TEAM CASTROL/JOHN AND ASHLEY PRE-RACE PACKAGE FOR SEATTLE
TEAM CASTROL/JFR 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON JOHN FORCE/ASHLEY FORCE HOOD Pre-Race Package for the 23rd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals July 9-11, 2010 Pacific Raceways Seattle, Wash. 14th 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: It was 16 years ago that John Force drove his Castrol GTX Funny Car to victory in all three of the races that make up the Western Swing. He remains the only Funny Car driver and one of only seven overall to have accomplished that feat. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a walkover for drag racing’s biggest winner. Although he beat Chuck Etchells decisively in the final round of the first race at Denver, he needed a hole shot to win the following week at Sonoma where his time of 5.147 seconds got him to the finish line .003 of a second ahead of Etchells’ slightly quicker 5.128. At Seattle, it was the late Al Hofmann who lined up opposite the 14-time champion in the money round. Force won that showdown with a time of 5.036 to Hofmann’s 5.187. John remains the only Funny Car driver to have swept the Western Swing and one of only seven pro drivers to have done so overall. He came close one other time – winning at Denver and Seattle in 1996 but losing to Cruz Pedregon in the final round of the Northwest Nationals. If the 1994 sweep was a first for Force, then 2005 was the worst. That year, he failed to win a single round of racing iln the three races comprising the Western Swing. EVENT OVERVIEW: At the 23rd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals, John Force could become the first Funny Car driver to clinch a berth in the Countdown to 1 playoffs that will determine 2010 Full Throttle champions in Funny Car, Top Fuel, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes. If the 14-time series champion leaves Pacific Raceways on Sunday night at least 414 points ahead of Jeff Arend, who presently occupies the No. 11 position, he will sew up one of the 10 starting spots. He enters the Northwest Nationals 419 points ahead of Arend. Force, who already has won four races this year, matching his total for the three previous seasons, has taken his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang to the final round at the last two events in the series. Although he has won seven times in the Northwest Nationals, he hasn’t done so since 2004. Force’s teammates, reigning series champion Robert “Top Gun�?? Hight and Ashley Force Hood, also are expected to contend for both the Northwest Nationals championship and for qualifying honors. One or the other of the John Force Racing Mustangs has started from the front of the pack this season in 11 of 13 races. Force Hood, the 27-year-old reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals champion, has been No. 1 at the last two races and Hight has been the No. 1 qualifier in three of his five career starts at Seattle (2006, 2007 and 2008). * * * * JFR RACING HISTORY AT PACIFIC RACEWAYS: Wins – 10, seven by John Force for Castrol GTX (1991, 1993-1994, 1996, 2000, 2003-2004); one by Tony Pedregon for Castrol SYNTEC (2002); one by Eric Medlen for Castrol SYNTEC (2005); one by Courtney Force for Sanyo and BrandSource (2009 in Top Alcohol Dragster). Last year – In a race in which his youngest daughter Courtney won the Top Alcohol Dragster title after winning a semifinal race with sister Brittany, John Force reached the semifinal round before losing to former protégé Tony Pedregon. Notable #1 –.The late Eric Medlen still holds the quarter mile record at Pacific Raceways at 4.735 seconds, a mark he established en route to his final round victory over teammate Robert Hight in 2005. Notable #2 – Current series champion Robert “Top Gun�?? Hight is the track record holder at the 1,000 foot distance at which races have been run for slightly more than two years. Hight drove his Auto Club Mustang through the 1,000 foot timers in 4.056 seconds and 304.39 mph in qualifying No. 1 in 2008. Notable #3 –.Ashley Force Hood rode out the worst incident of her brief pro career at the 2007 Northwest Nationals when the engine in her Castrol GTX Ford failed in a second round race against Kenny Bernstein, sending her, on fire, into the guardwall before spinning back into the center of the track. Special events – (1) Reigning Funny Car champion Robert Hight will appear on behalf of series sponsor Full Throttle at the Wal-mart store at 34520 16th Avenue South in Federal Way, Wash., where he will be signing autographs from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, July 8th: (2) Bowen Scarff Ford in Kent, Wash., a 15-time winner of The President’s Award from Ford Motor Company, again will provide support vehicles for John Force Racing, Inc., during the NHRA Northwest Nationals. In addition, the dealership is offering customers the opportunity to drive a new Ford and enter a Wednesday drawing for two special race packages provided by JFR. * * * * PRO POINTS (Current 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Series point standings): FUNNY CAR – 1. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 1024; 2. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 951; 3. Matt Hagan, Diehard Dodge Charger, 849; 4. Jack Beckman, MTS Dodge Charger, 835; 5. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 813; 6. Bob Tasca III, Quick Lane/Motorcraft Ford Mustang, 792; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang, 777; 8. Ron Capps, NAPA Dodge Charger, 751; 9. Del Worsham, Al Anabi Toyota Solara, 741; 10. Tony Pedregon, Quaker State Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 637. TOP FUEL – 1. Larry Dixon, 1256; 2. Tony Schumacher, 1080; 3. Cory McClenathan, 1030; 4. Antron Brown, 929; 5. Doug Kalitta, 901; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 843; 7. Shawn Langdon, 622; 8. Morgan Lucas, 608; 9. Steve Torrence, 534; 10. Terry McMillen, 474. PRO STOCK – 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 1379; 2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 987; 3. