TEAM CASTROL/JOHN AND ASHLEY PRE-RACE PACKAGE FOR
MEMPHIS
TEAM CASTROL
NHRA COUNTDOWN TO 1 PLAYOFFS
Race 3 of 6
O’REILLY AUTO PARTS MID-SOUTH NATIONALS
Memphis Motorsports Park, Memphis, Tenn.
Oct. 2-4
Key elements: Track is the first in the Countdown with a combined
concrete/asphalt surface which will create new problems for crew chiefs and
drivers. The first 530 feet, more than half of the abbreviated 1,000-foot course,
is concrete. Track’s elevation is 540 feet
Notable: Four different John Force Racing drivers have won the O’Reilly
Mid-South Nationals. It represented the first career victory for former JFR
driver Gary Densham when he won the 2001 race in the Auto Club Ford Mustang
now driven by Robert Hight.
JFR drivers at the O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals
Races Starts Finals Wins
Won-Lost
Robert Hight 4 4 None None 8-4
FAST FACT: Set the quarter mile track record of 4.762 seconds on Sept. 15,
2007. He has been the No. 1 qualifier in three of his four appearances
and has reached the semifinals each time.
Ashley Force 2 2 1 None 3-2
FAST FACT: Ashley was the provisional No. 1 qualifier for the first time
in her career at the 2007 Mid-South Nationals and started last year from No.
1 before losing to Tim Wilkerson in the Funny Car final.
John Force 21 21 6 5
41-16
FAST FACT: Has won four times at MMP (1993, 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2006) and
has started from the front six times, although not since 2001. In 21
appearances, he NEVER has started worst than No. 8.
Mike Neff 1 1 None None 1-1
FAST FACT: Second appearance as a driver. Crew chief John Medlen won with
Tony Pedregon in 2002 and with his son, the late Eric Medlen, in 2005.
COUNTDOWN TO ONE POINTS AFTER TWO OF SIX RACES:
FUNNY CAR
1. Robert Hight, Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, 2241
2. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 2228
3. Jack Beckman, Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger, 2196
4. Tony Pedregon, Q Racing Chevrolet, 2182
5. Bob Tasca III, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang, 2170
6. Ron Capps, NAPA Dodge Charger, 2147
7. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 2131
8. Tim Wilkerson, Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang, 2129
9. Mike Neff, Ford Drive One Ford Mustang, 2099
10. Del Worsham, Al-Anabi Toyota Solara, 2085
TOP FUEL
1. Tony Schumacher, U.S. Army dragster, 2272
2. Larry Dixon, Al-Anabi dragster, 2245
3. Cory McClenathan, Fram dragster, 2218
4. Antron Brown, Matco Tools dragster, 2207
5. Shawn Langdon, Lucas Oil dragster, 2188
6. Brandon Bernstein, Budweiser dragster, 2155
7. Spencer Massey, US Smokeless Tobacco dragster, 2152
8. Morgan Lucas, GEICO Insurance dragster, 2124
9. Doug Kalitta, Kalitta Racing dragster, 2074
10. Clay Millican, Lifelock dragster, 2062
PRO STOCK
1. Mike Edwards, Young Life/Penhall Pontiac, 2288
2. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Jeg’s Chevrolet Cobalt, 2223
3. Greg Anderson, Summit Racing Pontiac GXP, 2208
4. Allen Johnson, Team Mopar Dodge Stratus, 2179
5. Jason Line, Summit Racing Pontiac GXP, 2177
6. Greg Stanfield, Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP, 2169
7. Johnny Gray, Johnny Gray Racing Dodge Stratus, 2146
8. Kurt Johnson, ACDelco Chevrolet Cobalt, 2113
9. Ron Krisher, Valvoline Chevrolet Cobalt, 2093
10. Rickie Jones, Quarter-Max/RJ Race Cars Dodge Stratus, 2020
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
1. Hector Arana, Milltown, Ind., Buell, 2318
2. Eddie Krawiec, Englishtown, N.J., Harley-Davidson V-Rod, 2291
3. Andrew Hines, Brownsburg, Ind., Harley-Davidson V-Rod, 2207
4. Matt Smith, King, N.C., Suzuki, 2170
5. Douglas Horne, Aberdeen, Md., Buell, 2156
6. Michael Phillips, Baton Rouge, La., Suzuki, 2139
7. Karen Stoffer, Smith, Nev., Suzuki, 2127
8. Shawn Gann, Stoneville, N.C., Buell, 2125
9. Craig Treble, Harvey, La., Suzuki, 2104
10. Matt Guidera, Loomis, Calif., Buell, 2020
* * * *
TELEVISION (all on ESPN2, all times Eastern Daylight):
Qualifying – Saturday, Oct. 3, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
NHRA RaceDay – Sunday, Oct, 4, 11 a.m.
