John Force Racing News

TEAM JFR RACE REPORT
2nd race of Countdown to 1
20th of 24 races in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series

24th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec
Texas Motorplex
Ennis, Texas
Sept. 24-27, 2009

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DALLAS VICTORY MEANS HIGHT WINS AGAIN; TAKES FUNNY CAR POINTS LEAD
- Ashley Force Hood 2nd, Force 7th and Neff 9th in Full Throttle Points-

DALLAS –- Robert Hight’s dramatic rise up the Full Throttle point standings reached a crescendo at the Texas Motorplex today when the perennial championship contender won the 24th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals and grabbing the points lead for the first time in the 2009 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in the process. This was Hight’s third final in a row and his second consecutive win. He dominated all weekend grabbing the No. 1 qualifying spot, running top speed and getting the win for the AAA Texas Ford Mustang team.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s kind of like it hasn’t hit me yet. You know going to the three finals in a row is tough, but we kind of had the kiss of death against us this weekend. We were No. 1 qualifier and usually in Funny Car No. 1 qualifier doesn’t do well. To run the table here, it’s just a great tribute to my team. They did such an awesome job. We have four in a row (four races in four weeks to start the Countdown to 1) here. It is so exciting as a driver to be able to go back right out next week and maybe keep this streak going and keep what we have rolling because when you’re on a hot streak, you don’t want to go home and celebrate,” said the two-time Fall Nationals winner (2006). “You want to get back in that race car and keep it going. We have two more weeks. First two races of the Countdown couldn’t have been any better for us, [we] won them both and went from worst to first. It’s very exciting for me but it’s something I never thought was going to happen. I still didn’t ever lose faith in my team. You dream big but this is huge.”

Hight is savoring his time in the spotlight and he is reflective thanks to a chance encounter with Leif Helander from Sweden, Hight’s first round opponent today.

“Something kind of hit me this morning actually last night. My first round match up was with Leif Helander from Sweden. He came by after I came by the press room and he introduced himself. He told me his story. He reminded me of that movie, The World’s Fastest Indian. We have had controversy here lately. We have had drivers arguing. Talking with a guy like that puts it in perspective what we are doing out here,” said Hight.

“This guy is 65 years old and he has dreamed all his life to come over here to the NHRA, what we take for granted. He is living the dream. We forget why we are here and why we do this and how fortunate we are to be a part of NHRA drag racing. It was really refreshing to see that guy and watch him in the pre race. He didn’t know where to stand or where to go. He is just a great guy and I’d like to get to know this guy a little better. He is going to Memphis and I wish him all the best.”

After Hight defeated Helander he dispatched a Who’s Who of championship contenders starting with Tim Wilkerson, Ashley Force Hood and then Jack Beckman in the final. Hight gave a lot of the credit for his recent success to Ashley Force Hood’s crew chief tandem of Dean Antonelli and Ron Douglas and it solidified his confidence in his AAA Texas Mustang.

“This is probably the best race car I have ever had. We have won races and been close to winning the championship but to be this dominant and this consistent and steady. It is going down the track every single run. The only person to beat me was my teammate Ashley Force Hood in the final at Indy. We had a malfunction. It kind of blew up. It is not hurting itself. It is running fast we had top speed here. Jimmy Prock definitely has a handle on this Mustang. We still have to give it to Guido and Ron Douglas. Without them we would not be where we are now. They helped us and I thank God Jimmy listened to them and worked with them. That is what is great about our team we all listen and work together,” said Hight.

Ashley Force Hood raced to the semi-finals and a re-match of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals semis. Unfortunately for Force Hood today Hight had the upper hand and defeated the 2007 rookie of the year today. Force Hood was philosophical about her chances knowing that there is still a lot of racing left and consistency will be the key. That is one area she has dominated from the beginning of the season.

“If we can get to the semis for the last four we have a really good shot. There are just so many good teams right now. It changes every week. There is a mix of people getting to the finals and being runner-up. We are fortunate we keep being some of those people. I am surprised to see some of the other teams that were ahead of us in the points coming into the Countdown struggling now,” said Force Hood. “It is not like them and I am sure they are going to turn it around in these next four races. We need to stay on our game and not get ourselves into a rut. There is not time in four races to get in any kind of rut even if it is just for one weekend. We have to make sure we get qualified. Make sure we go rounds and I think that will be the trick. Whoever can be the most consistent kin the last four even if they are not winning all four, at least going some rounds, I think they have the best shot.”

