John Force Racing News

John Force Racing
Mike Neff Pre-Race Package

Event: 45th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals
6th and final race of Countdown to 1
Season finale of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
Site: Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Pomona, Calif.
Dates: Nov. 12-15, 2009

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NEFF GRABS ANOTHER TOP TEN FINISH, LOOKING FOR TEAM SUCCESS

“(Las Vegas) was a disappointing weekend for us. It is kind of the new car blues. The new chassis we built is great. The problem that we discovered is the parts we put on it that control all the electronics. (The new chassis) changed everything. We couldn’t get a handle on it. It kind of threw us a curve ball. We are going to fix all that and go to Pomona. We will be close and take a shot at it.”- Mike Neff

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Team info at www.johnforceracing.com

Follow John Force Racing at www.twitter.com/jfr_racing

Follow John Force RaceStation store at www.twitter.com/JFRaceStation

Follow Courtney Force at www.twitter.com/courtneyforce

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The Driver

Mike Neff, 42, driver of the Ford Drive One Mustang, is entering the fifth race of the 2009 Countdown to 1 in the 10th spot. He clinched his Countdown to 1 spot when he qualified for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. He has reached two final rounds in 2009 (Phoenix and Reading). The 2008 winner of the Auto Club’s Road to the Future award that identifies the Rookie of the Year, he took over the driving duties for the late Eric Medlen, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a testing accident in March of 2007.

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Mike Neff By the Numbers:

2 – Number of final rounds in 2009, Phoenix and Reading

4 – Number of races Neff was the driver and crew chief this season, Phoenix, Gainesville, Richmond and Las Vegas2

3 – Number of JFR drivers who have been named Auto Club Road to the Future Award winners, most recently Mike Neff was honored as the professional rookie of the year (Robert Hight, 2005 and Ashley Force Hood, 2007)

5 – Number of finals Mike Neff has reached in his young career, most recently Reading, August 2009

10 – Neff’s position in the Full Throttle point standings

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Full Throttle Point Standings after five Countdown to 1 races and 23 NHRA events

FUNNY CAR – 1. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 2485; 2. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 2380; 3. Tony Pedregon, 2372; 4. Jack Beckman, 2371; 5. Ron Capps, 2358; 6. Tim Wilkerson, 2353; 7. Del Worsham, 2299; 8. Bob Tasca III, 2294; 9. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 2268; 10. Mike Neff, Ford Drive One Mustang,2235.

TOP FUEL – 1. Tony Schumacher, 2485; 2. Larry Dixon, 2484; 3. Cory McClenathan, 2437; 4. Antron Brown, 2405; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 2383; 6. Spencer Massey, 2337; 7. Morgan Lucas, 2300; 8. Shawn Langdon, 2289; 9. Doug Kalitta, 2270; 10. Clay Millican, 2093.

PRO STOCK – 1. Mike Edwards, 2594; 2. Greg Anderson, 2455; 3. Jason Line, 2406; 4. Greg Stanfield, 2348; 5. Jeg Coughlin, 2344; 6. Ron Krisher, 2303; 7. Allen Johnson, 2278; 8. Johnny Gray, 2267; 9. Kurt Johnson, 2215; 10. Rickie Jones, 2111.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE - 1. Hector Arana, 2525; 2. Andrew Hines, 2372; 3. Eddie Krawiec, 2471; 4. Matt Smith, 2334; 5. Michael Phillips, 2288; 6. Douglas Horne, 2262; 7. Karen Stoffer, 2213; 8. Shawn Gann, 2209; 9. Craig Treble, 2168; 10. Matt Guidera, 2020.

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TRACK RECORDS:

Top Fuel - 3.778 seconds by Antron Brown, Feb. ’09; 317.42 mph by Tony Schumacher, Nov. ’08.
Funny Car - 4.037 seconds by Robert Hight, Feb. ’09; and 310.41 mph by Del Worsham, Feb. ’09.
Pro Stock - 6.528 seconds by Greg Anderson, Feb. ’09; and 211.63 mph by Jason Line, Feb. ’09.
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.929 seconds by Chris Rivas, Nov. ’08; 194.66 mph by GT Tonglet, Nov. ’04.
(Top Fuel and Funny Car race distance is 1,000 feet; Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle race distance is 1,320 feet)

NATIONAL RECORDS:

