John Force Racing News

John Force Racing
Robert Hight Pre-Race Package
Event: 30th annual MOPAR Mile High NHRA Nationals, 13th of 24 events in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Site: Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, CO
Dates: July, 9-12 2009

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PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT HAS HIGHT FOCUSED ON DENVER WINNER’S CIRCLE

“We were just racing the wrong guy. I could have beaten John (Force) or I would have been right with him. We dropped a cylinder. (Crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) thinks it would have run a little better if it hadn’t have dropped that cylinder. We moved up a little (in the points). We are three rounds back now.” – Robert Hight, on 4.32 to 4.30 2nd round loss in Norwalk to John Force

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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

Robert Hight, 39, driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, is entering 2009 following his fourth consecutive Full Throttle Top Five finish. He is the only Funny Car driver to have led the points each of the last four seasons. The 2005 winner of the Auto Club’s Road to the Future award that identifies the Rookie of the Year, he owns the two quickest 1000 foot times in Funny Car history (4.056 and 4.005 seconds) and well as the quickest quarter mile times in Funny Car history (4.646 and 4.636 seconds).

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Robert Hight By the Numbers:

1 – Number of times Hight has been No. 1 qualifier in 2009 (Pomona1)

1 – Number of time Hight has won the MOPAR Mile High Nationals (2005)

2 – Number of times Hight has been No. 1 qualifier at MOPAR Mile High Nationals

2 – Number of semi-finals Hight has reached in 2009

5 – Number of semi-finals Hight had reached by this point in 2008

4 – Hight’s position in the Full Throttle points standings entering Denver in 2008

12 – Hight’s current position in the Full Throttle point standings

55 – Number of points Hight is behind No. 10 placeholders Matt Hagan and Cruz Pedregon

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Full Throttle Point Standings (After twelve of 24 Full Throttle events)

FUNNY CAR - 1. Ashley Force Hood, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 872; 2. Tony Pedregon, 854; 3. Ron Capps, 847; 4. Del Worsham, 727; 5. Bob Tasca III, 680/700; 6. Jack Beckman, 709/729; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 657; 8. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 631; 9. Mike Neff, Ford Drive One Mustang, 595; 10. Cruz Pedregon, 577; 10. Matt Hagan, 577; Also 12. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 522

TOP FUEL - 1. Antron Brown, 938; 2. Tony Schumacher, 882; 3. Larry Dixon, 865/885; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 848/868; 5. Cory McClenathan, 702; 6. Spencer Massey, 669; 7. Shawn Langdon, 666; 8. Morgan Lucas, 664; 9. Doug Kalitta, 540; 10. Clay Millican, 502.

PRO STOCK - 1. Jeg Coughlin, 1072; 2. Mike Edwards, 1004/1024; 3. Jason Line, 876/896; 4. Greg Anderson, 861; 5. Allen Johnson, 758; 6. Greg Stanfield, 660; 7. Ron Krisher, 594; 8. Kurt Johnson, 585; 9. Warren Johnson, 492; 10. Rickie Jones, 484.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE - 1. Eddie Krawiec, 624/644; 2. Andrew Hines, 534/554; 3. Matt Smith, 506; 4. Craig Treble, 459; 5. Douglas Horne, 454; 6. Matt Guidera, 412; 7. Hector Arana, 394; 8. Shawn Gann, 325; 9. Karen Stoffer, 319; 10. Steve Johnson, 307.

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Track Records:
Top Fuel* - 4.584 seconds by Joe Amato, July 1999; 331.45 mph by Tony Schumacher, July ’05
Funny Car*- 4.796 seconds by Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, July ’05; 322.58 mph by Hight, July ’05
Pro Stock- 7.010 seconds by Greg Anderson, July ’08; 196.39 mph by Anderson, July ’08
Pro Stock Motorcycle- 7.326 seconds by Matt Smith, July ’08; 186.54 mph by Ryan Schnitz, July ’05
(*performance records will not be officially recorded in Top Fuel and Funny Car at this event)

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Race Schedule:
Friday –
Nitro Qualifying: 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Saturday –
Nitro Qualifying: 4:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Sunday –
Pre-race: 11:00 a.m.
Final eliminations: noon

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Television:

Saturday, July 11, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise 2 hours of qualifying highlights at 10 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 12, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will air NHRA Race Day at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 12, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will televise 3 hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. (ET).

ROBERT HIGHT

PEFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT HAS HIGHT FOCUSED ON DENVER WINNER’S CIRCLE

MORRISON, CO (July 1, 2009) --- It seems to happen to a racer at least once a race. You watch pair after pair of race cars in front of you tire smoke, spin or just simply make less than stellar runs but still get a win light while you make a great lap only to lose because your opponent was just a little quicker.

That scenario played out in Norwalk during the Summit Equipment NHRA Nationals for Robert Hight and the Auto Club Ford Mustang team. The No. 2 qualifier raced into the second round only to find himself racing the winningest drag racer of all time John Force. In their race Hight made a solid 4.32 second pass which would have won any of the other three 2nd round races. Unfortunately Force laid down an impressive 4.30 second lap to defeat Hight.

“We were just racing the wrong guy. My car dropped a cylinder. A ring broke and then it closed the gap on two plugs and that caused the cylinder to drop. I like knowing what the problem was. We can fix that. It wasn’t our tune up,” said Hight. “You see everybody smoking the tires out there. (Crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) thinks it would have run a little better if it hadn’t have dropped that cylinder. I could have beat John or I would have been right with him.”

Going a couple of rounds along with some stumbles by the drivers in front of Hight in points allowed the two-time championship runner-up to close the gap on entering the Countdown to One Top Ten.

“We moved up a little. We are three rounds – 55 points - back now. We went down the track five out of six runs. We were real respectable,” added Hight.

Heading into the 30th annual MOPAR Mile High NHRA Nationals Hight knows that performance number will drop but the key will be adapting to the conditions.

“We are in a really good spot. Jimmy has a car that is tuneable. The key for us is to get a good solid run in that first session so we can run later in that second session. It worked that way for us in Norwalk. I miss not being able to walk the track before we run. I told Jimmy that. We were running so early in the sessions I didn’t have time to check out the track and clear my head. It was great in Norwalk to be at the back in qualifying with (teammate Mike) Neff. We are both fighting to move up in the points,” said Hight.

Denver has been a track that Hight has had considerable success at when you consider he won the Mile High Nationals his rookie season. He has been No. 1 qualifier twice at Bandimere Speedway and he is the track record holder in ET and speed. Last year he advanced to the semi-finals before he was defeated by a red-hot Tim Wilkerson. Hight is looking at this positive success as well as the fact that his Mustang has come around the past three races to bode well for his team as they try to break into the Top Ten to kick off the Western Swing.

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Did you know…

- Robert Hight will be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue of Drag Racer magazine which will be on newsstands the first week of July.

- Hight and sister-in-law Ashley Force Hood are featured in an Auto Club of Southern California television commercial that is getting rave reviews on the Full Throttle Drag racing Series.

- Hight and his three teammates will be cruising to Cabo San Lucas for New Year’s Eve as part of the John Force Racing Fan Cruise III sponsored by AAA. Fans can get more information by calling 1-888-874-7222.

Get team info here: www.johnforceracing.com

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