Mon, 08 Sep 2014, 17:19 PM No. 1 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship Contender John |
Courtesy of NHRA Communications Headed to Maple Grove Raceway's NHRA Nationals |
MOHNTON, Pa. -- Force
 John Force
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??????????? The top-seeded drivers in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series' four pro categories (Top Fuel Dragster, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle) recently participated in a teleconference in preparation for the start of the Countdown to the Championship on Sept. 12.
??????????? John Force is a 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion and leads the points in his class. Force not only is a driver, but the team owner of a stable of three Funny Cars and one Top Fuel Dragster. (Two of his cars are piloted by his daughters, Brittany and Courtney.) Force also is in the midst of an intensive sponsorship search. Despite the many distractions, his car is consistent and one of the strongest in the NHRA Funny Car ranks.
??????????? "We work as a team," Force explained. "If you look at my Traxxas Ford with Courtney (Force) and Robert Hight in the Auto Club Mustang, and me with Castrol, we work as a team. I think we've been in the last seven or eight final rounds. We won a bunch of them. I got hot at the beginning of the year. I struggled. We got hot again. And something happened at testing. We tried some stuff, got off our game. And then we got back on our game with the Traxxas (Nitro Shootout), got the win there. And the (Alexis) DeJoria girl, doing a great job, took me out in the final at Indy. I didn't like it, but her dad did. So I've got girls, too, and I was excited for her. I didn't like losing. But now that's all gone. Indy's over. It's all about the Countdown. I need a championship as much as the other drivers out there want it. And my focus is going to be dead on."
??????????? Despite his 16 championship rings, Force -- arguably the NHRA's biggest star -- must face reality if adequate sponsorship funding is not found. The possibility of him having sit out the next season due to lack of funding is almost unthinkable. At Maple Grove Raceway, he will be racing for survival.
??????????? "If I don't get the money to race, I will have to quit because my daughter Courtney has a deal with Traxxas, Robert with Auto Club, they're all strong. Brittany (Force) and I don't," Force continued. "And Brittany is going to race ahead of me. I made that promise to her, to her mother, and that's where it's going. But we're working to make it. And it's our job, our responsibility. We're big boys. We're going to stay in business and right now the focus is to win this championship to show them that John Force Racing is strong. But right now I don't feel good any day of the week I wake up. I have a job to do. I owe my children. I owe the fans and I owe the sponsors that are with me to stay in business. And I owe NHRA. And I'm going to do it."?????
??????????? Tickets for NHRA Nationals now are on sale and may be purchased by calling MGR at (610) 856-9200 or online at www.MapleGroveRaceway.com.
??????????? Young drag racing fans in the junior (ages 6-15) and children (ages 5 and under) ticket categories are entitled to substantial discounts for the Northeast's biggest professional drag racing event. For example, a reserved seat ticket for Sunday's final eliminations is $60 for adults, but only $20 for "juniors" (ages 6-15) and $10 for children (ages 5 and under).?????
??????????? The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series attracts the world's biggest names in professional drag racing to the Reading, Pa., area each year, including: 16-time Funny Car world champion John Force, seven-time Top Fuel Dragster champion Tony Schumacher, 2012 Top Fuel Dragster champion Antron Brown and 41-time Funny Car winner Ron Capps. The nitromethane-burning NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars routinely blaze the 1,000-ft. track at speeds in excess of 320 miles per hour.
??????????? Currently, MGR holds three national records: Top Fuel Dragster (Antron Brown, 3.701 sec., set in 2012), Pro Stock Motorcycle (Andrew Hines, 6.728 sec., in 2012) and Top Alcohol Funny Car (Frank Manzo, 5.411 sec., in 2011).
??????????? Now in its 52nd year of operation, historic Maple Grove Raceway -- America's quickest and fastest drag strip -- is recognized as a leading facility in the sport of NHRA-sanctioned drag racing.
??????????? For more information, please call Maple Grove Raceway at (610) 856-9200 or visit www.maplegroveraceway.com. Follow Maple Grove Raceway on Facebook and Twitter (@maplegrove).
30th ANNUAL NHRA NATIONALS SPECTATOR ADMISSION Thursday, Oct. 2 Adult general admission: $15. Juniors (ages 6-15) and children (ages 5 and under): Free. Friday, Oct. 3 Adult reserved admission: $44. Adult general admission: $40. Junior reserved admission: $15. Junior general admission: $10. Children reserved: $5. Saturday, Oct. 4 Adult reserved admission: $60. Adult general admission: $50. Junior reserved admission: $20. Junior general admission: $10. Children reserved admission: $10. Sunday, Oct. 5 Adult reserved admission: $60. Adult general admission: $50. Junior reserved admission: $20. Junior general admission: $10. Children reserved admission: $10. WEEKEND SCHEDULE Thursday, Oct. 2 -- Sportsman classes only. 8:45 a.m. -- Sportsman qualifying. 4 p.m. -- Comp Eliminator qualifying. 6 p.m. -- Secure track. Friday, Oct. 3 -- Professional qualifying begins. 8:45 a.m. -- Sportsman eliminations. 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. -- Comp Eliminator qualifying sessions. 11:30 a.m. -- Top Alcohol Funny Car and Dragster qualifying. 1:15 p.m. -- Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying. 2 p.m. -- Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car qualifying. 3:15 p.m. -- Top Alcohol Funny Car and Dragster qualifying. 4:15 p.m. -- Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying. 5 p.m. -- Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car qualifying. 7 p.m. -- Secure track. Saturday, Oct. 4 -- Professional qualifying continues. 8:45 a.m. -- Sportsman eliminations. 10:30 a.m. - First round of Comp Eliminator eliminations. 11:15 a.m. -- Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying. Noon -- Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car qualifying. 1 p.m. -- Top Alcohol Funny Car and Dragster qualifying. 2 p.m. -- Second round of Comp Eliminator eliminations. 2:15 p.m. -- Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying. 3 p.m. -- Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car qualifying. 4 p.m. -- Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car eliminations. 7 p.m. -- Secure track. Sunday, Oct. 5 -- Final eliminations. 10 a.m. -- Pre-race ceremonies. 11 a.m. -- Final eliminations begin. 4:30 p.m. -- Estimated time of event completion. Schedule subject to change.
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