John Force Racing pre-race release Southern Nationals

Dear Media Members-Below are the pre-event releases for John Force Racing
heading into the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals this weekend at Atlanta Dragway. If
you need any additional information or team photos feel free to contact any one
of the JFR public relations members listed below. Thank you for your continued
coverage of JFR and NHRA.Elon Werner, JFR PR, 214-244-1184, elon@johnforceracing.comSarah Adams, JFR PR, 812-249-9823, sarah@johnforceracing.comIf you would like to be removed from this list please simply
respond with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.AFTER A YEAR WITH MONSTER ENERGY BRITTANY FORCE RISING TO OCCASIONATLANTA, GA (May 11, 2016) --- One year ago Brittany Force
announced her new sponsor Monster Energy at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA
Southern Nationals. Since that announcement Force has been on a meteoric rise
through the Top Fuel ranks and comes into this weekend’s race as the Top Fuel
points leader and the category’s only two time winner in 2016.“I am so proud of this team. When we announced Monster
Energy as the sponsor last year we just got such a big push of momentum and
excitement. We finished in the Top Ten and we are as high as the top three in
points last year. I have been lucky to have a great crew for my whole career,�??
said Force.At the beginning of this season John Force Racing made
another major announcement about the Top Fuel program with the addition of Alan
Johnson as Top Fuel consultation and Brian Husen as crew chief. This change
along with the technical alliance with Steve Torrence Racing put Force’s Monster
Energy team in a new position; favorite. A return to the final round of Phoenix
followed by a breakthrough win at the historic Gatornationals had Force in the points
lead and more motivated than ever.“The win in Gainesville was unbelievable. I have dreamed
about getting that first win and when it happened I couldn’t believe it. My
whole family was there which was great and we got the first John Force Racing
double-up win since Robert (Hight) won in Funny Car right in front of me. It
was just a perfect day,�?? added Force.It took the four year pro 75 Top Fuel races to get the first
win but just two races later she was hoisting her second Wally as the winner of
the tough NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. She was the first female nitro winner at
zMAX Dragway and the first female to win the unique Four-Wide race in any
category. Force also did it in dominating fashion posting the quickest elapsed
times every round of eliminations and in the final quad Force  had a low .040 reaction time to be the first off
the line against competitors Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican.“I think the Four-Wide win showed how strong this Monster
Energy team is. I screwed up in the last qualifying session. Alan and Brian
just told me to forget about that and concentrate on race day. That really
helped and we had a great racecar. We had lane choice all day and I did my job.
It was another great team win for this Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster. This
is a long season so we are just focusing on each race as they come along,�?? said
Force.With the 36th annual Southern Nationals up next
followed by five more races in six weeks Brittany Force and the Monster Energy
team will be looking to continue to go rounds and fine tune their racecar for
the Countdown and the Traxxas Shootout.“We are locked into the Traxxas Nitro Shootout which is
great and I am just looking forward to getting into the summer and racing a
lot. I feel the most comfortable when I am racing every weekend. I will always
have butterflies in my stomach on every run but you just stay more focused when
you are racing all the time,�?? summed up Force. COURTNEY
FORCE LOOKING TO CLOSE THE DEAL ON ATLANTA WINATLANTA,
GA (May 11, 2016) ---   Fresh off her
first 2016 NHRA Funny Car victory in Houston, Texas, Courtney Force is set to
race the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta this
weekend. The eight-time Funny Car driver and winningest female in the Funny Car
category is currently tied for the points lead with fellow driver Tim
Wilkerson.“We
can't wait to get back to racing in Atlanta and hope to keep the momentum going
here,�?? said Force. “Coming off a win I'm hoping we can keep this Traxxas Chevy
Camaro going rounds. That’s all we can ask for!�??In
2014 Force went to the final in Atlanta after qualifying No. 8. It was her
ninth career final round in Funny Car, but the day ended for her and her
Traxxas team when her teammate Robert Hight posted a 4.04 ET to her 4.11 ET. Force
also posted top speed of race day with a 320.58 mph pass. “I
remember racing here two years back and coming so close to getting a win. It
really was a tough loss for us against my teammate Robert Hight. I think about
that loss when I come here now and it makes me even more determined to win at
this race track,�?? said Force.Most-recently,
the 27-year-old racer went four rounds on Sunday in Houston, laying down a
3.951-321.04, 3.962-318.17, 3.932-327.03, and a 3.913-327.90 to take home the
win.“Our first win of the season was huge for our
Traxxas team. We fought hard and had a whole year of ups and downs before we
got win No. 8. It felt great to see that everyone's hard work over the
off-season paid off,�?? said Force.The Traxxas Chevrolet Funny Car team
also got to check something else off their list for the 2016 season. With the
Houston win, Force was locked into one of the eight earned spots for the
Traxxas Nitro Shootout, her sponsor’s $100,000 to win race within a race which
takes place at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Labor
Day weekend.“To be able to get our Traxxas car
secured into the Traxxas Nitro Shootout was a huge accomplishment and a weight
lifted off our shoulders. We had a tough race day in Houston, but I'm so proud
of my team and my crew chiefs who gave me a great race car every round. We
ended the day in the winner’s circle and that was a great thing,�?? said Force. The win was another milestone for the
Force family and Dan Hood. His first win as a Funny Car Crew Chief came in just
his sixth NHRA event this season.“It was so exciting to celebrate in the Winner’s