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Chevrolet Cobalt, 857; 4. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 799; 5. Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 699; 6. Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 681; 7. Ron Krisher, Chevrolet Cobalt, 673; 8. Rodger Brogdon, Pontiac GXP, 563; 8. Shane Gray, Pontiac GXP, 561; 10. Rickie Jones, Pontiac GXP, 509. * * * * TELEVISION (all on ESPN2, all times Eastern Daylight): Qualifying – Saturday, July 10, 11 pm-1 am NHRA RaceDay – Sunday, July 11, 11-11:30 am Race Highlights – Sunday, July 11, 7-10 pm. Repeat race highlights – TBA * * * * NEXT EVENTS (2010 NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship): 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, Aug. 13-15, Brainerd, Minn. 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Sept. 1-6, Indianapolis, Ind. 3rd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Nationals, Sept. 17-19, Charlotte, N.C. 25th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries Fall Nationals, Sept. 23-26, Dallas, Texas * * * * 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 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 leads the way at 23rd northwest nationals SEATTLE, Wash. – In the movies, Superman wears blue-and-red tights, is faster than a speeding bullet and is able to defy the laws of gravity. In real life, Superman wears a green-and-red firesuit, is faster than a speeding bullet and apparently is able to defy the effects of aging. At age 61, John Force knows he really isn’t Superman, but don’t try to tell that to the 20, 30 and 40-somethings against whom he will be racing this week at speeds near 315 miles per hour. At an age when his peers have yielded to younger, stronger and supposedly more enthusiastic rivals, Force isn’t just competing on his sport’s biggest stage, he is dominating. Entering this week’s 23rd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 14-time champion has taken his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang to the Funny Car final round in almost half the races thus far contested in the Full Throttle Series (six of 13). With just five events remaining before the points are adjusted for the NHRA’s Countdown to 1 playoffs, Force leads reigning series champion Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford by 73 points and Matt Hagan and the Die Hard Dodge by 175. That margin, coupled with his four 2010 wins, makes it appear more and more likely that he will start the Countdown at the Labor Day Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Ind., as the Funny Car leader, likely making him the first sexagenarian ever favored to win a major championship in, well, professional sports history. It’s not just the fact that he’s won more than 70 per cent of all the races he’s run over the last 33 years. It’s not just that he once won 10 successive championships. It’s not that he once qualified for a record 395 consecutive events over 20 seasons. There’s that, but there’s also the fact that after surviving an accident that threatened his livelihood, after struggling for two seasons, he has regained his legendary superpowers. -more- force/northwest nationals 2222 The only thing larger than Force’s resume, which includes 130 NHRA tour victories, 33 more than anyone else, is his personality, which kept him and in the media spotlight the last two years even though he wasn’t winning. Nevertheless, after two seasons during which it seemed like someone found his Kryptonite, Force is back. “I’ve got a great team,�?? he said, “(and) not just my crew chiefs – Austin Coil, Bernie Fedderly and Mike Neff. I have a whole bunch of young guys, kids that put my Mustang together, week-after-week.�?? With Neff making the tough tune-up decisions with support from Coil and Fedderly, Force once again is a threat not only to win, but to qualify his special edition Mustang at the top of the order. He’s done so three times this year after failing to start from the No. 1 qualifying position for three entire seasons (73 races). “Coil and Bernie were like a couple of old dogs up on the porch,�?? Force said. “It took us putting a young pup like Neff over there to get ‘em going again.�?? With improved equipment and a rejuvenated crew, the final essential element in the equation was the health of the driver. After enduring months of rehab after being seriously injured in a 2007 crash at Dallas, Texas, Force admits that he had some physical limitations the last two years that have been resolved through nothing more supernatural than hard work. “I live in the gym,�?? said the 2008 Hall of Fame inductee. “If I miss a day, I can tell it. It’s what I gotta do to keep myself in the game, but I’ m in better shape now than I was before the crash. I’m stronger, especially my legs.�?? * * * * Force at Pacific Raceways: �??John Force has won the NHRA Northwest Nationals seven times, but not since 2004. He has beaten all three Pedregon brothers in a final round – Cruz in 1993 and 2004, Tony in 1996 and Frank in 2000. �?? John’s youngest daughter, Courtney, earned won the Top Alcohol Dragster title at last year’s Northwest Nationals. The Breakdown: At the NHRA Northwest Nationals 22 races, 21 starts, 9 final rounds, 7 wins, 5 No. 1 qualifiers, 46-14 round record (40.0%) 2010 Season 13 races, 6 final rounds, 4 wins, 3 No. 1 qualifiers, 26-9 round record (71.4%) Career 539 starts, 208 final rounds, 130 wins, 134 No. 1 qualifiers, 1064-409 round record (72.1%) Notable: The support team that maintains John’s Castrol GTX Ford earned the Full Throttle Hard Working Crew award at the most recent race in the series at Norwalk, Ohio. -www.johnforceracing.com- For