TEAM CASTROL/JOHN AND ASHLEY PRE-RACE PACKAGE FOR BRISTOL
TEAM CASTROL/JFR 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON JOHN FORCE/ASHLEY FORCE HOOD Pre-Race Package for 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals June 18-20, 2010 Bristol Dragway Bristol, Tenn. 12th event in the Countdown to the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Championship * * * * follow John Force Racing at _www.twitter.com/jfr_racing_ (http://www.twitter.com/jfr_racing) To celebrate 25 years of Castrol sponsorship, go to _www.castrolforce.com_ (http://www.castrolforce.com/) * * * * Castrol/JFR 25th Anniversary Flashback: Although he earned no points he could apply toward another NHRA Championship, John Force raced to one of the most gratifying victories of his career when, on July 10, 1999, he drove a red-and-blue “Superman�?? version of his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang past five Top Fuel dragsters to claim the inaugural Winston Showdown at Bristol Dragway. The “Showdown,�?? an all-star event for which no points were awarded, was the successor to the Winston Invitational contested from 1989 through 1998 at Rockingham, N.C., with one notable exception. At the “Showdown,�?? it was Funny Cars versus dragsters with the Funny Cars afforded a head start equal to the difference in the NHRA national records at the time. En route to the biggest single-event payday of his career ($210,000 including $10,000 for qualifying No. 1), Force beat dragsters driven by Cristen Powell, Jim Head, Doug Kalitta, Cory McClenathan and, finally, Bob Vandergriff Jr. Unfortunately, the Funny Cars-versus-Dragsters event never found its audience and was abandoned after two seasons, replaced in 2001 by an “official�?? NHRA tour event, the Thunder Valley Nationals. In addition to his “ Showdown�?? victory, Force drove Castrol GTX Funny Cars to 10 other “all-star�?? victories, four in the Winston Invitational (1990, 1995-1996-1997) and six in the Big Bud Shootout (later the U.S. Smokeless Showdown) – 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2000, 2006. EVENT OVERVIEW: Robert “Top Gun�?? Hight’s streak of consecutive final round appearances ended at four last week at Englishtown, N.J., but the reigning NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car Champ is poised to extend another streak this week at Bristol Dragway. For the first time in his five-and-a-half year pro career, Hight has started his Auto Club Ford Mustang from the front of the pack in three consecutive races. The first to accomplish that feat since Mike Ashley started No. 1 at Las Vegas, Atlanta and St. Louis (Madison, Ill.) In 2007, Hight would join extremely select company if he can add one more this week. The last Funny Car driver to qualify No. 1 in four consecutive races was Cruz Pedregon, who started No. 1 in successive 1998 events at Dallas, Englishtown, Joliet, Ill., and Columbus, Ohio. The last three No. 1s have boosted Hight’s career total to 37, tied for fourth most in Funny Car history. Streaks notwithstanding, Hight and crew chief Jimmy Prock are most interested this week in sorting out a new clutch combination that proved troublesome last week when they were eliminated in round two by Del Worsham and the Al-Anabi Toyota. While Hight tries to start a new winning streak, teammates John Force and Ashley Force Hood also will try to put their title bids back on track. Force, drag racing’s biggest winner with 129 tour victories, hasn’t advanced beyond the second round in five races after starting the season by driving his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford to the winners’ circle in three of six events. Nevertheless, he is the only current John Force Racing driver to have won the Thunder Valley Nationals, prevailing in 2004 and 2007. Force Hood, runner-up at Bristol a year ago, was upended in round one last week and still is seeking her first win of the season in the Castrol GTX Mustang. * * * * JFR RACING HISTORY AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY: Wins – 2, both by John Force for Castrol GTX (2004, 2007). Last year – Reigning series champion Robert Hight failed to make the 16-car starting lineup and although she qualified No. 1, Ashley Force Hood lost a narrow (4.119-4.130) semifinal decision to Tony Pedregon. Notable #1 – The late Eric Medlen was the No. 1 qualifier in his last two Bristol appearances at the wheel of the JFR-owned Castrol SYNTEC Ford Mustang (2005-2006) Notable #2 – Before the advent of the Thunder Valley