How is John Force making all the right moves lately?
By Mark Gerwtz, AP By Gary Graves, USA TODAY CLERMONT, Ind. — The next two days will determine how well it works, but for now that shakeup at John Force … , Sources: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_1_0_t&usg=AFQjCNHwpjXG3sFbE-PE-7PYModlrKuFLA&cid=1306980148&ei=5qWlSoC-FZDq8gSIt7YR&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fsports%2Fmotor%2Fnhra%2F2009-09-05-graves-notebook_N.
It was a beautiful day for the biggest event of the year in drag racing, the US Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Indiana. The 55th running of the big show offered plenty of drama and exciting side by side drag racing reaching speeds well over 300 MPH. Ashley Force Hood, Tony Schumacher, Jeg Coughlin and Hector Arana hoisted the coveted U.S. Nationals Wallys in victory lane late Monday afternoon. John Force Racing celebrated a strong showing this weekend starting with four cars in the top five Funny Car qualifying spots and three of those Ford Mustangs reaching the semi-finals today. Ashley Force Hood eliminated Tony Pedregon in her semi, creating an all John Force Racing final matching her with teammate and brother-in-law Robert Hight. Hight was also fighting for a spot in The Countdown To One Championship, a close battle he shared with Cruz Pedregon. Hight got plenty of help today from his team owner and father-in-law John Force, starting in the second round when Force
The next two days will determine how well it works, but for now that shakeup at John Force Racing seems to have things falling into place. Robert Hight, fighting two others for the 10th and final Funny Car berth in the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship playoff, leads JFR’s sweep of the top four spots through three qualifying rounds at the 55th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Next are Ashley Force Hood, Mike Neff and 14-time champion John Force. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) remained the top qualifiers in their respective classes. Qualifying concludes with two rounds Sunday at O’Reilly Raceway Park. “To come in here two nights in a row with number-1s, trying to get in (the Countdown), you couldn’t ask for more,” said Hight, who clocked 4.082 seconds at 308.35 miles per hour in the third round. Hight, who entered the weekend 38 points out of the final spot in 12th place, was reunited this weekend with crew chief Jimmy Prock after ra
