TEAM CASTROL/JOHN AND ASHLEY PRE-RACE PACKAGE FOR BRAINERD
TEAM CASTROL/JFR 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON JOHN FORCE/ASHLEY FORCE HOOD Pre-Race Package for the 29th annual Lucas Oil Nationals August 13-15, 2010 Brainerd International Raceway Brainerd, Minn. 17th and final event in the Countdown to 10 portion of 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: John Force has won at least five times in 12 of the 23 events comprising the NHRA Full Throttle Series, but nowhere has drag racing’s biggest winner been more successful than in the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. In 24 appearances at BIR, Force has gone to the finals 13 times, has won 82.5 percent of his two-car races (66-13) and has reached the winners’ circle on 11 different occasions, most recently in 2007 when he beat Kenny Bernstein for the title in the “King of Speed’s�?? last career final round. That means that Force has won almost every other year for 24 years. Not only that, he has started from one of the top three qualifying positions 18 times and never has started worse than No. 6. “There’s no race that’s more fun to win than one that’s sponsored by the competition,�?? Force said. “At the end of the day, our goal is to put a Castrol GTX Ford in the Lucas Oil winners’ circle one more time and get that No. 1 bonus for the Countdown.�?? EVENT OVERVIEW: In an event in which his team has won 14 of the last 22 Funny Car titles and in which he has won a record 11 individual titles, John Force is in position to lock up the No. 1 starting position for the NHRA’s Countdown to 1 playoffs. All he has to do is hold off the current champion, teammate Robert “Top Gun �?? Hight, to whom he lost three weeks ago in the final round of the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Denver, Colo. Force leads Hight by 28 points as the tour moves this week to Brainerd International Raceway where the only sure thing is that a Team Castrol Mustang – either Force’s Castrol GTX High Mileage hybrid or Hight’s Automobile Club of Southern California Ford – will lead the Funny Car field into the 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, which kicks off the six-race Countdown. Returning to a track on which his cars qualified No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 in 2008, Force hopes to recapture the form that has earned him a record 66 round wins in the Lucas Oil Nationals, a race in which he reached the semifinals a year ago. In an event contested the week that team driver Eric Medlen would have celebrated his 37th birthday, Force can secure the No. 1 position and a 30-point lead over the field simply by matching Hight, round win for round win this weekend in an event in which the reigning champion failed to qualify a year ago. In a interesting subplot, Ashley Force Hood will try to improve her Countdown position at the wheel of the Castrol GTX Ford. The 27-year-old reigning U.S. Nationals champion is presently eighth in Full Throttle points but could start as high as No. 6 with strong performance at BIR, where she was the No. 1 qualifier two years ago and No. 3 last year. Force Hood, still seeking her first win of the season, is only 25 points behind Tim Wilkerson and 21 behind Bob Tasca III, the drivers who presently occupy the No. 6 and No. 7 spots. * * * * JFR RACING HISTORY AT BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: Wins – 14, 11 by John Force for Castrol GTX (1988, 1990-91, 1994-97, 1999-2000, 2002, 2007); two by Eric Medlen for Castrol SYNTEC (2004-05); one by Gary Densham for the Automobile Club of Southern California (2003). Last year – Reigning series champion Robert Hight endured the worst moment of his ultimately successful season when he failed to qualify for the same event in which teammates Ashley Force Hood and No. 1 qualifier Mike Neff were defeated in the first round. John Force reached the semifinals for the 20th time at Brainerd before losing to Ron Capps. Notable #1 – John Force has won more often in the Lucas Oil Nationals than in any other event in the NHRA Full Throttle Series. His 11 wins in a single event is unprecedented, as are his 66 round wins and his 84.2 per cent win rate. Notable #2 – The late Eric Medlen earned his first and third career victories at Brainerd, a track on which he posted a 9-1 record in his all too-brief career and one on which he still owns the quarter mile track record (4.730 seconds). Notable #3 – The team’s 1-2-3-5 start in 2008 was it’s best ever in four-car configuration. It also was the first 1-2 start for a father and daughter with Ashley Force Hood No. 1 and her dad No. 2. * * * * PRO POINTS (Current 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Series point standings): FUNNY CAR – *1. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 1219; *2. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 1191; *3. Matt Hagan, Diehard Dodge Charger, 1076; *4. Jack Beckman, MTS Dodge Charger, 1060; *5. Ron Capps, NAPA Dodge Charger, 1014; *6. Tim Wilkerson, Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang, 963; *7. Bob Tasca III, Quick Lane/Motorcraft Ford Mustang, 959; *8. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 938; *9. Del Worsham, Al Anabi Toyota Solara, 897; 10. Tony Pedregon, Quaker State Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 733. Also, 11. Jeff Arend, DHL Toyota Solara, 700; 12. Cruz Pedregon, Snap-on Tools Toyota Solara, 652. TOP FUEL – *1. Larry Dixon, 1520; *2. Tony Schumacher, 1291; *3. Cory McClenathan, 1259; *4. Doug Kalitta, 1160; *5. Antron Brown, 1127; *6. Brandon Bernstein, 1049; *7. Shawn Langdon, 761; *8. Morgan Lucas, 725; 9. Steve Torrence, 673; 10. David Grubnic, 609. Also, 11. Terry McMillen, 590. PRO STOCK – *1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 1586; *2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 1242; *3. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Chevrolet Cobalt, 1115; *4. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 1023; *5. Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 875; *6. Ron Krisher, Chevrolet Cobalt, 813; *7. Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 773; *8. Shane Gray, Pontiac GXP, 762; 9. Johnny Gray, Pontiac GXP, 711; 10. Rodger Brogdon, Pontiac GXP, 677. Also, 11. Kurt Johnson, Chevrolet Cobalt, 597; 12. Bob Yonke, Pontiac GXP, 593; 13. Warren Johnson, Pontiac GXP, 549; 14. Vieri Gaines, Dodge Avenger, 546. PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – *1. Hector Arana, Buell, 836; *2. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson V-Rod, 776; *3. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 746; *4. Matt Smith, Buell, 716; *5. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 648; *6. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-David/son V-Rod, 562; 7. L.E. Tonglet, Suzuki, 546; 8. David Hope, Buell, 520; 9. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 511; 10. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 475. Also, 11. Shawn Gann, Buell, 418, * * * * TELEVISION (all on ESPN2, all times Eastern Daylight): Qualifying – Saturday, August 14, 11 pm-1 am NHRA RaceDay – Sunday, August 15, 10-10:30 am Race Highlights – Sunday, August 15, 10 pm-1 am Repeat race highlights – Wednesday, August 18, 3:30-5:30 am * * * * NEXT EVENTS (2010 NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship): 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. 24-26, Dallas, Texas 26th annual Toyo Tires Nationals, Oct. 7-10, Reading, Pa. 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 28-31, Las Vegas, Nev. 46th annual Auto Club Finals, Nov. 11-14, Pomona, Calif. * * * * 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 hood aims for countdown momentum BRAINERD, Minn. – There’s nothing more dangerous in professional sport than a rival with nothing to lose, which is why the Funny Car contingent is casting a wary eye in the direction of Ashley Force Hood this week as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series moves to Brainerd International Raceway for the 29th annual Lucas Oil Nationals. On more than one occasion, Force Hood personally has felt the sting of the aforementioned axiom. This week, though, she hopes to turn the tables. In a season of struggle at the wheel of a fast but luckless Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, the 27-year-old knows that the pressure now is off – and that may be just what she needs to recapture the form that carried her to a second place finish in 2009. Having already clinched a berth in the NHRA’s Countdown to 1 playoffs, the graduate of Cal State-Fullerton is looking forward to the start of the “second season.�?? “We are just in the biggest slump we’ve ever been in,�?? said the three-time tour winner and reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals champion. “For some reason, we are just having a crappy year (but) we’ll just keep plugging away. “You do get down on yourself,�?? Ashley admitted. “It’s like, ‘what else do we have to do?’ I read that ‘insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,’ so I’ve been trying different things. Some have worked and some haven’t, but I think I am making progress (on improving my reaction times). To other people, it might not look like I am making progress, but my lights are getting better.�?? Crew chief Dean “Guido�?? Antonelli agrees with his driver’s assessment. He quickly jumped to Ashley’s defense following a first round loss two weeks ago to “Fast Jack�?? Beckman during which her car was quicker but got to the finish line last. “She wasn’t late (to react),�?? Antonelli said. “She was dead shallow (a technique that improves the car’s elapsed time while negatively impacting the driver’s reaction time). She had a respectable light. Besides, if the car had performed (as anticipated), it wouldn’t have made any difference. It just wasn’t our day.�?? There have been a lot of those days this year. Nevertheless, she and her team have drawn inspiration from teammate Robert “Top Gun�?? Hight, who last year drove the Auto Club Ford to the championship from from the No. 10 starting position by winning three of the six Countdown races. -more- ashley/lucas oil nationals 2222 “We’re in the Countdown,�?? Ashley said, “and Robert showed last year that if you’re in it, you can win it.�?? Although she hasn’t won a race this year, the second oldest of John Force's four daughters has not lost the confidence of either her crew chiefs or her crew. “My team has been telling me not to get down on myself,�?? she said. “They ’ve been very supportive. They told me not to let this get into my head (but) it’s hard because this is a mental game as well as a physical and mechanical one.�?? The NHRA national record holder for Funny Car speed at 316.38 miles per hour, Ashley last year came so close to becoming the first woman in 43 years to win the NHRA Funny Car title before settling for No. 2. “(This year) everyone else has run just a little better than us,�?? she said. “Like at Charlotte (in the final round of the 4Wide Nationals), we ran 4.04 and dad ran 4.03. At Chicago (Joliet, Ill., the UA Route 66 Nationals), we ran 4.04 and Matt (Hagan) ran 4.02. We ran 4.32 at Norwalk and Tim (Wilkerson) ran 4.31. That’s just how it has gone.�?? In fact, of the 16 races she has lost this season, Force Hood has been beaten by less than .085 of a second in 12 of them. “It’s been frustrating (not to win),�?? she said. “The breaks that went our way last year are going the other way this year, but that’s just racing. �?? * * * * Ashley at Brainerd International Raceway: �??Ashley failed to qualify in her first appearance at BIR in 2007.�?? Ashley led John Force Racing Ford Mustangs to a 1-2-3-5 start – the best in team history – in 2008. The Ashley Report: At the Lucas Oil Nationals 3 races, 2 starts, 0 final rounds, 0 wins, 1 No. 1 qualifier (2008), 0-2 round record 2010 Season 16 races, 2 final rounds, 0 wins, 3 No. 1 qualifiers, 15-16 round record Career 85 races, 80 starts, 15 final rounds, 3 wins, 12 No. 1 qualifiers, 95-78 round record Notable: Ashley is the reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Funny Car Champion and the only woman to have won the sport’s most prestigious event in two categories (Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster). She also is the national record holder for Funny Car speed at the 1,000 distance at 316.38 mph. -www.johnforceracing.com- For more information about Castrol-branded products and services, please visit us at Castrol.com/US