Nationals, John Force won the inaugural Winston Showdown at Bristol Dragway in 1999, beating five Top Fuel dragster drivers en route to this biggest single event payday of his pro career ($210,000). Notable #3 – Mike Neff, now one of the three crew chiefs on John Force’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang, enjoyed one of his most successful days as a Funny Car driver at the 2008 Thunder Valley Nationals, qualifying No. 1 and posting quick time of every round until a problem with the latch on the body prevented last minute adjustments and allowed Melanie Troxel to motor by him for a final round victory. * * * * PRO POINTS (Current 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Series point standings): FUNNY CAR – 1. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 844; 2. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 819; 3. Matt Hagan, Diehard Dodge Charger, 748; 4. Jack Beckman, MTS Dodge Charger, 724; 5. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 705; 6. Bob Tasca III, Quick Lane/Motorcraft Ford Mustang, 677; 7. Ron Capps, NAPA Dodge Charger, 663; 8. Del Worsham, Al Anabi Toyota Solara, 591; 9. Tim Wilkerson, Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang, 572; 10. Tony Pedregon, Quaker State Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 554. TOP FUEL – 1. Larry Dixon, 1092; 2. Tony Schumacher, 893; 3. Cory McClenathan, 873; 4. Doug Kalitta, 838; 5. Antron Brown, 742; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 681; 7. Morgan Lucas, 524; 8. Shawn Langdon, 516; 9. Steve Torrence, 444; 10. Terry McMillen, 410. PRO STOCK – 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 1213; 2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 802; 3. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Chevrolet Cobalt, 724; 4. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 653; 5. Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 578; 6. Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 572; 7. Ron Krisher, Chevrolet Cobalt, 555; 8. Rodger Brogdon, Pontiac GXP, 498; 9. Shane Gray, Pontiac GXP, 497; 10. Johnny Gray, Pontiac GXP, 435. PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – 1. Hector Arana, Buell, 615; 2. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 488; 3. Matt Smith, Buell, 484; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson V-Rod, 477; 5. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 439; 6. L.E. Tonglet, Suzuki, 429; 7. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson V-Rod, 420; 8. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 355; 9. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 345; 10. David Hope, Buell, 344. PRO MODIFIED – 1. Von Smith, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 337; 2. Danny Rowe, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 297; 3. Kenny Lang, 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, 272; 4. Jay Payne, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 258; 5. Troy Coughlin, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, 251; 6. Tony Pontieri, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, 207; 7. Mike Janis, 1968 Pontiac Firebird, 203; 8. Mike Castellana, 1968 Pontiac Firebird, 198; 9. Melanie Troxel, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, 195; 10. Dennis Radford, 1970 Plymouth Duster, 193. * * * * TELEVISION (all on ESPN2, all times Eastern Daylight): Qualifying – Saturday, June 19, 7-9 pm. NHRA RaceDay – Sunday, June 20, 3:30-4 p.m. Race Highlights – Sunday, June 20, 4-7 pm Repeat race highlights – TBA. * * * * NEXT EVENTS (2010 NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship): 4th annual Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, June 25-27, Norwalk, Ohio. 23rd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 9-11, Seattle, Wash. 23rd annual FRAM/Autolite Nationals, July 16-18, Sonoma, Calif. 