JOHN FORCE RACES TO SEMIS IN BRAINERD

TEAM JFR RACE REPORT16th of 24 races in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series28th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals
Brainerd Raceway International
Brainerd, Minn.
August 14-16, 2009 * * * * JOHN FORCE RACES TO SEMIS IN BRAINERDBRAINERD, MN – John Force and the Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang raced to the semi-finals before dropping a tire smoking pedalfest to Ron Capps at the 28th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. Force defeated veteran journeyman Bob Bode in the first round and then received the benefit of a single run in the second round when Jack Wyatt could not make the call to race against the winningest driver in NHRA history. While Force picked up a few rounds to hold onto his No. 8 Full Throttle points position he still had his eye on his entire team’s performance and chances for the Countdown.“We are looking at the points so I am glad we had Mike Neff’s Ford Drive One as the number one qualifier. That was a positive for Neff and (crew chief John) Medlen. That got Ford up where they wanted to be. The rest of us made it except for Jimmy Prock and Robert (Hight, of the Auto Club team). I picked up a couple of rounds. I have about a 100 point lead (on No. 10 Cruz Pedregon) with two races to go. Somebody is going to really have to do some damage to catch me,�?? said Force, an 11-time Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals winner.In the semi-final race Force left on Capps and both funny cars lost traction at about 250 feet. They each pedaled their hot rods and Capps was able to collect his NAPA Dodge Charger while Force’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang never regained its control.“Pedaling like that is what you have to do to try and win. My motor just ran out of steam. I pedaled it twice and put all the holes out and it was over. Capps got me,�?? said Force.While Force started the day as the No. 6 qualifier he had two of his JFR Ford Mustangs ahead of him in the qualifying order. Mike Neff was the No. 1 qualifier and Ashley Force Hood was the No. 3 qualifier. Unfortunately both of their tune-ups were too aggressive and each dropped their first round races.In just the third pair of Funny Cars Ashley Force Hood pulled up beside Jack Wyatt for the first time in her career. Both funny cars launched and Force Hood’s Mustang made a move out of the groove and the race was over at that point as her Castrol GTX Mustang lost traction. Force Hood could just watch as Wyatt pulled away.“The track was awfully good. We tried to step on it a little bit. We maybe underestimated the starting line and stuck a tire. That got the front end up. It just got (the car) over out of the groove. She (Ashley Force Hood) was trying to steer it but when it pulled the tire it lifted the front end up so she didn’t have much help.  When it sticks a tire the car squats down a little bit and all the weight transfers which lifts both tires. We usually only lift one front tire. It looks like it stuck for a quarter of a second so there is no steering. It got out of position from there,�?? said Castrol GTX Ford Mustang co-crew chief Dean Antonelli.In Neff’s case he and crew chief John Medlen were trying to improve on or at least equal their No. 1 qualifying effort in their first round race with Jack Beckman. The track conditions just did not cooperate with the Ford Drive One driver and crew chief tandem as their Mustang lost traction at half track while Beckman took the win.“It is a double edge sword (being overly aggressive or not aggressive enough) right there. In hindsight we didn’t need to try to run as hard as we were. We felt that we could run a little better and our Ford Drive One Mustang did everything we wanted it to do. It was just too much for the track to take. Then after it is over you look and the other guy runs a 4.19 and we are up there trying to run a 4.09 or a 4.10. That is just the way it goes. We try to run as hard as we can every run. That time we just pressed a little too hard and shot ourselves in the foot. The positive is the Mustang is running good. The crew is doing a great job. Everything is working really good we just made a little error in our call that time,�?? said Neff who leaves Brainerd in the No. 9 position in the Full Throttle point standings.While Neff’s position is somewhat precarious the second year driver draws on a wealth of experience as a world championship crew chief. Neff directed Gary Scelzi to the 2005 Funny Car championship holding off a huge charge from John Force and Ron Capps.“I do think about (2005) when I start getting stressed and feeling the pressure. I know that I have been through it before actually more pressure, about as much pressure as anybody can image that experience of going to the last day of the season racing two other teams for the world championship where every round and every run counting like it was. I have been through this before and it is tough. I don’t let that bother me too much. I just try and stay relaxed. I want to go up there and be ready and whatever happens happens,�?? said Neff, the 2008 Rookie of the Year.A huge points deficit for Robert Hight and his Auto Club Mustang team was avoided thanks to an unlikely turn of events. Hight was not able to qualify his Jimmy Prock tuned Mustang and he had to sit idly by as Matt Hagan and Cruz Pedregon, the two drivers in front of Hight battled in the first round. Pedregon defeated Hagan and set up and all Pedregon second round match-up as brothers Cruz and Tony were slated to race each other. Tony defeated his brother freezing Cruz only 60 points ahead of Hight or the equivalent of three rounds of racing. “We caught a break when Tony beat Cruz. That was big for us. We are only three rounds behind Cruz from the 10th spot. We have two races and I am up for the challenge. I have been in pressure situations before and I am confident in my abilities. Not qualifying was tough. Trust me. I want to be out there racing for Auto Club, Castrol, Ford, Mac Tools and the rest of our sponsors. We are not out of this Countdown by a long shot,�?? said Hight. * * * *Race Winners At-A-Glance:FUNNY CAR – Tony Pedregon, Brownsburg, Ind., Wicked Quick/Quaker State Chevrolet Impala, 4.149, 295.59 mph, def. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., NAPA Dodge Charger, 6.613, 99.35 mph.
