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2013 NHRA: Team Castrol/JFR Pre-Race Stats Package For Pomona 1
JOHN FORCE, 63, is the defending Funny Car champion at the O’Reilly Winternationals, a race he has won six times in his career. Back at the wheel of the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, Force has been re-united this year with crew chief Mike Neff, with whom he won the 2010 NHRA Funny Car championship.
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BRITTANY FORCE, 26, is making her professional debut this week at the wheel of the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster. It is the first time John Force Racing has attempted to qualify in the Top Fuel division. Her car is powered by the Ford BOSS 500 motor developed by JFR and features a full canopy over the cockpit.
ROBERT HIGHT, 43, is trying to win the season opener for the fourth time in eight years at the controls of a Jimmy Prock-prepared Auto Club Ford Mustang. The 2009 series champion previously won the Winternationals in 2006, 2008 and 2011. He has won at least two races in each of his first eight pro seasons.
COURTNEY FORCE, 24, is coming off a season in which she won at Seattle, Wash., finished fifth in Funny Car points and claimed the Auto Club’s Road to the Future Award as the NHRA Rookie of the Year. Courtney’s Traxxas Ford Mustang was the quickest Funny Car in pre-season testing at 4.01 seconds, 322 miles per hour.
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Traxxas Nitro Shootout
The second annual Traxxas Nitro Shootout will be contested August 31, 2013 for qualifiers in the Top Fuel division and Sept. 1, 2013 for qualifiers in the Funny Car division. Winners will earn $100,000 each.
Seven of the eight positions in each field will be determined by performance in the 17 NHRA Full Throttle Series events leading up to the U.S. Nationals. The first seven season winners in Funny Car and Top Fuel will be seeded into the starting lineup with an eighth starting position determined by fan interaction and a lottery.
John Force Racing underscored its long history of success in NHRA bonus races by winning the inaugural Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Cars when John Force upset Ron Capps in the final round of an event ultimately contested in Dallas, Texas.
The team also won Winston-sponsored All-Star races as well as the Big Bud Shootout and its successors, the Skoal Showdown and the U.S. Smokeless Shootout. John Force earned the biggest single event payday in NHRA racing history when he won the 1999 Winston Showdown ($210,000) at Bristol, Tenn. Overall, JFR drivers won 10 bonus races and five All-Star events.
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FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS (Final 2012 Full Throttle standings)
1. Jack Beckman, Norco, Calif., Valvoline Dodge Charger, 2610
2. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., NAPA Dodge Charger, 2608
3. Mike Neff, Fishers Ind., Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 2497
4. Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg, Ind., Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry, 2429
5. Courtney Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Traxxas Ford Mustang, 2393
6. Johnny Gray, Artesia, N.M., NTB Dodge Charger, 2357
7. Robert Hight, Yorba Linda, Calif., Auto Club Ford Mustang, 2302
8. Tim Wilkerson, Springfield, Ill., Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang, 2293
9. John Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 2281
10. Jeff Arend, LaVerne, Calif., DHL Toyota Camry, 2267
11. Matt Hagan, Christiansburg, Va., Aaron’s Dodge Charger, 1216
12. Bob Tasca III, Cranston, R.I., Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang, 1051
13. Alexis Dejoria, Venice, Calif., Tequila Patron Toyota Camry, 827
14. Tony Pedregon, Brownsburg, Ind., K-LOVE Toyota Camry, 726
15. Jim Head , Columbus, Ohio, Head Contractors Toyota Camry, 533
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TELEVISION (all on ESPN2, all times Eastern Daylight):
Qualifying highlights – 10 pm to 12 midnight, Saturday, Feb. 16.
Race highlights – 8 pm to 11 pm, Sunday, Feb. 17.
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NEXT EVENTS (2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series):
Feb. 22-24 29th annual Arizona Nationals, Phoenix, Ariz.
March 14-17 44th annual Amalie Gatornationals, Gainesville, Fla.
April 5-7 14th annual SummitRacing.com Nationals, Las Vegas, Nev.
April 19-21 4th annual 4Wide Nationals, Charlotte, N.C.
April 26-28 26th annual O’Reilly Spring Nationals, Houston, Texas
May 3-5 33rd annual Summit Southern Nationals, Atlanta, Ga.
May 17-19 25th annual Dollar Kansas Nationals, Topeka, Kan.
May 30-June 2 44th annual Toyota Summernationals, Englishtown, N.J.
June 14-16 13th annual Ford Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, Tenn.
June 21-23 Inaugural New England Nationals, Epping, N.H.
June 28-30 16th annual O’Reilly Route 66 Nationals, Chicago, Ill.
July 5-7 7th annual Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, Norwalk, Ohio
July 19-21 34th annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals, Denver, Colo.
July 26-28 26th annual Sonoma Nationals, Sonoma, Calif.
Aug. 2-4 26th annual O’Reilly Northwest Nationals, Seattle, Wash.
Aug. 16-18 32nd annual Lucas Oil Nationals, Brainerd, Minn.
Aug. 29-Sept. 2 59th U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis, Ind.
Countdown to the Mello Yellow Championship:
Sept. 13-15 6th annual Carolina Nationals, Charlotte, N.C.
Sept. 19-22 28th annual AAA Texas Fall Nationals, Dallas, Texas
Sept. 27-29 2nd annual AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals, Madison, Ill.
Oct. 4-6 29th annual Auto-Plus Nationals, Reading, Pa.
Oct. 25-27 13th annual Las Vegas Nationals, Las Vegas, Nev.
Nov. 7-10 49th annual Auto Club Finals, Pomona, Calif.
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THE RECORD BOOK
NHRA Full Throttle Series, most driver victories, all pro categories
John Force â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 134
Warren Johnson â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 97
Bob Glidden â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 85
Greg Anderson â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 72
Kenny Bernstein â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 69
Tony Schumacher â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 69
Larry Dixon â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 62
Joe Amato â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 52
Jeg Coughlin Jr. â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 50
Don Prudhomme â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„â–„ 49
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John Force Racing: we’ve got questions
What distinction is shared by Robert Hight, Brittany Force, Morgan Lucas and Jason Line?
a. All qualified No. 1 in their most recent appearances in the O’Reilly Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
b. All are past winners of the Auto Club’s Road to the Future Award.
c. All began their racing careers in Super Comp.
d. All are graduates of Cal State-Fullerton
ANSWER: a. All qualified No. 1 in their most recent appearances in the O’Reilly Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona – Robert, Morgan and Jason in 2012; Brittany in 2010 in Top Alcohol Dragster.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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