"We have had success at Norwalk. I lost a close race to Tony Pedregon in the final last year. (Crew
chief) Jimmy (Prock) has my Auto Club Mustang running as good as it has all season. We just need to
put it together on race day and go some rounds." - Robert Hight
Robert Hight and his Auto Club Ford Mustang have had a lot of success at Summit Racing Equipment
Motorsports Park. They have performed well in qualifying - starting from the No. 1 position the
past two years - and last year they raced to their third final of 2008 dropping a close race to
Tony Pedregon.
So far success has eluded one of the pre-season championship favorites in 2009. Entering the 3rd
annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Hight will be in the middle of his longest winless
drought of his career - last win 2008 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals - as well as his longest drought for
No. 1 qualifiers as the streak hits ten entering Norwalk. His Auto Club Mustang team sits in 12th
place in Full Throttle points, 80 points behind rookie Matt Hagan who holds down the coveted No. 10
spot.
Even with these rather dire statistics Hight still projects confidence in his team and where they
are headed.
"We are still a championship caliber team. I have total confidence in (crew chief) Jimmy Prock and
my team. There is no doubt we have struggled this year. The last two races (Chicago and
Englishtown) we have started to turn the corner. We went back to an old clutch set-up that is
similar to what Guido and Ron (Ashley Force Hood's crew chiefs) are running. They are doing alright
with it and I think we can learn from each other as we go to more races," said the 2005 rookie of
the year.
Hight is referring to the success teammate Ashley Force Hood and her Dean "Guido" Antonelli, Ron
Douglas tuned Castrol GTX Ford Mustang are having in 2009. They have raced to five final rounds
including the last three in a row. They are sitting in the No. 2 position in Full Throttle points
and have four No. 1 qualifiers to their credit this season. Their performance sounds almost
Hight-like.
"We had a lot of success early in my career and I am very excited for Ashley, Guido, Ron and their
whole team. They have earned everything that they have won this season. We are going to give them a
run for their money though. We are all working, everyone at John Force Racing, on making all four
of our Mustangs championship contenders this season. We are excited to be heading to Norwalk. I
don't know that there are any teams that know this track better than John Force. He has raced so
many Night Under Fires here and we all learn from him," said Hight.
Following the Englishtown event Hight and the rest of the John Force Racing crew spent a day with
long-time John Force Racing sponsor Castrol at their Wayne, New Jersey headquarters. On Father's
Day, Hight along with daughter, Autumn and father-in-law John Force spent the afternoon fishing
with Tom McKernan, president of the Auto Club of Southern California. This much sponsor interaction
only fuels Hight's competitive fire to perform at the highest level on the track.
"Sponsors pay us to win rounds and races. We are very fortunate to have some of the best sponsors
in all of motor sports when you talk about companies like Auto Club, Ford Racing, Castrol, Mac
Tools, BrandSource, and Sanyo. We are focused on getting back into the winner's circle and getting
into the Countdown to 1 for us and for them. I have said it a couple of times after the races and I
still believe we can race our way into not just the Top Ten but the Top Five and contend for this
championship," said Hight.
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.
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).
Race Schedule:
Friday -
Top Alcohol Qualifying: 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Nitro Qualifying: 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Saturday -
Top Alcohol Qualifying: 10:00 a.m.
Pro Qualifying: 1:00 p.m. and 3:35 p.m.
Top Alcohol First Rnd: 4:00 p.m.
Sunday -
Pre-race: 10:00 a.m.
Final eliminations: 11:00 a.m.
Television:
Saturday, June 27, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 8 p.m.
(ET) Sunday June 28, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day at noon. (ET).
Sunday, June 28, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
Get team info here: http://www.johnforceracing.com
Follow John Force Racing at http://www.twitter.com/jfr_racing