31st annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals, July 23-25, Denver, Colo. 29th annual Lucas Oil Nationals, August 12-15, Brainerd, Minn. * * * * CONTACTS: For John Force Racing, Inc.: Elon Werner Kelly Antonelli Chad Light 214-244-1184 317-858-8900 714-921-8123 _elon@johnforceracing.com_ (mailto:elon@johnforceracing.com) _kelly@johnforceracing.com_ (mailto:kelly@johnforceracing.com) _chad@johnforceracing.com_ (mailto:chad@johnforceracing.com) For BP/Castrol: Dave Densmore Lori Anne Gola _denswood@aol.com_ (mailto:denswood@aol.com) _lorianne.gola@bp.com_ (mailto:lorianne.gola@bp.com) 214-244-0008 973-633-2393 For Ford Racing: Kevin Kennedy _kkennedy@pcgcampbell.com_ (mailto:kkennedy@pcgcampbell.com) 313-203-7108 For the Auto Club of Southern California: Rick Lalor _lalor.rick@aaa-calif.com_ (mailto:lalor.rick@aaa-calif.com) 714-885-2085 * * * * For additional information or photos, contact one of the representatives above or go to _www.johnforceracing.com_ (http://www.johnforceracing.com/) or _www.nhra.com_ (http://www.nhra.com/) . * * * * For Immediate Release FORCE RECALLS ‘SUPERMAN’ IN THUNDER VALLEY RETURN 14-Time Champ Chasing Teammate Robert Hight BRISTOL, Tenn. – In 1999, when he blazed down the concrete-and-asphalt quarter mile at Bristol Dragway to win the inaugural Winston Showdown, an all-star event in which Funny Cars raced side-by-side against Top Fuel dragsters, John Force actually appeared to be “Superman,�?? the DC Comics character depicted on the sides of his special edition Castrol GTX Ford Funny Car. This week, when the 14-time series champion returns to compete in the 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, he won’t have a “Superman�?? car on which he can rely, but three victories in 11 races this year provides compelling evidence that he has regained at least some of the “super powers�?? that 11 years ago carried him to a win that was worth a whopping $210,000. Even though the “Showdown�?? never found an audience and in 2001 was supplanted by the Thunder Valley Nationals, an official NHRA tour event, it is the memory of “beating big brother�?? that puts a gleam in Force’s eye every time the subject is Bristol Dragway. The sport’s most prolific winner with 129 NHRA tour victories, Force has won twice at Bristol since the demise of the “Showdown,�?? steering his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford to the Thunder Valley winners’ circle in 2004 and 2007. That puts him in an every-third-year sequence that would suggest he ’s due to win again. Another victory couldn’t come soon enough for the now 61-year-old icon who, despite a spectacular three-wins-in-six-races start that included a victory in the inaugural 4-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, N.C., has failed to advance beyond the second round in the last five events. The upshot is that after grabbing the Full Throttle points lead for the first time since 2006, the 14-time Auto Racing All-America selection has slipped to second place behind reigning champion – and teammate – Robert “Top Gun�?? Hight. “I’m really proud of Robert,�?? Force said. “He’s got a good hot rod with (crew chief) Jimmy Prock and Auto Club, but my ol’ Mustang ain’t bad, either. We’ve had some issues but my brain trust (crew chiefs Mike Neff, Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly) will figure it out.�?? For the first time in three years, not only is Force a threat to win on Sunday, he is a threat to start his pure Ford Funny Car from the front of the pack. -more- John Force at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals 2222 After failing to qualify No. 1 for more than three years, a span of 73 races, the 2008 inductee into the Motor Sports Hall of Fame of America has started from No. 1 three times this season. Force’s fast start has all but guaranteed that he will extend his drag racing record for most consecutive Top 10 seasons. The former Driver of the Year for all of American motorsports (1996) has finished at least 10 for 25 straight seasons. The only roadblock to 26 would be a qualifying failure, unlikely based on this year’s performance to date. Force’s latest resurgence can be attributed not only to his willingness to affect change but also to his dogged determination to recover the physical skills that were threatened when he crashed heavily into the Dodge of fellow Hall-of-Famer Kenny Bernstein during a 2007 semifinal at Dallas, Texas. The charismatic veteran who, despite a series of engine explosions, fires and rollovers, never before had been seriously injured, suffered broken bones in virtually every limb, was in a Dallas hospital for a month, in physical therapy in California for another three and since then has, in his own words, “lived in the gym�?? Despite the severity of that September accident, Force was back in a race car to start the season and, little more than four months later, won at Topeka, Kan. That success notwithstanding, the one-time truck driver now admits that, physically, he wasn’t where he needed to be in either 2008 or 2009 when, for the first time since 1984, he failed to reach a final round. Now, though, he is poised to