Holds the 9th spot going into Chicago for the 15th annual Route 66 Nationals

Chicago, IL (June 22, 2012) – Right before the 11th race of the NHRA Full Throttle drag racing season, the John Force Racing operation finds themselves in recovery mode. Having all four drivers ousted during the first round of Sunday’s eliminations two weeks ago at the 12th annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Ford Dealers in Bristol, Tenn., the entire team has been working hard to bounce back from what seemed to be a fluke weekend.

Now, they prepare for what may be one of the most intense 15th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries taking into account that teammate Mike Neff won this event in 2011 and the fact that this may be the last chance for Force to win a spot for her Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout.

“I’m definitely excited for the NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Chicago this week. There are a lot of things that are going to keep us busy leading up to the race weekend. We have the NHRA press conference Wednesday and a full media tour to do on Thursday to raise awareness of the event. I think it’s going to be a busy week and a great way to kick-start the weekend,” said Force, who celebrated her 24th birthday on June 20th. “I really hope the weekend goes well. I’m currently 9th in points and I just need to keep working hard and hopefully the car stays consistent. We really gotta fight to go rounds and keep my position, or even move up for that matter. It’s going to be a huge weekend for all of our teams.”

The Traxxas Ford Mustang team, along with driver and rookie in the lead for Auto Club’s Road to the Future award, has proved to be an outstanding team in the NHRA Funny Car class for 2012, their first year out. It’s no secret that the youngest Force, daughter of 15-time NHRA World Champion John Force, has followed in her father’s footsteps, in addition to those of her eldest sister Ashley Force Hood.

“We didn’t have a great weekend in Bristol, Tenn., my teammates and I all went out in the first round. It was a tough weekend; tough loss, but you know, you learn from these things. Obviously you can’t win them all and we took a lot away from that race. It really shows how strong our competition is,” said Force.

The Cal State Fullerton graduate started off strong grabbing a huge win over her father in only her second professional drag race, the complicated task of driving her car into a qualifying spot at each of the ten completed events and won seven rounds this year, more than any other rookie.

At this point in her short driving career, Force is able to turn the other cheek and view the glass “half full.”
“Being in the top 10 is a huge accomplishment, but even though we had a bad weekend in Bristol, we all still remain in the top 10. The whole deal really makes you more excited about Chicago because we want to make a comeback and we want to win,” said Force