GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Entering her third season in Top Fuel on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series circuit, Brittany Force is still aiming to track down her first career victory.
That fact says more about the impressive competition in the Top Fuel class than it does about Force’s young career, which already includes a growing number of accolades. The 2013 Auto Club Road to the Future Award winner, Force has advanced to four final founds and also racked up three No. 1 qualifiers.
But that first victory has eluded her thus far, something Force hopes to change at the 46th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville, March 12-15. It marks the third of 24 races in the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and the tradition-rich drag race would mark an ideal location for Force to break into the win column in her 10,000-horsepower John Force Racing dragster.
“I am pumped and ready to get to the next race,” Force said. “I am proud of my entire team. We had two pretty good runs (in Phoenix) and got to the second round. We stepped it up in the second round so that was nice to see that performance improvement on race day. Going into Gainesville we will start all over again. Our plan will be to make some good runs and get a good qualifying spot.”
The traditional East Coast opener on the Mello Yello Series circuit will feature the biggest stars in the NHRA. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event that will once again be televised on ESPN2.
Force certainly qualifies as one of the biggest stars in the NHRA as she tries to climb the star-studded Top Fuel ranks headed by reigning world champion Tony Schumacher, who won the most recent event in Phoenix. Other standouts include Kalitta, Antron Brown, Spencer Massey, 2014 rookie of the year Richie Crampton, three-time world champ Larry Dixon, Amalie Motor Oil fan-favorite Terry McMillen, category newcomer Dave Connolly, last year’s series runner-up J.R. Todd and determined Texan Steve Torrence.
But Force continues to find her way, making steady improvement. That included her first appearance in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship a season ago, but Force’s mindset is only on the present and that means improving at Gainesville.
“I try not to focus too much on last year,” Force said. “I have to focus on today and right now. It is tough out here. I know this team will put everything they can into this dragster and I will do my best job driving, and hopefully we’ll get that first win soon. I am just trying to get back into the groove of driving this Top Fuel dragster.”
That’s no easy task and Force doesn’t consider herself a veteran in that department by any stretch. After a first-round loss to start the 2015 season in Pomona, Force picked up her first round win of the year in Phoenix, knocking off Torrence before falling to Kalitta in the quarterfinals.
Despite a talented team, led by crew chiefs Todd Smith and Ronnie Thompson, Force knows how vital seat time is for long-term success.
“Even going into my third season seat time is so important,” Force said. “I have been out of the seat for a while so now that we are getting the season started I am getting back in the groove. It takes a little while until you are 100 percent comfortable in the seat.”
That day is coming soon and Force will work diligently to get that to happen. She knows the potential is there, as evidenced by an extremely successful test session in Phoenix before the season started. The next step is putting those performances together on a consistent basis.
“We have a new team and some new guys, but I am excited,” Force said. “We jumped back into it and got off to a tough start but we got it turned around. You just want to get back in that groove, and you want to get comfortable and in the zone as quickly as possible.”
Robert Hight was the hero of Funny Car at Gainesville in 2014 defeating team owner John Force in the final. Courtney Force will try to become the first female Funny Car winner at the Gatornationals but reigning world champ Matt Hagan has been red hot, winning the first two events of the year. Ron Capps, Tommy Johnson Jr., Del Worsham, three-time national event winner Alexis DeJoria and two-time world champ Cruz Pedregon are all expected to be competitive in Gainesville as well.
Allen Johnson, the 2012 Pro Stock world champ, got the best of eventual world champ Erica Enders-Stevens in the final at Gainesville last season. Enders-Stevens is looking for her first Gainesville victory while other top challengers include Winternationals winner and four-time Gatornationals winner Line, Shane Gray, Greg Anderson, Vincent Nobile, Phoenix winner Roger Brogdon, rookie sensation Drew Skillman, Chris McGaha and Jonathan Gray.
The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals is the first of 16 events for the Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Riders will be looking to knock reigning series and four-time champion Andrew Hines off his title perch. Last year, Hines and his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Eddie Krawiec dominated the series by combining to win 11 of the 16 events. Others to watch in the two-wheel category include defending Gators winner Johnson, father and son duo Hector Arana Jr. and Hector Arana Sr., three-time world champ Angelle Sampey, and the husband and wife duo of Matt and Angie Smith.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful motorsports attraction on the planet. While visiting the pits, interactive NHRA Nitro Alley and the NHRA Manufacturers Midway, fans will also want to check out NHRA’s popular Hot Rod Junction presented by the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum that offers a spectacular display of many nostalgic dragsters, race cars and hot rods on display, including vintage machines that were driven by ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits, K.S. Pittman, Big John Mazmanian and Bruce Larson, among others. There will also be several NHRA Legends of Drag Racing autograph sessions, allowing fans the rare opportunity to meet drag racing stars of the past.
