Force and Pritchett Dominate Nitro Spring Training

COURTNEY FORCE AND LEAH PRITCHETT DOMINATE NITRO SPRING TRAINING

CHANDLER, Ariz. --- Nitro Spring Training came to an end Saturday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Ariz. where NHRA Funny Car and Top Fuel teams put all their off-season hard work to the test one week before the start of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

Leah Pritchett had the unofficial quickest run in NHRA history in her Papa John’s Pizza Top Fuel dragster Saturday morning. Pritchett and her crew put down a 3.654-second pass at 331.85 mph during their first try of the day after they ran the two quickest passes Friday with a 3.677 and a 3.685.

“I have to be totally honest, we didn’t come out here to be the quickest,” said Pritchett, who won her first Top Fuel event at Wild Horse Pass in 2016. “That wasn’t the goal. The goal was to get the power that we created in the offseason to the track. We exceeded our expectations yesterday and today we did the same. For it to blast off at .65 on a warmer day today, man I’m stoked for (my team), that’s a lot of hard work and they just put it on the track.”

With a track temp of 104 degrees on Saturday afternoon, Pritchett ran a 3.697 at 327.51 to give her ownership to four of the top five times of the weekend. 

Steve Torrence, who holds the Top Fuel ET national record at 3.671, had the second quickest machine when he ran a 3.691 on Friday. Brittany Force, pilot of the Monster Energy dragster for John Force Racing, had the third quickest with a 3.695 narrowly out running  Doug Kalitta, who finished second in the points standings in 2016, and his Mac Tools dragster with a 3.697 on Saturday. Defending world champion Antron Brown was fifth with his 3.701 run from Thursday in his Matco Tools dragster.

Rookie Troy Coughlin Jr., who will be racing a full season for Kalitta Motorsports, closed out testing with his best run of the weekend posting a 3.763 at 317.42 in his SealMaster Top Fuel dragster.

Courtney Force and her Advance Auto Parts Chevy Camaro SS ran the weekend’s quickest time for the Funny Car class. Her 3.804 at 333.33 from Friday is unofficially the quickest run in Funny Car history. She was also quickest Friday with a 3.841 and then a 3.847.

“It was a pretty unbelievable run,” Force said. “It’s all thanks to (my crew); I’m just the one piloting the car down to the other end. But it was really exciting hearing them come on the radio and be so excited about it. I feel like I had my hands full on multiple runs, but it’s really great being able to make so many great passes just in testing – the 3.84s and then the 3.80 unofficially. It’s a great feeling. I’m proud of my guys; it’s all because of them.”

Defending Funny Car world champion Ron Capps’ NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T was the second quickest Funny Car with a 3.854 pass on Friday. Force’s father and 16-time world champion John Force had a 3.856 in his PEAK Chevy Camaro SS to take the third spot from teammate Robert Hight who ran a 3.859 Friday in his Auto Club Chevy Camaro SS.

J.R. Todd, who is making the transition from Top Fuel to Funny Car racing the DHL Toyota Camry for Kalitta, made a 3.909 pass at 312.93 for his best run at testing on Friday and Del Worsham, now racing for his family team, Worsham Racing, tested Friday and made a 4.060 pass at 283.01.

The 2017 Mello Yello Drag Racing season gets underway February 9-12 with the Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona, Calif. Qualifying will be televised on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and live on FS1 Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. The Finals will be live on FOX Sports at 4 p.m. ET.

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	Press release courtesy  the NHRA Communications Dept. Troy Coughlin, Jr.: Photo by Dicken Wear John Force: Photo by Dicken Wear John Force: Photo by Dicken Wear Jack Beckman: Photo by Dicken Wear Ron Capps  and Rahn Tobler: Photo by Dicken Wear Ron Capps: Photo by Dicken Wear Robert Hight's Auto Club Crew: Photo by Dicken Wear Robert Hight: Photo by Dicken Wear

Courtney Force Quickest Funny Car on Day 2 of Nitro Spring Training.

Courtney Force advances to the top of Funny Car chart on Day 2 of Nitro Spring Training

CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 3) – Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force blistered Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park during the second day of NHRA Nitro Spring training Friday, posting the three-quickest passes of the week – including an incredible run under the Funny Car national record. Force’s best run in her Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car was 3.804 seconds at 333.33 mph, quicker than Matt Hagan’s national-record run of 3.822 seconds set last year in Brainerd, Minn. Because Force’s pass came during testing, it is not a national record. “It was a pretty unbelievable run,” Force said. “It’s all thanks to these guys; I’m just the one piloting the car down to the other end. But it was really exciting hearing them come on the radio and be so excited about it. “It’s great being out here at Phoenix testing. We’re going to try some new things tomorrow and just see what the car does. So far, we’re definitely happy with it.” In addition to the 3.804 run, Force also had quick passes of 3.847 seconds at 329.26 mph and 3.847 seconds at 331.28 mph to snare the three quickest runs of the day.  “I feel good every run,” Force said. “It’s crazy. You take two months off during the offseason and then you hop back in a car – just smashing on the throttle – it takes some getting used to and time to get back into your routine. When you get a couple months off, it changes things. It’s been a lot of fun getting back in the car and back into the groove of things. I feel like I’ve had to really quickly, as my guys are ready for the season. They’ve really shown that with how the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro has run so far. “I feel like I had my hands full on multiple runs, but it’s really great being able to make so many great passes just in testing – the 3.84s and then the 3.80 unofficially. It’s a great feeling. I’m proud of my guys; it’s all because of them.” Robert Hight’s Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car made the fifth-best run of the day, 3.859 seconds at 330.63 mph. And John Force’s Peak Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car was quick, too, with a top run of 3.884 seconds at 324.75 mph. Brittany Force’s Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster made a top pass of 3.704 at 321.65 mph but also made two other identical 3.739-second runs. Testing continues Saturday, with the final day slated for Sunday. (Press Release Courtesy: Lee Montgomery, John Force Racing Public Relations).

NHRA TF Test at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Chandler, AZ.

Brittany Force Crew at WHPMP 2-2016. (Photo by Dicken Wear)

Tim Wilkerson Test at WHPMP 2-2016. (Photo by Dicken Wear)

Robert Hight Test at WHPMP 2-2016. (Photo by Dicken Wear)

Courtney Force Burnout at WHPMP NHRA Test 2-2016. (Photo by Dicken Wear)

John Force and Fox TV Crew at WHPMP Test 2-2016. (Photo by Dicken Wear)

Ron Capps and Fox TV Crew at WHPMP Test 2-2016. (Photo by Dicken Wear)

Fast Jack, Jimmy Prock and Fox TV Crew at WHPMP Test 2-2016. (Photo by Dicken Wear)

Brittany Force Test at WHPMP 2-2016. (Photo by Dicken Wear)

Robert Hight Burnout at WHPMP Test 2-2016. (Photo by Dicken Wear)

JOHN FORCE RACING WRAPS UP SUCCESSFUL TEST SESSION IN PHOENIX

PHOENIX (February 6, 2016) ---- The quartet of John Force Racing race cars wrapped up a successful four days of NHRA pre-season testing at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park today. John Force Racing cars claimed seven of the 10 quickest runs of the day. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team led all Top Fuel dragsters today with a 3.721 second pass at 319.07 mph.

“I am definitely glad we are here in Phoenix testing. We were here for four days and I needed every single run that we made to make me feel more comfortable. Teaming up with Alan Johnson and Brian Husen as my crew chief has been great,” said Force, who finished the 2015 season in 7^th place. “They have made a lot of changes to this Monster Energy dragster. They run a whole different system that what we used to run. It takes some time to adjust to that and I am learning the car. It is starting to feel like home. We ran a couple of 3.72s and I am ready to get to Pomona.”

Force posted the 5^th and 6^th quickest runs of the four day test session.

The John Force Racing Funny Cars started slowly but finished the pre-season test session with strong runs led by Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team.

“We had a ton of things to come in here to test and it took us seven runs to get the application right to go down the track. We didn’t get to test everything that we wanted to but once it went it was fast. We figured out some of the good things that we wanted to test but not everything,” said Hight. “I also believe with how we finished the end of the year at Pomona what we learned here is going to make us so much better when we get back to Pomona. I am so excited to get to the Winternationals. We made career best runs here and we are in the ballgame.”

Hight posted a career best 3.885 second run at 329.34 mph on Saturday which was good enough for third quickest of the spring training event. Over the course of the test session Hight also ran the 9^th quickest run of the weekend 3.913 second.

Right behind Hight was teammate Courtney Force driving the Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car who ran her career best ET 3.890 at 323.89 mph. The first two days of testing were uneventful for Force who struggled to get her Funny Car down the track. The team began to hit their stride on Friday.

 “We struggled a little the first couple of passes but then we got it figured out. That is why you go to testing. I am really excited to be working with Ronnie Thompson and Danny Hood as my crew chiefs. This whole Traxxas Chevrolet Funny Car team did a great job here in Phoenix. We made my quickest run ever and I feel really comfortable heading to Pomona,” said Courtney Force.

The most consistent Funny Car on Saturday was John Force’s PEAK Antifreeze Chevrolet Camaro SS which ran three quick runs including a stellar 3.914 second run. His other passes of the day 3.927 seconds and 3.930 seconds easily had him near the top of the field.

“We got done what we needed to here in Phoenix. I am really proud of these young kids led by Jon Schaffer. We got after it every day and we got some good runs out of this PEAK hot rod. We are running right up at the top with all the other Funny Cars and that Monster dragster ran really well too. We have had a lot of change over the past couple of years but now I am focused on winning and getting the most out of all these race teams,” said John Force.

(Reprinted from Elon Werner: JFR Public Relations).