She is also excited that Hight has been so successful since she knows every round he races gives her crew chiefs data to work with.

“That is what your teammates are for. We can give them info and they can give us info. It is just going to be crucial to get every little bit out of every run. Every round will count for all four teams. Robert and I have done really well these last three races but you can’t count out Mike Neff or my dad’s teams. The points are still so close that this could all switch around by next week. I think we have four cars that are running really strong we just need to keep everything working together. We need to stop running into each other. That would be the priority. We need to get our cars qualified at the top each race where we are not having to run each other early. I had to run Mike Neff last week and this week. I’ve had to run Robert also. The best situation is to not be meeting until the semis or the finals,“ concluded Force Hood.

Mike Neff grabbed his first career win over Cruz Pedregon in the first round after four previous attempts. The win moved the Ford Drive One team out of 10th place in the Full Throttle point standings. The combination of the heat and at tricky track was a troublesome one-two punch for the team. Neff is looking forward to getting out of the heat and to more agreeable racing climates.

“It was an exceptionally warm weekend here. We struggled with keeping it from spinning the tires and putting cylinders out. That was our downfall. Looking at the weather it should be cooler in Memphis so basically we just will try and get back on track. The car has been running good. It was just a matter getting it consistent and keeping it running on eight cylinders. I think we will be in good shape for Memphis,” said Neff.

“It is still tight so there are absolutely opportunities to move up the points. One good race and you can pass quite a few guys. That is what we are shooting for. We just need one good one. We could move up into the middle and then see what happens.”

John Force and the Castrol GTX High Mileage team advanced out of the first round with a win over Grant Downing. In the second round they did not have lane choice against Jack Beckman and that spelled doom for the winningest driver in NHRA history. Only two round wins came from the right lane today, a second round win by Jerry Toliver over Bob Tasca III and a final round Top Fuel win by Tony Schumacher over nemesis Larry Dixon.

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Race Winners At-A-Glance:

FUNNY CAR – Robert Hight, Yorba Linda, Calif., Automobile Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, 4.218, 296.44 mph def. Jack Beckman, North Hills, Calif., Va., Valvoline Dodge, 4.271, 292.58 mph.

TOP FUEL – Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., U.S. Army dragster, 3.944, 312.86 mph, def. Larry Dixon, Indianapolis, Ind., Al-Anabi dragster, 4.232, 225.18 mph.

PRO STOCK – Greg Anderson, Mooresville, NC, Summit Pontiac, 6.684, 207.11 mph def. Johnny Gray, Artesia, NM, Dodge Stratus, 6.713, 206.64 mph

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – Hector Arana, Milltown, Ind., Lucas Oil Buell, 6.979, 190.67 mph, def. Eddie Krawiec, Brownsburg, Ind., Harley Davidson, 7.005, 190.43 mph.

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER – Marty Thacker, Robinson, Ill., 5.372, 265.43 mph, def. Shawn Cowie, Delta, British Columbia, Canada, 5.418, 265.74 mph.

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR – John Lombardo Jr., Brea, Calif., 2005 Chevrolet Camaro, 5.691, 252.61 mph, def. Alexis de Joria, Bronson, Fla., 2009 Ford Mustang, 5.861, 242.54 mph.

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Unofficial pro points following Sunday’s 24th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex:

FUNNY CAR – 1. Robert Hight, AAA Texas Ford Mustang, 2241; 2. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 2228; 3. Jack Beckman, 2196; 4. Tony Pedregon, 2182; 5. Bob Tasca III, 2170; 6. Ron Capps, 2147; 7. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 2131; 8. Tim Wilkerson, 2129; 9. Mike Neff, Ford Drive One Mustang, 2099; 10. Del Worsham, 2085.