Pro qualifying begins on Friday, March 13, with sessions at noon and 3 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, March 14, also at noon and 3 p.m. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 15.
The 2015 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series as well as the season-opener in the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, log on to www.NHRA.com/tickets or call the NHRA Ticket Sales Center, (800) 884-NHRA (6472). General admission tickets for children 12 and younger are free with any paid adult ticket. Fans can save by purchasing their tickets in advance. For more information about NHRA, log on to www.NHRA.com.
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AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 46th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, the third of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – earn points leading to 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville, Gainesville, Fla. The track is located on 11211 North County Road 225 in Gainesville.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, March 12-15
SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, March 12 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying
FRIDAY, March 13 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations
PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying at 2 and 5 p.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at noon and 3 p.m.
SATURDAY, March 14 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations
PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying at 2 p.m.; Round 1 of eliminations at 5 p.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at noon and 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, March 15 – Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Sunday, March 15, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 1:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, March 15, ESPN2 will re-air two hours of qualifying coverage at 7 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, March 15, ESPN2 will televise two hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. (ET).
2014 EVENT WINNERS: Doug Kalitta, Top Fuel; Robert Hight, Funny Car; Allen Johnson, Pro Stock; Steve Johnson, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
MOST VICTORIES: Warren Johnson, 9, PS; John Force, 7, FC; Don Prudhomme, 5, FC; Joe Amato, 4, TF; Kenny Bernstein, 4, FC/TF; Larry Dixon, 4, TF; Don Garlits, 4, TF; Jason Line, 4, PS; Ed McCulloch, 4, FC; Tony Schumacher, 4, TF; Dave Schultz, 4, PSM; Terry Vance, 4, PSM.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel – 3.743 sec. and 326.87 mph by Morgan Lucas, March ’12.
Funny Car – 4.026 seconds by Cruz Pedregon, March ’12; 317.12 mph by Robert Hight, March ’12.
Pro Stock – 6.473 seconds by Mike Edwards, March ’12; 214.31 mph by Edwards, March ’13.
PS Motorcycle – 6.750 seconds by Eddie Krawiec, March ’12; 199.26 mph by Krawiec, March ’11.
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel – 3.701 sec. by Antron Brown, Oct. ‘12, Reading, Pa.; 332.18 mph by Spencer Massey, April ’12, Charlotte, N.C.
Funny Car – 3.965 sec. and 324.12 mph by John Force, Feb. ’14, Pomona, Calif.
Pro Stock – 6.464 sec. and 215.55 mph by Erica Enders-Stevens, May ‘14, Englishtown N.J.
PS Motorcycle – 6.728 sec. by Andrew Hines, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.
TICKETS: For tickets call (800) 884-NHRA (6472). Tickets also available online at www.NHRA.com/tickets.
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NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. — Point standings (top 10) following the second of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel: 1. Shawn Langdon, 200; 2. Antron Brown, 167; 3. Tony Schumacher, 165; 4. Doug Kalitta, 155; 5. Spencer Massey, 130; 6. Richie Crampton, 115; 7. Larry Dixon, 106; 8. (tie) J.R. Todd, 88; Steve Torrence, 88; 10. Brittany Force, 85.
Funny Car: 1. Matt Hagan, 231; 2. Del Worsham, 173; 3. Robert Hight, 145; 4. Ron Capps, 129; 5. Courtney Force, 123; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 118; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 110; 8. Cruz Pedregon, 93; 9. (tie) John Hale, 82; Chad Head, 82.
Pro Stock: 1. Rodger Brogdon, 205; 2. Erica Enders-Stevens, 184; 3. Jason Line, 178; 4. Drew Skillman, 177; 5. Chris McGaha, 130; 6. Shane Gray, 108; 7. Allen Johnson, 107; 8. Larry Morgan, 89; 9. Greg Anderson, 86; 10. Vincent Nobile, 66.
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