Courtney Force took her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS to her fifth final round of the season, racing to the final of the NHRA Nationals on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
A cylinder dropped in her Chevy in the final, though, and she fell short against Matt Hagan. But she solidified her hold on third place in the Funny Car points standings with one race remaining in the 2017 season.
“It means a lot to have a great race day like this for my Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro race team,” Force said. “Our Camaro just kept going all day, but unfortunately we dropped a hole in that final round and he drove around us for the win. You know, I held on to it and wasn’t going to give up.”
Force had a stellar day behind the wheel, and her Camaro was consistent most of the day Sunday. But she slowed to a pass of 4.020 seconds at 320.05 mph to trail Hagan’s 3.942-second pass at 329.42 mph.
Still, it was her fifth final of the season, which ranks her tied for third in the Funny Car class this season. Force will be looking for her first victory of 2017 when NHRA races in the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif., in two weeks.
“I think even though we haven’t gotten a win this season, we are being really consistent and I think that is the most important thing,” Force said. “You can win a championship with a consistent car rather than just having just one great run or a killer record run. Not having any consistency will not get you anywhere. Really proud of my guys for having a really consistent race car because that is what we need.”
Force opened Vegas’ race day with a pedalfest against Jeff Arend. As the tires started to spin in her car, Force controlled the throttled and coaxed the Advance Auto Parts car to a run of 6.044 seconds at 152.85 mph, beating Arend’s 7.323-second run at 91.04 mph.
Force’s car was tuned up for the second round, making a run of 3.933 seconds at 330.15 mph to beat Alexis DeJoria’s slowing pass of 4.099 seconds at 259.96 mph. Force then beat John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight in the semis with another good run: 3.928 seconds at 331.36 mph.
Force is 125 points out of the lead and still mathematically in the battle for the championship, as the Auto Club Finals awards 30 points per round win, in addition to more qualifying points available. But she’s also 27 points ahead of fourth-place Jack Beckman.
“We didn’t go home with a win in Vegas but we definitely made a step forward in points,” Force said. “I think we are almost a round more than Beckman going into the final race and we just have to keep it going in Pomona.”
4-Second Reads:
- Best Qualifying Effort: 3.878 seconds/331.77 mph (Round 2, Qualified No. 2)
- Elimination Round 1 (Right Lane): 6.044 seconds/152.85 mph (RT – .095 seconds), def. No. 15 Jeff Arend, 7.323 seconds/91.04 mph (RT – .083 seconds); fell behind at the start but made up the distance at 60 feet, then started pedaling her car and moves about while Arend gave up; vs. Arend – now 3-2 all-time; 1-0 this season; 1-0 at Las Vegas
- Elimination Round 2 (Quarterfinals, Left Lane): 3.933 seconds/330.15 mph (RT – .093 seconds), def. No. 10 Alexis DeJoria, 4.099 seconds/259.96 mph (RT – .081 seconds); fell behind at the start but made it up by 60 feet and pulled away for victory; vs. DeJoria – now 13-7 all-time; 3-0 this season; 2-1 at Las Vegas
- Elimination Round 3 (Semifinals, Left Lane): 3.928 seconds/331.36 mph (RT – .072 seconds), def. No. 3 Robert Hight, 10.402 seconds/83.40 mph (RT – .069 seconds); straight down the middle to jump into the finals; vs. Hight – now 10-14 all-time; 2-4 this season; 2-0 at Las Vegas
- Elimination Round 4 (Finals, Left Lane): 4.020 seconds/320.05 mph (RT – .069 seconds), lost to No. 4 Matt Hagan, 3.942 seconds/329.42 mph (RT – .050 seconds); left second and couldn’t catch up before the finish, losing a cylinder late; vs. Hagan – now 11-13 all-time; 1-3 this season; 1-1 at Las Vegas; 2-3 in finals
- Now 159-133 (292 rounds) all-time in elimination rounds (.545)
- Now 25-16 (41 rounds) all-time in elimination rounds after qualifying No. 2 (.610)
- Now 17-12 (29 rounds) all-time in elimination rounds at Las Vegas (.586)
- Now 28-22 (50 rounds) this season in elimination rounds (.560)
- Funny Car Points Standings: 1. Robert Hight 2,548; 2. Ron Capps 2,533; 3. Courtney Force 2,423; 4. Jack Beckman 2,387; 5. Matt Hagan 2,387; 6. John Force 2,306.
John Force Racing PR/Photo Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery
