HIGHT RETURNS TO SCENE OF RECORD RUN; LOOKS TO GET BACK TO NO. 1

John Force RacingRobert Hight Pre-Race PackageEvent: 4th annual Virginia NHRA Nationals4th race of Countdown to 122nd of 24 events in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing SeriesSite: Virginia Motorsports Park, Richmond, VADates: October 8-11, 2009 * * * *HIGHT RETURNS TO SCENE OF RECORD RUN; LOOKS TO GET BACK TO NO. 1 “Other teams are always gunning for you. That is not a big deal. They should be gunning for us. I am gunning for them. That is how we got into this position and got back up on top. We work hard and do the right thing. We have to continue to do the right thing and we’ll be just fine,�?? said 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, 40, driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, entered the 2009 Countdown to 1 in the 10th spot, rose to 1st place, and currently sits No. 2. He clinched his Countdown to 1 spot by reaching the finals at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, a feat he accomplished for the fourth year in a row (two wins 2006 and 2008). He is the only Funny Car driver to have led the points each of the last five seasons. He has won two Countdown races (Charlotte and Dallas). 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:1 – Hight’s position entering the previous week’s O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis2 – Hight’s position entering the NHRA Virginia Nationals, the 4th Countdown to 1 race2 – Number of races Hight has won in the 2009 Countdown to 13 – Number of points Hight is behind points leader Ashley Force Hood4 – Hight’s finish in the 2008 Full Throttle point standings5 – Number of points Hight edged out Cruz Pedregon for final Countdown position7 – Number of positions Hight jumped after first Countdown to 1 race in 200910 – Hight’s position entering the Full Throttle Countdown to 1 point standings* * * *Full Throttle Point Standings three Countdown to 1 races and 21 NHRA eventsFUNNY CAR – 1. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 2308; 2. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 2305; 3. Tony Pedregon, 2282; 4. Jack Beckman, 2235; 5. Ron Capps, 2220; 6. Bob Tasca III, 2206; 7. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 2184; 8. Tim Wilkerson, 2181; 9. Mike Neff, Ford Drive One Mustang, 2130; 10. Del Worsham, 2116.TOP FUEL – 1. Tony Schumacher, 2369; 2. Larry Dixon, 2315; 3. Cory McClenathan, 2276; 4. Antron Brown, 2249; 5. Morgan Lucas, 2236; 6. Shawn Langdon, 2221; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 2191; 8. Spencer Massey, 2186; 9. Doug Kalitta, 2146; 10. Clay Millican, 2093.PRO STOCK – 1. Mike Edwards, 2374; 2. Greg Anderson, 2313; 3. Jason Line, 2296; 4. Jeg Coughlin, 2260; 5. Allen Johnson, 2234; 6. Greg Stanfield, 2222; 7. Johnny Gray, 2199; 8. Ron Krisher, 2189; 9. Kurt Johnson, 2145; 10. Rickie Jones, 2020.PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – 1. Hector Arana, 2400; 2. Eddie Krawiec, 2392; 3. Michael Phillips, 2255; 4. Matt Smith, 2253; 5. Andrew Hines, 2249; 6. Douglas Horne, 2210; 7. Karen Stoffer, 2159; 8. Shawn Gann, 2157; 9. Craig Treble, 2136; 10. Matt Guidera, 2020. ****TRACK RECORDS:        Top Fuel -3.771 seconds by Tony Schumacher, Oct. ‘08; 318.54 mph by Schumacher, Oct. ’08Funny Car- 4.005 seconds by Robert Hight, Oct. ’08; 309.98 mph by Melanie Troxel, Oct. ’08Pro Stock- 6.554 seconds by Jeg Coughlin, Oct. ’08; 210.37 mph by Warren Johnson, Oct. ’08(Top Fuel and Funny Car race distance is 1,000 feet; PS and PSM race distance is 1,320 feet) NATIONAL RECORDS:               Top Fuel - 3.771 sec. by Tony Schumacher, Oct. ’08, Richmond, Va.; 319.22 mph by Antron Brown, Sept. ’09, Indianapolis Funny Car - 4.023 sec. by Ron Capps, Feb. ’09, Chandler, Ariz.; 312.13 mph by Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, April ’09, AtlantaPro Stock - 6.528 sec. by Greg Anderson, Feb. ’09, Pomona, Calif.; 212.03 mph by Mike Edwards, March ’09, Baytown, TexasPS Motorcycle –6 6.851 sec. by Hector Arana, Sept. ’09, Memphis, Tenn.; 197.45 mph by Andrew Hines,  March ’05, Gainesville, Fla.