Top Fuel - 3.771 sec. by Tony Schumacher, Oct. ’08, Richmond, Va.; 319.60 mph by Antron Brown, Oct. ’09, Richmond, Va.
Funny Car - 4.023 sec. by Ron Capps, Feb. ’09, Chandler, Ariz.; 312.13 mph by Ashley Force Hood, April ’09, Atlanta
Pro Stock - 6.509 sec. by Mike Edwards, Oct. ’09, Richmond, Va.; 212.36 mph by Greg Anderson, Oct. ’09, Richmond, Va.
PS Motorcycle- 6.851 sec. by Hector Arana, Sept. ’09, Memphis, Tenn.; 197.45 mph by Andrew Hines, March ’05, Gainesville, Fla.
(Top Fuel and Funny Car race distance is 1,000 feet; Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle race distance is 1,320 feet)

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Race Schedule:

Thursday, Nov. 12
Pro Qualifying: 1:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 13
Pro Qualifying: 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 14
Pro Qualifying: 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 15
Pre-race ceremonies 10:00 a.m.
Final eliminations 11:00 a.m.

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TELEVISION:

Saturday, Nov. 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 10:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 15, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Nov. 15, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).

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MIKE NEFF

NEFF GRABS ANOTHER TOP TEN FINISH, LOOKING FOR TEAM SUCCESS

POMONA, CA (November 9, 2009) --- For second year driver Mike Neff and the Ford Drive One team 2009 has been a season of success but not the ultimate success. They have raced to finals and been number one qualifier on multiple occasions. They qualified for the Countdown to 1 for the second consecutive year but as the 2009 Full Throttle Drag Racing season comes to a close they are still looking for their first win.

To further complicate matters Neff has been thrust back into the dual role of driver and crew chief for the final races of the Countdown to 1 as original crew chief John Medlen joined John Force’s team prior to Richmond to add an extra set of veteran hands to the 14-time champion’s Ford Mustang. Making the tuning calls and driving is a responsibility that Neff relishes and he is enjoying the challenges as he heads into the final race of the season.

“It is busy. It is stressful. You start making some runs and seeing results, which helps you with the changes. You sort of feel your way though. This Mustang has been running good for a while and John Medlen had it set up so this was the easiest deal to step into. It just added more responsibility. I just think about the car all the time. When Medlen was making the tuning calls I just bopped around here with no worries until I got strapped in before the run. It just seems like the wheels are turning non-stop,” said Neff.

While Neff has been eliminated from Championship contention he knows that has played a role in contributing to the on-track success of points leader Robert Hight and second place points holder Ashley Force Hood. His biggest moment of late was the first round victory over Tony Pedregon in Richmond. Hight and Force Hood made early exits and Neff’s win stopped any momentum Pedregon could have gained.

After that win Neff knew he had helped the team’s championship hopes.

“You can really feel the pressure. We know what is at stake and that was a huge round for us to help our teammates. I got picked off by Tony in Memphis on a close race and this time we really wanted to get that win. It is really awesome for this Ford Mustang and John Force Racing to get by Tony Pedregon,” said Neff.

Neff raced to the semi-finals in Richmond that day and on Monday following that race he made the first full passes in the new John Force Racing designed chassis. He continued to run the new chassis in Las Vegas and has been working out challenges to get a jump start on 2010 for all the John Force Racing Mustangs. A first round loss in Las Vegas was partially attributed to figuring out the new chassis.

“(Las Vegas) was a disappointing weekend for us. It is kind of the new car blues. The new chassis we built is great. The problem that we discovered is the parts we put on it that control all the electronics. (The new chassis) changed everything. We couldn’t get a handle on it. It kind of threw us a curve ball. We are going to fix all that and go to Pomona. We will be close and take a shot at it,” said Neff.

“The biggest thing here for Team Force is we are thrilled to see Robert win. We want to put a nail in that coffin for the championship. That is what it is all about and that is what our goal is. That makes me feel good even after out disappointment.”

Last year at the Auto Club NHRA Finals Neff had the car to beat racing to the No. 1 qualifying position and reaching the semi-finals before a timing box malfunction ended his day versus Cruz Pedregon. It was by far his strongest performance as a driver at Auto Club Raceway and Neff is looking forward to another strong performance this weekend.

“We tested after Las Vegas and continued to work some things out on this Ford Drive One Mustang. We won’t get any points at Pomona but more important than points is getting this Mustang to the winner’s circle and finishing strong. We learned a lot and we will be a in a good position. I am excited to get back out onto the race track see what we can for our Ford Drive One Team as well as for Robert and Ashley in their race for the championship,” said Neff.

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