21st Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals
Houston Raceway Park, Houston, Tex.
March 28-30, 2008

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Castrol/JFR Highlights: Ashley Force advanced to the second final round of her career…John Force reached the semi-finals for the second time in 2008… both Ashley and John moved up in the Funny Car point standings to No.5 and No, 6, respectively…pre-race points leader Robert Hight failed to qualify but only fell to 4th place in the points standings.

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ASHLEY FORCE REACHES SECOND CAREER FINAL AT SPRING NATIONALS
-Three JFR Ford Mustangs in Funny Car Top Six-

(HOUSTON) — For the second time in Ashley Force’s young career the 25 year-old driver of the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang was less than a second away from history. In a final round match-up versus veteran Del Worsham, the 2007 Rookie of the Year was at an almost immediate disadvantage and Worsham cruised to victory with a 4.93 second run to Force’s 4.97 pass.

“It wasn’t our day it was Del’s. It was still a real good day, I can’t complain especially with all the ups and downs we have had this year it was good to go some rounds,” said the 2007 winner of AOL’s Hottest Athlete contest. “We were really pumped to be going rounds today and to get to the final. The car went down the track every run. I wish we would have won. Eventually we will get there.”

No woman has ever won in the ultra-competitive Funny Car class in the 58 years of the NHRA and Force is the only woman to have ever reached the final – a feat she has accomplished twice – previously in Las Vegas last October and today. She attributed her success to an entire JFR team effort throughout the day.

“It showed when all the guys were working on my car and I know they were bummed because they weren’t racing. Robert’s team – teammate and bother-in-law Hight’s team failed to qualify- was over here bright and early this morning working with us and throughout the day as teams went out they helped us. That just made us want to defend their points positions that much more,” said Force.

“We weren’t just racing for ourselves we were racing for the whole team. If they aren’t our people then we need to take them out. That is what we did and it just makes you want it that much more. We are not just a single team trying to get a win we are all working together.”

Team leader and 14-time Funny Car Champion John Force had a chance to race daughter Ashley and make it an all Castrol final round but his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang was vanquished by Worsham in the semi-final round.

“Worsham is a hell of a racer. He was way overdue and hungry. He had a car that was just fast. A lot of these cars have been carrying this weight since last year. They have more runs on them tan us but we’ll learn,” said winningest driver in Funny Car history.

“For Ashley to get to another final is great. I went a lot of rounds before I finally won. It is a learning curve and she is driving the heck out of her Mustang. “I think our Ford team held its own this weekend. We are going to test here tomorrow at least on the early parts of the race track.”

This was the second semi-final round appearance for the elder Force in 2008 and moved him up to the sixth position in the Funny Car standings. Considering how much he has overcome in the last five months; a career threatening crash in Dallas last September, a vigorous and brutal rehab schedule, and major adjustments to his Ford Mustang, Force has expanded his already legendary status in a sport where many would consider him the king.

“Every round is a learning experience for me because of my body healing but I am coming around as a driver. I am doing my job and feeling my car again. It is just taking a little longer.”

Rookie of the Year candidate Mike Neff and his Old Spice Ford Mustang team made the best losing run of the event and possibly early season laying down a blistering 4.89 pass versus reigning Funny Car world champion Tony Pedregon in the first round but Pedregon grabbed a starting line advantage and it was enough to hold off the hard charging Neff.

“That loss was tough. We made a good run and we end up getting nipped on a hole shot. It is like we just can’t catch a break. Tony (Pedregon) had a really good light and I had a solid light. We just came up a hair short,” said the former world champion crew chief turner driver. “Things are getting better and we are coming around. That was a good solid run and it would have beaten just about anybody else in the first round. That is just the way it goes. The encouraging thing is we are making progress and the car is running good. We qualified third again. Our day is coming.”

While Neff continues to look for his first round win he and his team are encouraged by the improvements they make every race including qualifying No. 3 and picking up the Full Throttle crew award – given to the most consistent team during qualifying.