Circle with my brother-in-law, Danny, as my crew chief. I felt like we had
really accomplished something and I was so proud of him and gave him a huge hug
after the win. This win was special and I know my sister, Ashley, and my
nephews were excited to cheer the team on all day,�?? said Force.SIX-TIME SOUTHERN NATIONALS FINALIST ROBERT HIGHT READY FOR
ATLANTAATLANTA, GA (May 11, 2016) --- For six-time finalist and
three-time Southern Nationals winner Robert Hight race weekend cannot get here
fast enough. The 2014 winner of one of the oldest NHRA national events is
looking to put the past three races in the figurative rearview mirror and look
ahead to starting a string of six races in seven weeks beginning at Atlanta
Dragway this Friday. Qualifying for the 36th annual Summit Racing
Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals will begin on Friday at 4:45 p.m.“We have had a lot of success at Atlanta and I have won
there a number of times and been to a lot of finals. We have had good luck
there. All I can say is I really wish it was next weekend after a loss like
this (in Houston) where we lose the points lead. We are a better team than the
last two races have shown,�?? said Hight after a first round loss at the NHRA
SpringNationals.The Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team started the
season with two semi-final finishes and a win at the historic Gatornationals in
Gainesville, Florida. The team held onto the Funny Car points lead for two more
races after that win before slipping to fourth after Houston. The Funny Car
class is tightly bunched and a win two weeks ago by Hight’s teammate Courtney
Force catapulted her from 6th to a tie for first place with Houston
finalist Tim Wilkerson.“The points are pretty close right now and the biggest
positive is we won in Gainesville so that locks up into the Traxxas Shootout
and we will have six races in the next seven weeks. I think this Auto Club
Chevy team is ready for this stretch and I am excited to get started in
Atlanta,�?? added Hight.The first three years Hight raced at the Southern Nationals
he drove his Auto Club Funny Car to the final round picking up his first win in
Atlanta in 2007. Since that victory Hight has raced to three more finals and
two more wins over Ashley Force Hood (2010) and Courtney Force (2014),
respectively.Hight has also enjoyed strong qualifying success at the
Southern Nationals qualifying No. 1 in 2012 and notching five top three
qualifying positions at Atlanta Dragway. 
“There are some tracks where you just have success on race
day and Atlanta Dragway is one of those tracks for me. Every year is a new year
but I have a lot of confidence in Mike Neff and this Auto Club team. We had a
new racecar in Houston and we figured some things out. I think we will continue
to make progress starting this weekend in Atlanta and then into Topeka,�?? said a
confident Hight.JOHN FORCE EAGER TO JOIN TEAM IN WINNER’S CIRCLEATLANTA, GA (May 11, 2016) --- When you are the winningest
driver in NHRA history and the leader of the 18-time Funny Car championship
dynasty there should really be no pressure to prove your value to the
organization. Every one of the 245 Funny Car and Top Fuel victories can be
traced directly to the driving skills or decisions John Force has executed on
or off the track. The driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car was won
more races, more rounds and made more history at the Atlanta Dragway than any
other racer in NHRA history. In fact at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern
Nationals Force has won seven times and raced in fourteen final rounds. This
race is just being contested for the 36th time this weekend at
Atlanta Dragway so to Force has to be considered a favorite to join teammates
Robert Hight, Courtney Force and Brittany Force as a 2016 winner.“I am very proud of what all my teams have accomplished so
far this season. That Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster has been awesome with
Brittany, Alan Johnson and Brian Husen. Courtney got the win last race in
Houston with Danny Hood and Ronnie Thompson plus that Traxxas team. The Auto
Club team was the first to win in Gainesville with Robert Hight and (crew
chief) Mike Neff. Now it is my turn to get this PEAK Chevrolet Camaro a win,�??
said Force, who is 5th in the Funny Car point standings.So far this season Force has been dominant but he is still looking
for his 144th career Funny Car win. In Phoenix he came up just short
against veteran Tim Wilkerson in the final. He also has two semi-final finishes
to his credit at the season opening Winternationals in Pomona and then in the desert
of Las Vegas he was narrowly outrun by eventual event winner Alexis DeJoria.“I am surrounded by young guys and they keep me motivated.
My crew chief Jon Schaffer learned from Mike Neff and he is giving me a good
race car. We made some changes in the off-season and you see the improvement
with all our racecars. I am not worried at all but I would love to get another
win in Atlanta for sure,�?? said Force.In Force’s storied career at Atlanta Dragway he once raced
to nine final rounds in a row from 1992-2000 picking up six wins along the way.
His historic races continued when he beat rooking teammate Robert Hight in the
2005 final round and then in 2008 he pulled up beside daughter Ashley Force
with two separate historic opportunities on the line. If Ashley won she would
become the first female Funny Car winner. If John Force won he would clinch his
1,000th round win at his 500th career race, an average of
a semi-final finish for 500 straight races. That kind of numerical symmetry
does not come around more than once in a lifetime. Ashley would get the win and
John would get his 1,000th round win the next race in St. Louis but
that fateful night in Atlanta will be one of Force’s fondest memories.“Seeing Ashley get that first win was history. She worked so
hard and for so many years people said women can’t drive these 10,000
horsepower hot rods. They said they weren’t strong enough. Now look at what has
happened Courtney wins, Alexis wins and Ashley won the US Nationals twice in a
row after that. I love racing at Atlanta Dragway and I think this PEAK
Antifreeze Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car will be ready to rock and roll this
weekend,�?? said Force.