 TOP FUEL – Morgan Lucas, Brownsburg, Ind., GEICO Powersports dragster, 3.814, 309.21 mph, def. Larry Dixon, Indianapolis, Ind., Al-Anabi Racing dragster, 3.818, 314.09 mph.
PRO STOCK – Greg Anderson, Mooresville, N.C., Summit Pontiac GXP, 6.641, 207.53 mph, def. Jason Line, Troutman, N.C., Summit Pontiac GXP, 6.655, 207.30 mph.PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – Hector Arana, Milltown, Ind., Buell, 6.983, 190.51 mph, def. Junior Pippin, Conyers, Ga., Buell, foul.* * * *NHRA Full Throttle points (unofficial standings after sixteen races in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series):FUNNY CAR - 1. Tony Pedregon, 1215; 2. Ron Capps, 1187; 3. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 1090; 4. Jack Beckman, 960; 5. Tim Wilkerson, 950; 6. Bob Tasca III, 894; 7. Del Worsham, 877; 8. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 846; 9. Mike Neff, Ford Drive One Mustang, 778; 10. Cruz Pedregon, 768. Also 11. Matt Hagan, 738; 12. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 708.TOP FUEL - 1. Antron Brown, 1357; 2. Tony Schumacher, 1140; 3. Larry Dixon, 1132; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 998; 5. Cory McClenathan, 985; 6. Morgan Lucas, 944; 7. Spencer Massey, 886; 8. Shawn Langdon, 859; 9. Doug Kalitta, 732; 10. Clay Millican, 651.PRO STOCK - 1. Jeg Coughlin, 1325; 2. Jason Line, 1298; 3. Mike Edwards, 1291; 4. Greg Anderson, 1165; 5. Allen Johnson, 1006; 6. Greg Stanfield, 828; 7. Ron Krisher, 793; 8. Kurt Johnson, 752; 9. Rickie Jones, 711; 10. Warren Johnson, 659.PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE - 1. Eddie Krawiec, 911; 2. Andrew Hines, 803; 3. Matt Smith, 668; 4. Craig Treble, 641; 5. Hector Arana, 644; 6. Douglas Horne, 632; 7. Matt Guidera, 531; 8. Steve Johnson, 425; 9. Karen Stoffer, 423; 10. Shawn Gann, 442. * * * *TEAM CASTROL Details:JOHN FORCE, 60, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang
Qualifying position: 6th at 4.195 seconds, 285.41 mph
Race results: Beat Bob Bode, Jack Wyatt. Lost to Ron Capps.Quotable: “Pedaling like that is what you have to do to try and win. My motor just ran out of steam. I pedaled it twice and put all the holes out and it was over. Capps got me.�?? – JOHN FORCEASHLEY FORCE HOOD, 26, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang
Qualifying position: 3rd at 4.178 seconds, 292.77 mphRace results: Lost to Jack Wyatt.Quotable: “The track was awfully good. We tried to step on it a little bit. We maybe underestimated the starting line and stuck a tire. That got the front end up. It just got (the car) over out of the groove. She (Ashley Force Hood) was trying to steer it but when it pulled the tire it lifted the front end up so she didn’t have much help.�?? –  ASHLEY FORCE HOOD'S CO-CREW CHIEF DEAN “GUIDO�?? ANTONELLIROBERT HIGHT, 39, Automobile Club of Southern California Ford Mustang
Qualifying position: DNQ, made 18th quickest pass at 6.636 seconds, 96.50 mphQuotable: “We caught a break when Tony beat Cruz. That was big for us. We are only three rounds behind Cruz from the 10th spot. We have two races and I am up for the challenge. I have been in pressure situations before and I am confident in my abilities.�?? – ROBERT HIGHTMIKE NEFF, 42, Ford Drive One MustangQualifying position: 1st at 4.126 seconds, 304.46 mph.
Race results: Lost to Jack Beckman.Quotable: “That is just the way it goes. We try to run as hard as we can every run. That time we just pressed a little too hard and shot ourselves in the foot. The positive is the Mustang is running good. The crew is doing a great job. Everything is working really good we just made a little error in our call that time.�?? – MIKE NEFF * * * *NEXT EVENTS:25th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, August 20-23, Reading, Pa.55th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Sept. 2-7, Indianapolis. Ind.COUNTDOWN TO ONE2nd annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, Sept. 17-20. Charlotte, NC24th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals, Sept. 24-27, Ennis, Texas22nd O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals, Oct. 2-4, Memphis, Tenn.4th annual Virginia NHRA Nationals, Oct. 9-11, Richmond, Va.9th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 29- Nov. 1, Las Vegas, Nev.45th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov, 12-15, Pomona, Calif. * * * * FOLLOW JOHN FORCE RACING at www.twitter.com/jfr_racing.com or at www.johnforceracing.com. * * * *CONTACTS:Dave Densmore                                Elon Werner
Denswood Sports                             John Force Racing, Inc.
214-244-0008                                   214-244-1184denswood@aol.com                         elon@johnforceracing.comFor more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please visit: Castrol.com/US