“It was tricky here but third is third. That was a good place to be. We picked up the Full Throttle award and that is just another little feather in our cap which is respectable. That first round run was the second quickest of that round and we are going home. I’ve said it before, it (Neff’s Ford Mustang) is just right there, super close and against anybody else we would have been getting ready for the second round.”

Heading into the race Robert Hight had the Funny Car points lead and decent amount of optimism that his Auto Club Ford Mustang was only one or two qualifying runs away from turning the corner and regaining its dominant form. Unfortunately, after four qualifying session in two days – a first for the 2008 season – he was only briefly one of the 16 quickest Funny Cars on the property and had to sit on the sidelines for only the third time in his career. At the end of the day he had fallen to XX in the point standing but was looking forward to a full day of testing on Monday.

Hight was not the only JFR driver forced to watch from the sidelines as rookie Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Courtney Force missed making the TAD field for the second event in a row, also the Divisional race in Phoenix in March. Ms. Force is continuing to gain experience in the class that launched her sister Ashley into the Funny Car ranks while she shares seat time with her other sister Brittany.

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Race Winners At-A-Glance:

FUNNY CAR: Del Worsham, Chino Hills, Calif., K&N Filters ‘08 Chevy Impala, 4.933, 316.60 mph, def. Ashley Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Castrol GTX ‘08 Ford Mustang, 4.971, 302.62 mph,
TOP FUEL: Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., 4.605, 320.28 mph, def. Larry Dixon, Indianapolis, Ind., 4.621, 309.06 mph,
PRO STOCK: Greg Anderson, Mooresville, NC, ‘08 GXP, 6.692, 207.37 mph, def. Kurt Johnson, Sugar Hill, Ga., ‘08 Cobalt, 13.425, 64.01 mph.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: Matt Smith, King. NC, ‘08 Buell, 7.060, 187.76 mph., def. Matt Guidera, Loomis, Calif., ’05 Buell, 7.140, 185.03 mph.
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER: Randy Eakins, Carson City, Nev., 5.392, 263.67 mph, def. Duane Shields, Boulder City, Nev., 5.392, 273.50 mph.
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR: Jay Payne, Claremont. Calif., ’07 Ford Mustang, 5.626, 256.41 mph., def. Mickey Ferro, Stamford, CT, ’06 Chevy Monte Carlo, 11.799, 62.46 mph.

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NHRA POWERade Points (unofficial standings after four of twenty-four POWERade National events):

FUNNY CAR – 1. Cruz Pedregon, 260; 2. Jack Beckman, 249; 3. Tony Pedregon, 233; 4. Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 232; 5. Ashley Force, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 231; 6. John Force, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, 219; 7. Gary Densham, 208; 8. Tim Wilkerson, 204; 9. Del Worsham, 187; 10. Jim Head, 156; also 13. Mike Neff, Old Spice Ford Mustang, 136.

TOP FUEL – 1. Tony Schumacher, 357; 2. Larry Dixon, 349; 3. Antron Brown, 279; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 216; 5. Cory McClenathan, 214; 6. Rod Fuller, 211; 7. David Grubnic, 201; 8. Hillary Will, 195; 9. Doug Herbert, 193; 10. Morgan Lucas, 148.

PRO STOCK – 1. Greg Anderson, 343; 2. Jeg Coughlin, 340; 3. Jason Line, 275; 4. Allen Johnson, 263; 5. Mike Edwards, 212; 6. V Gaines, 250; 7. Kurt Johnson, 266; 8. Warren Johnson, 221; 9. Justin Humphreys, 168; 10. Greg Stanfield, 151.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE – 1. Matt Guidera, 212; 2. Matt Smith, 195; 3. Andrew Hines, 171; 4. Chip Ellis, 151; 5. Ed Krawiec, 111; 6. Angelle Sampey, 105; 7. Angie McBride, 85; 8. Chris Rivas, 84; 8. Hector Arana, 84; 10. Karen Stoffer, 67.