A career-best run propelled Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster driver Brittany Force to the second round of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Sunday at Gateway Motorsports Park.
She stumbled in the second round, though, failing to advance to the semifinals of a 2017 Countdown to the Championship race for the first time.
“Unfortunately, we went out early,” Force said. “Right now, we’re still hanging third in points and we’re hoping to keep that through the rest of the day. We’ll just battle it out at the next one.”
Force remains third in the Top Fuel standings after three of the six Countdown races. She reached the semifinals in Charlotte before winning in Reading last weekend to jump into the mix of championship contenders.
Force started Sunday’s race with a killer run. Her pass of 3.644 seconds at 332.26 mph was the third-quickest run in NHRA history and easily better than her previous best of 3.674 seconds in Topeka earlier this year.
That run also dispatched No. 12 qualifier Pat Dakin, who made a run of 3.870 at 270.16 mph.
“To be able to come out on race day and run your career-best ET and third-best run in Top Fuel is pretty outstanding,” Force said. “A 3.64 – we went way beyond our previous best run of 3.67. It’s not like we came close or right around it – we stepped up big-time. We put that number on the board, and I was very proud of this team to do that, especially on race day. That’s not easy to do.”
Force and her team couldn’t repeat that run, as she drove into tire smoke near half-track in the second round. Her run of 4.250 at 231.83 mph was overcome by race runner-up Doug Kalitta’s run of 3.717 seconds at 329.83 mph.
Force and her Monster Energy team have a weekend off before racing in the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals on Oct. 13-15 at Texas Motorplex.
4-Second Reads:
- Best Qualifying Effort: 3.690 seconds/329.34 mph (Round 4; Qualified No. 5)
- Elimination Round 1 (Right Lane): 3.644 seconds/332.26 mph (RT – .085 seconds), def. No. 12 Pat Dakin, 3.870 seconds/270.16 mph (RT – .049 seconds); ripped off third quickest pass in NHRA history (quickest of career) and sixth fastest speed of her career (also best speed at the track) in perfect run; vs. Dakin – now 6-2 all-time; 3-0 this season; 1-0 at St. Louis
- Elimination Round 2 (Quarterfinals, Left Lane): 4.250 seconds/231.83 mph (RT – .077 seconds), lost to No. 4 Doug Kalitta, 3.717 seconds/4.250 mph (RT – .035 seconds); made a lane change right before the run, and lost traction about 300 feet out after leading at the 60-foot mark; vs. Kalitta – now 10-9 all-time; 0-1 this season; 1-1 at St. Louis
- Elimination Round 1 (Right Lane): 3.644 seconds/332.26 mph (RT – .085 seconds), def. No. 12 Pat Dakin, 3.870 seconds/270.16 mph (RT – .049 seconds); ripped off third quickest pass in NHRA history (quickest of career) and sixth fastest speed of her career (also best speed at the track) in perfect run; vs. Dakin – now 6-2 all-time; 3-0 this season; 1-0 at St. Louis
- Elimination Round 2 (Quarterfinals, Left Lane): 4.250 seconds/231.83 mph (RT – .077 seconds), lost to No. 4 Doug Kalitta, 3.717 seconds/4.250 mph (RT – .035 seconds); made a lane change right before the run, and lost traction about 300 feet out after leading at the 60-foot mark; vs. Kalitta – now 10-9 all-time; 0-1 this season; 1-1 at St. Louis
- Now 117-108 (225 rounds) all-time in elimination rounds (.520)
- Now 15-9 (24 rounds) all-time in elimination rounds after qualifying No. 5 (.625)
- Now 5-5 (10 rounds) all-time in elimination rounds at St. Louis (.500)
- Now 30-19 (49 rounds) this season in elimination rounds (.581); three rounds from tying career-best in a season (33), set in 2016
- Top Fuel Points Standings: 1. Steve Torrence 2376; 2. Doug Kalitta 2334; 3. Brittany Force 2293; 4. Antron Brown 2282; 5. Clay Millican 2235.
John Force Racing PR/Photo Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery
