, PR                                 
Denswood Sports                                John Force Racing, Inc.               214-244-0008                                      214-244-1184 denswood@aol.com                          Elon@johnforceracing.com       Chad Light                                            Kelly AntonelliJohn Force Racing, Inc.                      John Force Racing, Inc.714-921-8123                                      317-858-8900Chad@johnforceracing.com            Kelly@johnforceracing.comSponsor PR Contacts: Rick Lalor                              Lori Anne Gola                     Kevin KennedyAuto Club of SC                   BP Lubricants                       Ford Racing                
714-885-2085                      973-633-2393                      313-203-7108\lalor.rick@aaa-calif.com    lorianne.gola@bp.com      kkennedy@pcgcampbell.comROBERT HIGHTHIGHT WANTS TO END SLOW START AT THUNDER VALLEYBRISTOL (May 10, 2009) --- As the saying goes “No Pain, no gain.�?? In the case of Robert Hight and his Auto Club Ford Mustang team huge gains should be right around the corner considering how painful his season has started. Off to the slowest start of his five year career the perennial front-runner for the Funny Car championship is in the midst of a rough stretch to start the 2009 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.Heading into St. Louis two weeks ago Hight was not going to let his team get discouraged. A tough qualifying effort cut short by rain had Hight only getting two qualifying passes and then he was eliminated in the first round on Sunday. Only getting three shots on the track when he really needs as much track time as possible was less than ideal for his Auto Club team. “We just need to go down the track without any problems. Losing Friday qualifying in St. Louis was a killer. We only got two shots on Saturday, qualified 12th and then made too early of an exit on Sunday,�?? said Hight.The 2005 rookie of the year and perennial championship contender has been off his game in 2009 opening the season with his longest winless drought of his career. Entering the eighth race of the season Hight hasn’t even reached a final which has the former trap shooting champion at a loss.The upside for Hight is that in 2008 he turned his personal Bristol history around by racing all the way to the semi-finals after never getting out of the first round in his previous three attempts. Hight started the race with an event low ET, 4.746 seconds in the ¼ mile, in the first round versus Del Worsham to grab his first round win at Bristol Dragway. That ET was a track record and bested the previous record of Hight’s late teammate Eric Medlen. He ran teammate Mike Neff in the semis in a tough battle that saw Neff advance to his second career final round.“Last year was big to set the track record and finally got past the first round. Losing to Neff in the semis was tough but he had a great Mustang that day and he just had some bad luck in the final,�?? said Hight.Hight is also looking to capture some of the magic his boss and teammate John Force grabbed in Bristol in 2007. The 14-time Funny Car champ was also in a slump heading into Bristol but roared to a win in Bristol then onto a runner-up in Seattle, a win in Sonoma and a win in Brainerd to race into the Countdown championship chase.“I remember 2007 for John. He was coming off his 14th Funny Car championship and they were struggling a little bit. (Co-crew chiefs Austin) Coil and Bernie (Fedderly) got his Mustang running that weekend and then they got hot for the rest of the season. I am hoping to get some of that Bristol magic for myself.�??Hight also reiterated the position he is in heading into the 9th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.“In the past four seasons I had won at least one race by now. The longest I ever went before winning a race was 2007 when I won in Las Vegas then Atlanta and I had reached a final in Pomona and Phoenix that year as well. Not having a win by now is tough but I know we have a team that can get hot and start winning at any minute,�?? said the only Funny Car driver to have led the points at least once the past four seasons.To put Hight’s drought in perspective in his rookie year heading into Bristol Hight had a win and runner-up, Houston and Atlanta, respectively. In 2006 Hight opened the season with a win in Pomona and a runner-up in Atlanta. Last season Hight again opened the season with a win in Pomona and a runner-up in Phoenix.This year Hight has two semi-final finishes (Pomona and Las Vegas) to Ron Capps the current points leader to go along with four first round losses and one second round defeat. He is currently tied for 10th place, his lowest career position, with teammate Mike Neff in the Full Throttle point standings. “Coming into Bristol 10th in points is not where I want to be. We are going to keep fighting and hopefully we’ll get all four qualifying sessions in and then get four runs on Sunday. Getting eight solid runs on the Auto Club Ford Mustang would be huge for us,�?? concluded Hight. ####Did you know…-          Hight and sister-in-law Ashley Force Hood are featured in an Auto Club of Southern California television commercial that is getting rave reviews on the Full Throttle Drag racing Series.-          Hight and his three teammates will be cruising to Cabo San Lucas for New Year’s Eve as part of the John Force Racing Fan Cruise III sponsored by AAA. Fans can get more information by calling 1-888-874-7222. Get team info here: www.johnforceracing.comFollow John Force Racing at www.twitter.com/jfr_racing