Race Highlights – Sunday, Oct. 4, 7-10 p.m.
Repeat race highlights – Thursday, Oct. 8, 3:30-5:30 a.m.
* * * *
NEXT EVENTS (2009 NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to One):
4th annual NHRA Virginia Nationals, Oct. 9-11, Richmond, Va.
9th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Las Vegas, Nev.
45th annual Automobile Club Finals, Nov. 12-15, Pomona, Calif.
* * * *
CONTACTS:
JFR Team PR and Marketing:
Dave Densmore Elon Werner
214-244-0008 214-244-1184
_denswood@aol.com_ (mailto:denswood@aol.com)
_elon@johnforceracing.com_ (mailto:elon@johnforceracing.com)
Kelly Antonelli Chad Light
Andrew Hagstrom
317-858-8900 714-921-8123
714-326-3450
_kelly@johnforceracing.com_ (mailto:kelly@johnforceracing.com)
_chad@johnforceracing.com_ (mailto:chad@johnforceracing.com)
Sponsor PR:
Lori Anne Gola Rick Lalor
BP/Castrol Auto Club of Southern California
973-633-2393 714-885-2085
_lorianne.gola@bp.com_ (mailto:lorianne.gola@bp.com)
_lalor.rick@aaa-calif.com_ (mailto:lalor.rick@aaa-calif.com)
* * * *
For Immediate Release
FORCE TRIES TO PROVE
HE STILL CAN BRING IT
14-Time Series Champ Seeks Sixth Win at Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After coming back from a crash he probably shouldn't
have survived, John Force knows in his heart, even at age 60, that he still
can win on drag racing's biggest stage. All the 14-time NHRA Funny Car
champion has to do now is prove it to everyone else.
He gets another chance this week when the NHRA Full Throttle tour
returns him to Memphis Motorsports Park for the 22nd annual O'Reilly Auto
Parts Mid-South Nationals, the halfway point in the sport's Countdown to One
playoffs.
A 14-time Auto Racing All-America selection and the only driver, pro
or amateur, to have won as many as 100 NHRA races at the national event
level (126), Force hasn't put his Castrol GTX® High Mileage™ Ford Mustang in
the winners' circle in more than a full calendar year.
For anyone else, that wouldn't be cause for concern. But Force isn't
anyone else. In fact, that 35-race drought is the longest he's gone in 32
professional seasons without at least one final round appearance.
Even though he was winless in 65 races to start his career, the
sport's most dynamic personality never, ever went more than 22 races without at
least once racing for an event title. During the current streak, which
began following his emotional June 1 2008 victory at Topeka, Kan., his first
since the crash at Dallas, Texas that almost took his life, Force has gone
to the semifinals 10 times but no further.
-more-
Force/Mid-South Nationals
2222
Even though he is seventh in Countdown points and already is assured of
his 25th straight Top 10 finish, he is the only Funny Car driver in the
playoffs who hasn't been to a final round this year and the only member of his
own four-car team who hasn't started at least one race from No. 1.
"I know I can still drive," Force said, "and I know I can still win
but, at the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding."
However, if that proof doesn't begin to manifest itself this weekend,
Force's hopes of reclaiming the title that last was his in 2006 are all
but over.
On a track on which he crashed heavily in 1992, an accident that led
to his now famous "I saw Elvis at 1,000 feet" remark, Force will start the
race 110 points behind son-in-law Robert "Top Gun" Hight, the current
leader. That's not an insurmountable deficit, but it is a formidable one, the
equivalent of little less than six racing rounds.
Nevertheless, there is more at stake this week for Force than the
championship. There also are the records that one day will be a major part
of his competitive legacy.
If he can put everything together in one of the season's final four
races, he can extend career drag racing records for most consecutive seasons
with at least one final round appearance (24), most successive season with
at least one victory (22) and most consecutive seasons with a winning
record (24).
Despite an un-Force like season, the first drag racer to earn Driver
of the Year recognition (1996), has rung up an individual record of 20-20
this season, winning 20 rounds or more for the 23rd straight year. That, in
itself, would be a career-maker for almost anyone else. Force, though,
still wants to win races.