TOP FUEL – 1. Tony Schumacher, 2272; 2. Larry Dixon, 2245; 3. Cory McClenathan, 2218; 4. Antron Brown, 2207; 5. Shawn Langdon, 2188; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 2155; 7. Spencer Massey, 2152; 8. Morgan Lucas, 2124; 9. Doug Kalitta, 2074; 10. Clay Millican, 2062.

PRO STOCK – 1. Mike Edwards, 2288; 2. Jeg Coughlin, 2223; 3. Greg Anderson, 2208; 4. Allen Johnson, 2179; 5. Jason Line, 2177; 6. Greg Stanfield, 2169; 7. Johnny Gray, 2146; 8. Kurt Johnson, 2113; 9. Ron Krisher, 2093; 10. Rickie Jones, 2020.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – 1. Hector Arana, 2318; 2. Eddie Krawiec, 2291; 3. Andrew Hines, 2207; 4. Matt Smith, 2170; 5. Douglas Horne, 2156; 6. Michael Phillips, 2139; 7. Karen Stoffer, 2127; 8. Shawn Gann, 2125; 9. Craig Treble, 2104; 10. Matt Guidera, 2020.

TEAM CASTROL Details:

JOHN FORCE, 60, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang
Qualifying position: 2nd at 4.149 seconds, 302.41 mph
Bonus qualifying points: +4 (2nd quickest in Q2 and Q3)
Race results: Beat Grant Downing. Lost to Jack Beckman

ASHLEY FORCE HOOD, 26, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang
Qualifying position: 4th at 4.173 seconds, 293.92 mph
Bonus qualifying points: +6 (Quickest in Q1 and Q3)
Race results: Beat Del Worsham, Mike Neff. Lost to Robert Hight
Quotable: “I am excited to go to Memphis. It is helping that we are doing well. We are second in the points. Everyone is really excited to be going to the next race. It might be different if we were struggling. Our momentum is up. My team is pumped. We are excited to get to that next race. We just want to keep plugging away at the rounds.” – ASHLEY FORCE HOOD

ROBERT HIGHT, 39, AAA Texas Ford Mustang
Qualifying position: 1st at 4.109 seconds, 305.56 mph
Bonus qualifying points: +3 (Quickest in Q2)
Race results: Beat Leif Helander, Tim Wilkerson, Ashley Force Hood, Jack Beckman
Quotable: “This is probably the best race car I have ever had. We have won races and been close to winning the championship but to be this dominant and this consistent and steady. It is going down the track every single run. The only person to beat me was my teammate Ashley Force Hood in the final at Indy. We had a malfunction. It kind of blew up. It is not hurting itself. It is running fast we had top speed here. Jimmy Prock definitely has a handle on this Mustang.” – ROBERT HIGHT

MIKE NEFF, 42, Ford Drive One Mustang
Qualifying position: 5th at 4.181 seconds, 298.40 mph
Bonus qualifying points: 0
Race results: Beat Cruz Pedregon. Lost to Ashley Force Hood.
Quotable: “It is still tight so there are absolutely opportunities to move up the points. One good race and you can pass quite a few guys. That is what we are shooting for. We just need one good one. We could move up into the middle and then see what happens.” – MIKE NEFF

COURTNEY FORCE, 21, Sanyo Supercharged HD A/Fuel Dragster
Final qualifying: 5th at 5.266 seconds, 272.83 mph
Race results: Beat Darryl Hitchman. Lost to Dale Carlson.
Quotable: “It was different not having Brittany on the other side of the trailer from me. All our guys were working so hard on our car. I am bummed that we didn’t get further. Getting to the second round was still pretty good. We had a malfunction and we figured out what the problem was so we are good to go. Once you win your first race I think it pushes you harder. It really makes me want to go more rounds and work harder. You can’t win them all so we’ll keep trying our best.” – COURTNEY FORCE

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NEXT EVENTS:

COUNTDOWN TO ONE

22nd O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals, Oct. 2-4, Memphis, Tenn.
4th annual Virginia NHRA Nationals, Oct. 9-11, Richmond, Va.
9th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 29- Nov. 1, Las Vegas, Nev.
45th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov, 12-15, Pomona, Calif.

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FOLLOW JOHN FORCE RACING at www.twitter.com/jfr_racing.com or at www.johnforceracing.com.

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