be The Champ once again. Superman indeed. * * * * Force at Bristol Dragway: �?? Mike Neff, now the lead tuner on a crew chief team that also includes Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly, came ever so close to winning the Thunder Valley Nationals as a driver in 2008 when he qualified No. 1, posted quick time and top speed and reached the finals before a defective latch on the car body prevented crew members from accessing the “black box�?? timers for final adjustments, which all but handed the win to Melanie Troxel. The Breakdown: At the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals 9 races, 9 starts, 3 final rounds, 2 wins, 0 No. 1 qualifiers, 14-7 round record (66.6) 2010 Season 11 races, 4 final rounds, 3 wins, 3 No. 1 qualifiers, 20-8 round record (71.4%) Career 537 starts, 206 final rounds, 129 wins, 134 No. 1 qualifiers, 1057-408 round record (72.1%) Notable: John’s biggest single event payday was $210,00 for winning the 1999 Winston Showdown at Bristol Dragway. The breakdown was $10,000 for earning No. 1 qualifier honors and $200,000 for winning five rounds of racing versus Top Fuel dragsters. -www.johnforceracing.com- For more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please visit us at Castrol.com/US John Force at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals 3333 FORCE’s Edge Overall NHRA records (which also are Funny Car division records) – Most career victories (129) – Most series championships (14) – Most career final rounds (206) – Most career rounds won (1057) – Most consecutive series championships (10, 1993-2002) – Most consecutive seasons with one or more victories (22, 1987-2008) – Most consecutive seasons with at least one final round appearance (24, 1985-2008) – 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, 1985-present) – Highest winning percentage, one season (91.5%, 65-6) 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 (134) – Most No. 1 starts, one season (11, 1996) – Most consecutive final round appearances, one event (nine, 1992-2000, Atlanta, Ga.) – Career starts (537) Milestones – First start, Oct. 8, 1978, World Finals, Ontario, Calif., lost to Gordie Bonin – First round win, June 1, 1979, Cajun Nationals, Baton Rouge, La., over Tom McEwen – First final round, June 1, 1979, Cajun Nat’ls, Baton Rouge, La., vs. Kenny Bernstein. – First No. 1 qualifier, May 25, 1986, Cajun Nationals, Baton Rouge, La. – First tour victory, June 28, 1987, Le Grandnational, Montreal, over Ed McCulloch – 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 win at 1,000 foot distance, Feb. 14, 2010, Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals, Pomona, Calif. – First (and only) drag racer to win 1,000 racing rounds, May 4, 2008, Madison, Ill. – First Funny Car driver to win in four-wide format, March 28, 2010, Charlotte, N.C. -more- John Force at the NHRA SuperNationals 4444 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) * * * * JOHN FORCE By the Numbers 1 overall Driver of the Year award for American motor racing, 1996 2 wins at Bristol Dragway (2004, 2007) 3 wins this season after earning only one in the two previous years 4 time winner of the Jerry Titus Memorial Award as the driver receiving the most votes in balloting for the AARWBA Auto Racing All-America team (1996, 1999, 2000, 2002) 9 runner-up finishes before winning for the first time at Montreal, Canada in 1987. 10 straight Funny Car titles (1993-2002). 25 consecutive Top 10 finishes (1985-present) 129 tour events won, an NHRA record 134 No. 1 qualifying performances, four short of the record 1057 competitive rounds won, another record -www.johnforceracing.com- For more information about Castrol-branded products, contact us at Castrol/US.com To celebrate 25 years of Castrol sponsorship, go to _www.castrolforce.com_ (http://www.castrolforce.com/) For Immediate Release NEXT STEP IS A BIG ONE AS ASHLEY SEEKS TITLE Castrol GTX Driver Tries to Maintain Bristol Progression BRISTOL, Tenn. – If reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Champion Ashley Force Hood can maintain her current rate of progression at Bristol Dragway, she ’ll be celebrating Father’s Day with her family and crew Sunday as the Funny Car winner of the 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The 27-year-old daughter of drag racing icon John Force has recovered nicely from a qualifying failure in her debut appearance at Bristol in 2007. After that stumble, she reached the second round in 2008 and last year, after qualifying No. 1, guided