(Top Fuel and Funny Car race distance is 1,000 feet; PS and PSM race distance is 1,320 feet)****Race Schedule:Friday, Oct. 9Nitro Qualifying:                        2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 Nitro Qualifying:                        12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.Sunday, Oct. 11Pre-race ceremonies      10:00 a.m.Final eliminations           11:00 a.m.* * * *TELEVISION:Saturday, Oct. 10, ESPN and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10:30 p.m. (ET).Sunday, Oct. 11, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show at 11 a.m. (ET).Sunday, Oct. 11, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 7p.m. (ET). ****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, Marketing                Kelly Antonelli, Marketing           Andrew Hagstrom, SponsorshipJohn Force Racing, Inc.             John Force Racing, Inc.             IMG714-921-8123                             317-858-8900                             714.326.3450Chad@johnforceracing.com       Kelly@johnforceracing.com       andrew.hagstrom@imgworld.com Sponsor PR Contacts: Rick Lalor                              Lori Anne Gola                  Kevin KennedyAuto Club of SC                    BP Lubricants                    Ford Racing                
714-885-2085                       973-633-2393                  313-203-7108lalor.rick@aaa-calif.com         lorianne.gola@bp.com      kkennedy@pcgcampbell.com ROBERT HIGHTHIGHT RETURNS TO SCENE OF RECORD RUN; LOOKS TO GET BACK TO NO. 1RICHMOND, VA (October 6, 2009) --- The Auto Club Ford Mustang that Robert Hight has driven from the depths of the point standings to the top of the heap in just over five weeks is possibly the best race car he has ever had. He opened the 2009 Countdown to 1 with two wins and he has been the number one qualifier the past two races. He grabbed the points lead in Dallas but last weekend in Memphis a second round exit and a semi-final finish by teammate and sister-in-law Ashley Force Hood dropped him to second place a mere three points out of the top spot.“Our car is performing well. I am driving alright. We got out ran (versus Ron Capps). We didn’t make any mistakes or smoke the tires. (Crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) was racing a little safe. I didn’t get left on. They just shot a shot out there on us. First round it was a little fast and Jimmy softened it up,�?? said Hight. “The second round it was a little too soft. It kind of stuck the tire leaving and had we had that happened in the first round it wouldn’t have done that and we would have fixed it and it would have beat him in the second round. You have to give them credit they went up there and made a good run. They got themselves right back into this points race. Ashley and I are fighting it out. Tony Pedregon will basically be right there with us. I am glad we have our two cars up at the top. We’ll just keep fighting.�??Hight has moved from a potential spoiler to one of the top teams to beat in order to win the 2009 Full Throttle championship. The former world class trap shooter is not afraid to be the driver wearing the bulls-eye.“Other teams are always gunning for you. That is not a big deal. They should be gunning for us. I am gunning for them. That is how we got into this position and got back up on top. We work hard and do the right thing. We have to continue to do the right thing and we’ll be just fine,�?? added Hight.Last year in the first round of eliminations Hight made the jaw dropping run of the season in Funny Car an electrifying 4.005 second run. No one has come close to that kind of elapsed time since and Hight is hoping to get similar conditions with a little twist this weekend. “It is good air in Richmond. This time of year it is more than likely going to be cool. In all honesty I would like it to be a little bit on the hotter side because I think it separates us a little bit from the pack when it is hot. With those kind of conditions you see a lot of guys like Jeff Arend (Memphis winner), Ron Capps and these guys step up. These conditions are a great equalizer. I would just as soon have a little more finesse and trust Jimmy Prock to get it down there.�?? Get team info here: www.johnforceracing.comFollow John Force Racing at www.twitter.com/jfr_racing