JFR pre-race releases for Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago

Dear Media Members-Below are the pre-event releases for John Force Racing
heading into the Route 66 NHRA Nationals this weekend at Route 66 Raceway. 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. HOMETOWN PEAK RACE HAS JOHN FORCE EXCITED FOR WINCHICAGO, IL (July 5, 2016) --- John Force does not need
extra motivation to get excited about coming to a race track. The 143-time
Funny Car national event winner and record holder of almost every NHRA record
just wants to entertain and put on a show for the fans. This weekend in
Chicago, home of his primary sponsor PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant’s parent
company Old World Industries, Force will be looking to being home one more
trophy.“This is a big race for me and for my PEAK team. We are in
Chicago and that is where Old World Industries and PEAK have their
headquarters. Bryan Emrich, the chief marketing officer and my boss, will be at
the track with his people and we want to put on a good show for them. I’ll be
ready in this PEAK Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car and I am excited,�?? exclaimed
Force.John Force has raced to six final rounds at Rt 66 Raceway
and picked up three wins. In 2013 he lost a close final round to Matt Hagan but
Force went on to win his 16th Funny Car championship that season.
His last win in Chicago was 2006 when he took out teammate Robert Hight in the
final.“I love racing is Chicago. There is a lot of history here
and my former crew chief the great Austin Coil raced the Chi-Town Hustler Funny
Car. We have a lot of fans in Chicago and this is a great facility. So far this
season my team has been doing OK but I don’t want to just be OK I want to keep
going after those championships. I have the fire and I have a young team that
keeps me motivated,�?? said Force.Force’s PEAK Funny Car team is led by crew chief Jon
Schaffer who is entering his second year at the helm of the winningest driver
in NHRA’s history Funny Car. Schaffer was the ace assistant to Mike Neff for a
number of seasons and took over the lead position for Force last year leading
him to win in Las Vegas and Epping and a Top Ten finish. The youth surrounding
Force has continued to keep Force focused on performance and entertainment.“When I put on my firesuit I feel like I am 20 years old
again. I see how all these young guys are working so hard on my race car and I
want to make sure I perform. I am on my practice tree all the time. I am
working out and watching what I eat. We got these new Camaros and they are
awesome. I still love what I do and I will do it as long as I can,�?? said Force.CHICAGO SUCCESS TOP PRIORITY FOR ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB
CAMARO CHICAGO, IL (July 5, 2016) --- Robert Hight and the Auto
Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team are taking the positive momentum from a
semi-final finish at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals two weeks ago
and focusing on winning for the second time in 2016. The 2009 Funny Car
champion started 2016 with two semi-final finishes and a win at the historic
Gatornationals. This weekend at the Rt 66 NHRA Nationals Hight will be looking
for his second win of the season and 38th of his career.“We had a good testing session and brought that momentum
with us into the first part of the season. We were going rounds and picked up
the win at the Gatornationals but we knew we were going to need more performance
for the end of the season,�?? said Hight. “Mike Neff and this team went to work
on a number of areas we thought we could improve. It has taken some time but we
are seeing the progress.�??The progress Hight is referring to is performance numbers
that are career defining for Hight. In Topeka Hight ran a career quickest
elapsed time and speed and then he lowered his best elapsed time at each of the
previous two races running 3.897 seconds and 3.886 seconds in Bristol and
Norwalk respectively. Both of those races saw Hight qualify No. 3 and go
rounds.“Our performance numbers have been steadily getting better.
Now we are working on consistency. This class is really competitive and all
three of these John Force Racing Camaros are working together in qualifying. I
am glad Courtney will get her 2016 Camaro this weekend in Chicago because then
we will all have the same body and that will help across the board,�?? added
Hight.Hight got his 2016 Camaro in Epping and since then the
former crew member turned Funny Car world champion has had nothing but positive
comments. After eighteen months of design and fabrication from Chevrolet
engineers and the John Force Racing fab shop team the finished product has
delivered a great new look.“So much time went into these new bodies that it will take
some time to get the most out of them at the track. They are lighter and you
can see out of the windshield so much better. I just want to start seeing more
win lights and I know my team can start making that happen,�?? said Hight who has
57 career final round appearances. “I have been to the a couple final rounds in
Chicago and I would love to get the first win in the new Camaro at Rt 66
Raceway.�?? The Auto Club Funny Car reached the final round in 2006 and
2010. Hight also has two No. 1 qualifying efforts at Rt 66 Raceway, earning the
top spot in 2005 and 2010. Over Hight’s career in Chicago he only has two first
round loses and while he sits No. 8 in the Mello Yello point standings Hight
knows how quickly a positive move can be made.“We are 40 points out of fourth place right now and I think
by the end of the summer we could be in the top three with good races. We just
came off of four races in a row and after Chicago we’ll get the Western Swing.