her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to the final round. “We just need to take that next step,�?? said the graduate of Cal State-Fullerton, who enters the 12th race in the Full Throttle Series in fifth place in Funny Car points. “It was kind of a lost weekend for John Force Racing (last week at Englishtown, N.J.),�?? said the runner-up for last year’s series championship, “so it’s good to get right back into the racing and put that performance behind us. “We’ve kind of had an unlucky streak,�?? she said. “The breaks that we were getting last year are going to someone else this time, (but) it’ll all turn around. It’s like ‘Guido’ (crew chief Dean Antonelli) told me, ‘if you keep going to bat you’re eventually gonna get a hit’ and maybe Bristol will be our race. “I didn’t know if I would be able to say that after my first year (2007), �?? she continued. “On my last qualifying run, there was something wrong with the throttle stop and we got shut off and didn’t make the show. It was my first DNQ in Funny Car and it was kind of a shock, but it shows that you can never take anything for granted with one of these race cars.�?? The dominant driver in the Funny Car division last year before brother-in-law Robert Hight mounted a late season rally to beat her to the championship, Ashley appeared in a tops-in-the-category eight finals and started from No. 1 on a Funny Car best six occasions. This year, she’s lost nine times this by an average margin of .067 of a second. The only two races in which the decision wasn’t in question all the way to the 1,000 foot finish line was at the Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla., and at last week’s SuperNationals. Both times, her car lost traction and she was forced to abort. -more- Ashley at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals 2222 “Last week we just started badly in qualifying,�?? said the three-time tour winner. “We wound up 10th which, by far, is our worst of the season. But just because it wasn’t our weekend doesn’t mean that it still can’t be our championship. “There’s a lot of racing left before the Countdown,�?? acknowledged the 2007 Rookie-of-the-Year, “and Robert showed last year (winning from the No. 10 starting position) that if you’re in it, you can win it. “I just feel bad for my crew chiefs, ‘Guido’ and Ron (Douglas), and for my team. They’ve worked so hard this year (without much of a payoff). But you have to stay positive. Things can turn around so fast in this sport.�?? Despite her failure to reach the winners’ circle thus far, Ashley is solidly in contention for a $500,000 Full Throttle championship that again will be decided in a six-race playoff beginning in September at Indianapolis, site of her last tour victory. A five-time national winner in the Top Alcohol Dragster class, Ashley is the only driver in the current Funny Car Top 5 who has not won an event this year. She’s done everything but, dropping narrow final round decisions to her father (in the inaugural 4-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, N.C.) and Hight (at Atlanta, Ga.) while upping her own official NHRA speed record to 316.38 miles per hour. * * * * Ashley at Bristol Dragway: �?? Ashley is the track’s Funny Car speed record holder for 1,000 feet at 304.94 mph, a mark she established a year ago.�?? Ashley DNQed in her first race at Bristol (2007) before bouncing back the following season to qualify her Castrol GTX Ford No. 3. The Ashley Report: At the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals 3 races, 2 starts, 1 final round, 0 wins, 1 No. 1 qualifier, 4-2 round record 2010 Season 11 races,, 2 final rounds, 0 wins, 1 No. 1 qualifier, 13-11 round record Career 80 races; 75 starts, 15 final rounds, 3 wins, 10 No. 1 qualifiers, 93-73 round record Notable: Even on Father’s Day, don’t expect Ashley Force Hood to go easy on the man from whom she inherited her competitiveness,. In 2007, at Atlanta, she became the first woman in history to beat him in an official NHRA event and the following year, in the same event, she outran him in the final round to become the first woman ever to win an NHRA Funny Car race. Moreover, that loss prevented her famous father from winning his 1,000th racing round in what was his 500th NHRA race. Overall, she is 5-5 against her dad, having beaten him most recently in the first round of the Route 66 Nationals at Joliet, Ill. -www.johnforceracing.com- For more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please visit us at Castrol.com/US