He's shown this year that he still has the fire. The question is
does he have the firepower?
* * * *
Did You Know?
– Last year, John was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of
America in Novi, Mich.
– This is the furthest John ever has gone into a season without at least
reaching one final round 20 races.
– John hasn't qualified No. 1 since Sept. 1, 2006 at the Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind. That's a span of 70 races, the longest such
streak of his pro career.
– In 21 appearances at Memphis Motorsports Park, John never has qualified
worse than No. 8.
For the Record:
– John is trying to extend to a record-setting 23 the number of
consecutive seasons in which he has won at least one NHRA tour event and to 25 the
number of successive years in which he's appeared in a final.
– John hasn't been eliminated in the first round at Memphis since losing
to Chuck Etchells in 1994.
Force and Coil:
– In 25 seasons together, John and crew chief Austin Coil have contested
492 NHRA tour events, DNQed at only seven and compiled a record of 1000-359
en route to a record 126 victories.
– Of drag racing's "what have you done for me lately" mentality, Coil
said: "the only round that makes any difference is the last one. If you won
the last one, then there's the chance you can win the next one and if you
happen to be lucky enough to win four-in-a-row, well, you're back in the
winners' circle.�??
-www.johnforceracing.com-
For more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please
visit us at Castrol.com/US
Force/Mid-Spouth Nationals
3333
FORCE's Edge
Overall NHRA records (and Funny Car division records)
Most career victories (126)
Most series championships (14)
Most career final rounds (202)
Most career rounds won (1035)
Most consecutive series championships (10, 1993-2002)
Most consecutive seasons with one or more victories (22)*
Most consecutive seasons with at least one final round appearance (24)*
Most consecutive seasons with multiple tour victories (18, 1990-2007)
Most consecutive national events without a DNQ (395, 1988-2007)
Most consecutive Top 10 seasons (25)
Highest winning percentage, one season (91.5%, 65-6)
*tied with Warren Johnson, Pro Stock
Other NHRA Funny Car division records
Most final rounds, one season (16, 1996)
Most victories, one season (13, 1996)
Most rounds won, one season (65, 1996)
Most career No. 1 starts (131)
Most No. 1 starts, one season (11, 1996)
Most consecutive final round appearances, one event (nine, 1992-2000,
Atlanta, Ga.)
Career starts (522)
Awards
Driver of the Year (1996)
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2008 inductee)
AARWBA Auto Racing All-America Team (14 times, 1990, 1993-2002, 2004-2006)
Jerry Titus Memorial Award (most AARWBA votes, 4 times, 1996, 1999, 2000,
2002)
AARWBA Comeback Award (2008)
Speed TV Comeback Award (2008)
SAE Motorsports Achievement Award (2008)
AutoSport Magazine's John Bolster Award for lifetime achievement (2005)
Force/Mid-South Nationals
4444
Milestones
First round win, over Tom McEwen, June 1, 1979, Cajun Nationals, Baton
Rouge, La.
First No. 1 qualifier, May 25, 1986, Cajun Nationals, Baton Rouge, La.
First tour victory, June 28, 1987, Le Grandnational Molson, Montreal,
Canada
First Funny Car driver to break 4.90 second barrier, July 6, 1996, Topeka,
Kan.
First drag racer to win Driver of the Year award for all of American motor
sports (1996)
First Funny Car driver to break 4.80 second barrier, Oct. 24, 1998,
Dallas, Texas
First (and only) drag racer to win 100 events, April 14, 2002, Houston,
Texas
First Funny Car driver to break 4.70 second barrier, Oct. 2, 2004, Joliet,
Ill.
No. 2 (behind Don Garlits) in balloting to determine Top 50 drivers in
NHRA's first 50
years (2001)
First (and only) drag racer to win 1,000 racing rounds, May 4, 2008,
Madison, Ill.
JOHN FORCE By the Numbers
1 Driver of the Year award (1996, the first drag racer ever so honored).
2 wins at Memphis in last five years (2004, 2006)
3 screws securing ankle bones from compound fracture suffered in the
2007 accident.
4 position occupied in NHRA championship points following 2007 Fall
Nationals at Seattle, Wash., his highest in the last three seasons.
5 seasons with 10 or more tour victories (1993-94, 1996, 1999-2000).
6 semifinal appearances this year without advancing to a single final
round.