I am looking forward to this next month of racing. We have to stay focused on
Chicgao first since this is the home of PEAK John’s primary sponsor and we want
to perform well for them and of course Auto Club,�?? summed up Hight.BRITTANY FORCE READY TO MAKE MOVE IN WINDY CITYCHICAGO, IL (July 5, 2016) --- The Monster Energy Top Fuel
dragster and driver Brittany Force have been making steady progress the past
month and now heading into Chicago for the Rt 66 NHRA Nationals the two-time
winning team is focused on getting another victory. In two of the past three
races Force has recorded a semi-final finish and the 2013 Rookie of the Year
knows this kind of consistency will be key later in the season.“We have had two strong finishes in the past three races. We
made it to the semi-finals in Englishtown and then two weeks ago in Norwalk. We
closed the gap on third place in the points and I am excited with how well this
team has been working together,�?? said Force.The fourth tear pro won for the first time in her career at
the historic Gatornationals. It was her 75th professional start and
then two races later at the unique Four-Wide NHRA National Force picked up her
second win. It was a wild experience for the second youngest daughter of
legendary Funny Car racer John Force.“When I won in Gainesville it was my 75th race
and my dad won his first race at his 75th race. That was cool. We
also doubled up in Gainesville since Robert (Hight) won in Funny Car so it was
just the best da,�?? recounted Force. “My whole family was there plus a lot of
family friends. It was perfect.�??Since those two wins Force has been on a meteoric rise both
in performance and popularity. At the Kansas Nationals Force set the national
elapsed time record running 3.676 seconds. The record added Force’s name to a
family legacy that has seen every Force racer hold a national elapsed time or
speed record at least once in their racing career.“Getting that national record in Topeka was unbelievable.
First just saying you ran 3.676 second doesn’t sound right. We ran in the 3.60s
once in testing but to officially run that quick and to get the national record
is just so cool. I have to thank my team led by crew chief Brian Husen and
consultant Alan Johnson,�?? said Force.The addition of Husen and Johnson to the Monster Energy team
in the off-season has been a big boost to the John Force Racing Top Fuel
program. JFR has a technical alliance with Steve Torrence Racing which Alan
Johnson who Johnson also acts as a team consultant so both teams reap the
benefits of Johnson’s expertise and the data from an additional dragster during
the races.“I am so proud to be working with Alan Johnson and Brian
Husen. They have won world championships and that is what we want to do with
this Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team,�?? added Force. “I am working to get
better as a driver and this whole team is focused on getting the best performance
every weekend.�??It was two years ago that Force narrowly missed her first
Top Fuel victory losing in the final round to Antron Brown at Rt 66 Raceway.
Force had qualified No.4 and defeated Terry McMillen, Shawn Langdon and JR Todd
before pulling up beside Brown in the final. It was a dramatic conclusion to
the race on live TV that saw Force roll up late to the starting line already
strapped into her dragster. It was a close race at the finish line but Brown
got the win light. Force is hoping for one more win light this weekend.NEW CAMARO WITH NEW PAINT SCHEME HIGHTLIGHTS FOR COURTNEY
FORCE IN CHICAGOCHICAGO, IL (July 5, 2016) --- Courtney Force and her
Traxxas team will not only debut their new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car
this weekend at the 19th Annual K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals, but
they will also unveil a new, wild and exciting paint scheme from The Fastest Name in Radio Control for
one race only.The 28-year-old driver
is the third and final John Force Racing pilot to race the 2016 Camaro SS Funny
Car after her teammates John Force and Robert Hight made their first passes
down the race track in the sporty design earlier this season.   “I can't wait to
unveil the new Camaro SS Funny Car body with the new Traxxas paint scheme this
weekend in Chicago. If the fans loved my last paint scheme they are sure to
love this one too! I'm a little nervous going to something so different, but
also very excited to get there and try it out. I can’t wait to see what our
team can do with it this weekend. “My dad and Robert have been driving their new Camaros for
the past few races and it's finally our turn. Chevrolet has done a phenomenal
job with the design of the new body and I'm eager to have that clear visual out
the front, from the driver’s perspective. Dan Hood and Ronnie Thompson are so
excited for us to run the new body and they have set the bar high for themselves
with what we could possibly do. We can't wait for this weekend and although it
may take some time to get it all figured out, I know this will be huge for our
Traxxas Chevy Camaro team for the rest of the season,�?? said Force.As we advance through the second half of the season, race
fans and the media are in for a few surprises along the way. Leading up to the
Countdown, the Traxxas Funny Car driven by the 2012 Rookie of the Year will
feature several new paint schemes. Be sure to stay tuned to see what her Funny
Car will look like at the next race.“Traxxas has designed a brand new paint scheme that is full
of color and expected to catch the eye of our fans when on the track, just like
our last paint scheme. With all of the positive feedback from last years’
design I can't wait for the fans to see this one. This will be very special for
the fans in Chicago this weekend because they will be the first to see the
paint scheme on our new Chevy Camaro SS body, and on top of it, this will be
the only race we run these colors before we switch it up again with Traxxas, The Fastest Name in Radio Control,�?? said
Force. In 2012 during Force’s rookie season she advanced to her
first ever final and ended the weekend runner up of the event from the No. 12
spot. The last three years she has qualified in the top half of the field and
started race day with lane choice over her opponent. “I love coming back to Chicago because I think back to my
rookie year where we almost took home the win. We have done well at this track
in the past while qualifying in the top half nearly every year. This will be an
intense weekend for our Traxxas team and so exciting with the new body and
paint scheme so we are hoping to get into that winners circle before this paint
scheme is retired.“I will be at HobbyTown USA Thursday in Chicago to kick off
the race weekend signing autographs and taking pictures from 6-7pm! I hope all
the fans come out and check out HobbyTown USA and all of their Traxxas
products. Pick up a Traxxas radio control car, truck, boat, etc. and I will
sign it on the spot. Hope to see everyone there!�?? added Force.