more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please visit us at Castrol.com/US john force/northwest nationals 3333 FORCE’s Edge Overall NHRA records (which also are Funny Car division records) – Most career victories (130) – Most series championships (14) – Most career final rounds (208) – Most career rounds won (1064) – 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 (539) 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/northwest nationals 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 position in current Full Throttle driver standings 2 NHRA championships in which he never trailed in point standings (1991 and 1997) 3 pins securing the bones in his left ankle, the result of a 2007 crash in Texas 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) 5 No. 1 starts at Pacific Raceways, though none since 2004 6 final round appearances this year, most since 2006 when he had eight 7 wins in the Northwest Nationals (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2004) 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) 130 tour events won, an NHRA record 134 No. 1 qualifying performances, four short of the record 1064 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 force hood looks for impact of a different kind SEATTLE, Wash. – On the track on which she learned one of her most important lessons as a professional race car driver, Ashley Force Hood tries this week to recapture the form that last year carried her agonizingly close to becoming the first woman in 41 years to win the NHRA Funny Car Championship. Runner-up last year only because teammate Robert Hight made a spectacular worst-to-first drive during the Countdown to 1 playoffs, the 27-year-old daughter of drag racing icon John Force hopes in this week’s 23rd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways to generate momentum for a title run. It is a racetrack that forever will be linked to Force Hood because it yielded one of the defining moments in her Rookie-of-the-Year season in 2007. Lined up opposite six-time series champion Kenny Bernstein in the second round of the 2007 Northwest Nationals, Force Hood had the fine line between in-control and out-of-control clearly delineated for her. At the hit of the throttle, her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang almost immediately lost traction, the result of a clutch malfunction. Unaware of the problem, Force Hood tried to regain control after she saw Bernstein having his own problems further down the track. “I never thought something would happen on that run,�?? said the graduate of Cal State-Fullerton. “I just remember I was excited about racing Kenny and I’d just seen dad run, so I was pumped up about maybe racing him later (in the event). “It kept reacting and trying to hook up,�?? she said of her race car, “but then it would go up in smoke again (lose traction). Finally, it took off and I thought it was going to go – but then I knew it was gonna hit and I just braced myself.�?? It was a spectacular accident that included a flash of fire, impact with the guardwall and a full, smoke-filled spinout. Ashley came out unscathed, but she emerged a much better race car driver. -more- ashley/northwest nationals 2222 “It taught me that there are limits,�?? she said. “You can drive these cars when they’re a little out of control and still get them back (in the groove). You have to find where that line is at. That’s what Seattle taught me. The next time, I knew how far I could go before I was too far.�?? It was one of many practical lessons that helped the former high school cheerleader defy conventional wisdom and become the first woman to win an NHRA tour event – the 2008 Summit Southern Nationals at Atlanta, Ga. A year later, she was battling for series championship. However, Force Hood this year has not yet established the kind of competitive rhythm that last season took her to a category best eight final rounds, six No. 1 starts and to victory in the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. She has shown brief flashes of that form, re-setting her own NHRA national record for Funny Car speed at 316.38 miles per hour and recording a personal best 1,000 foot time of 4.032 seconds, but thus far she has lacked consistency. Entering the Western Swing, which continues next week with the FRAM/Autolite Nationals at Sonoma, Calif., she still is winless on the season with a good-but-not-great 14-13 round record. By contrast, she was 22-11 at the same point a year ago. Nevertheless, runner-up finishes at Charlotte and Atlanta and three No. 1 qualifiers have kept her solidly in the hunt. She presently is fifth, but would like to move up into one of the top three spots before points are adjusted in advance of the Countdown, which this year begins at Indy. * * * * Ashley at Pacific Raceways: �??Ashley suffered the most serious crash of her career in the second round of the 2007 Northwest Nationals in which she impacted the leftside guardwall after a clutch malfunction in her Castrol GTX Ford. The Ashley Report: At the NHRA Northwest Nationals 3 races, 0 final rounds, 0 wins, 0 No. 1 qualifiers, 2-3 round record 2010 Season 13 races, 2 final rounds, 0 wins, 3 No. 1 qualifiers, 14-13 round record Career 82 races, 78 starts, 15 final rounds, 3 wins, 12 No. 1 qualifiers, 94-75 round record Notable: Ashley, her husband Dan and their racing cats, Simba and Gizmo, for the second straight year are commuting to the three events in the Western Swing in a Class A Bounder by Fleetwood luxury motor home from El Monte RV Rentals, which will offer NHRA fans a special, limited time (Sept. 8-Nov. 12) discount rate on rentals from any one of 60 El Monte RV Rentals locations. Fans can call 1-888-337-2213 and mention “Force�?? to receive the special rate. -www.johnforceracing.com- For more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please visit us at Castrol.com/US