9 runner-up finishes before winning for the first time.
10 straight Funny Car titles (1993-2002).
14 times named to AARWBA Auto Racing All-America Team.
22 consecutive seasons with at least one NHRA tour victory.
25 consecutive Top 10 finishes.
126 tour events won
1034 competitive rounds won.
-www.johnforceracing.com-
For more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please
visit us at Castrol.com/US
For Immediate Release
FOOD POISONING EPISODE
FUELS ASHLEY'S TITLE BID
Force Hood Trails Brother-in-Law Hight by 13 Points
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Ashley Force Hood isn't actively seeking a really
bad meal this weekend, but the 26-year-old will admit that there's nothing
like a little food poisoning to take the stress out of a championship run.
Force Hood, daughter of drag racing legend John Force, rolls her 310
mile-an-hour Castrol GTX® Ford Mustang into Memphis Motorsports Park for
this week's 22nd annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Mid-South Nationals trailing
teammate and brother-in-law Robert Hight by just 13 points in the battle for
the NHRA Full Throttle Championship.
If the graduate of Cal State-Fullerton goes on to become the first
woman ever to win the NHRA Funny Car title, she may owe it all to the gastric
distress through which she suffered two weeks ago at Charlotte, N.C., site
of the first of the six races that make up the NHRA's Countdown to One
playoffs.
"At Charlotte, I was horribly ill," she said. "I've never been so
sick in my life (and) I was just trying to get through each hour of the day.
I wasn't even thinking about reaction times and I cut the best lights of
my whole career.
"I'm not going to go out and get food poisoning the next four weeks,
but because I was Ill, I was focused on just what I had to do, which mainly
was to make sure I didn't get sick in my helmet," she joked. "It was a
really clear lesson for me on how I perform. I really perform best when I
don't put a lot of extra pressure on myself.
"What I saw this year is that at the races where I was running (two-time
series champion) Tony Pedregon or somebody else who has left on me a lot of
times, I was focused so hard on cutting a light that my reaction times
actually would get worse instead of better," said the former high school
cheerleader.
-more-
Ashley/Mid-South Nationals
2222
"At Charlotte, I just went up there and did my job without over-thinking
it. I'm going to try to use that for these next four races," she said,
"(although) I haven't quite figured out how other than eating some more bad
chicken.
"You obviously have to concentrate and be excited and pumped up, but
there is a point, when you go past it, that you're only hurting yourself.
It's a balance that I'm still learning, that's for sure."
.
Ashley believes most athletes suffer the same challenges with a few
exceptions.
"My father does his best under intense stress," she said. "The more
that's on the line, that's when he performs the best. Not that many
people, I think, are like that. Most people do their best when they're not
feeling all that pressure, but there are certain athletes, and dad's one of
them, who really shine under pressure."
That said, Ashley believes she and her team have an excellent shot at
winning the championship if they can just find a way to beat Hight and
crew chief Jimmy Prock, who have bested them in the semifinals en route to
two straight victories.
She is especially excited about returning to MMP, a track on which
she qualified No. 1 and set a track record (4.097 seconds) last year before
losing a narrow .014 of a second decision to Tim Wilkerson in the Funny Car
final.
Moreover, despite the added pressure of the championship chase, the
three-time tour winner, national record-holder (312.13 miles per hour) and
former NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year (2007) admits that she's having fun.
"I love being a Funny Car driver," she said, "but I'm jealous of the
fans getting to watch all this go down because it's going to be exciting."
* * * *
Did You Know?
– Ashley is one of only two Funny Car drivers, with brother-in-law Robert
Hight, the current points leader, to have led the points each of the last
two years.
– Ashley was named 2008 Female Athlete of the Year by the Los
Angeles-based Jim Murray Memorial Foundation.
– Ashley's Castrol GTX Mustang was the fastest Funny Car at the 1,000 foot
distance in 2008 (310.05 mph) and is the fastest again this year at 312.13
mph, a speed NHRA now recognizes as the official national record at 1,000
feet.
Off the Track:
– Ashley was among a group of drivers and NHRA sponsors who participated in
the Opening Bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange on June 10. She
was joined by BP/Castrol executive Marci Brand, Regional Vice-President,
Automotive Americas, among others.
– Ashley and her cat, Simba, will be featured in a soon-to-be released
coffee table book on athletes and their pets created by award-winning
photographer David Woo.
-www.johnforceracing.com-
For more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please
visit us at Castrol.com/US
