JFR: grows family business

Most teams in motorsport start out being a family operation, you know, low on funds means everybody pitches in, but as they grow and expand they become less and less so. Well, no one told drag race legend John Force this!


Brittany Force

As the 2013 season draws near, John Force Racing (JFR) will bring along a Top Fuel dragster to Pomona. Driving it will be his daughter Brittany who has been racing since she was 20. Even though she has less experience than drivers such as Antron Brown and Larry Dixon, to name a few top T/F drivers, she managed to post the third fastest run (3.79 seconds at 324 mph) during testing at West Palm in December 2012. So, she also takes after her father!

"I'm excited to be out there," Brittany said. "I'm going to be running against these guys I grew up watching....I would really like to go after my first win [at Pomona].

What John has managed to do in racing is quite exceptional. I can't think of any other driver (and car/team owner) that competes against and along his children on a race weekend for an entire race season.

John Force's four daughters all are part of his team:

- Adria Hight, 43, is JFR chief financial officer.

- Ashley Force Hood, 30, drove a funny car before taking a break to start a family. She presently directs John Force entertainment.

- Courtney Force, 24, started driving Funny Car in 2012,

- Brittany Force, 26, will now make JFR milestone debut in Top Fuel debut at Pomona (Winternationals 2013).

"Were on uncharted ground here," John Force said. "We have so much to prove and so much to learn...I'm excited to to go into new territory. It was a change that needed to be made. I'm proud that my children get the opportunity to do the sport that I love to do. I'm honored and humbled."

John, you are the man and we salute you, for raising your children to be as competitive as you are, and for not standing in their way. And of course, we all know that behind a great man, stands an even greater woman. Congrats Laurie, two thumbs up. Way high up!

Adria Hight (2nd form left)

Ashley Force Hood

Courtney Force

Thanks for reading and see you at the races.

Source: USAToday, DragIllustrated, Wikipedia.

First female Pro Stock winner

Erica soaking it all in

Erica Enders made history last Sunday when she became the first female to win an NHRA Pro Stock race, regardless of sanction. This also marks the 12th time a female has won an NHRA Pro category race. She follows in the footsteps of, amongst others, Shirley Muldowney,  Shelly Anderson-Payne, Angele Sampey, and Ashley Force-Hood.

In getting to her seventh career final, Erica beat Kurt Johnson, Vincent Nobile and V. Gaines at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals. In the final round, she led points leader Greg Anderson all the way down the track to win with a e.t. of 6.627 seconds at 207.40 mph.

side-by-side racing doorslammers

The fact that it took longer than we all had hoped made it all the sweeter, for she had been banging on the door for a while now. And to win against none other than Greg Anderson, the man who didn't want to be "the one" to go down in history as loosing to a female for the first time.
Personally, I don't believe there's anything wrong with that, seeing that hard working women have made it to the top of their "game", be it in business, government or sports.

"It's awesome," said Enders. "I think that if I could have planned it, I would have asked to run Greg in the final. You know that he made it very clear he didn't want to lose to me. He's a very competitive guy, and I love him to death, but I couldn't wait to beat him."

FulTrot's followers will attest that I have been predicting that Erica's day would soon come. And there were many others who did so too, for her crew went nuts back at the starting line, as they screamed in the team's headsets. Crew chief Dave Connolly gave a great interview as well, saying that this win as crew chief was more gratifying than a win as a driver. Coming from Dave, one of the sharpest driver's in the Pro Stock category, says a lot about the win.

The video below shows the match up, race, celebrations and subsequent interviews:



The 28-year-old Houston-native and started driving in the Pro Stock category back in 2005, when car owner Victor Cagnazzi gave her the opportunity to drive a Pro Stock car, knowing that she had never let out the clutch of a race car before. Her rise as a youthful drag racer was portrayed in a Disney original movie "Right On Track".

"Twenty years, from the time I was eight years old in the Junior Dragster this has been a dream of mine and I have worked my butt off to get here," Enders said of the historical victory. "For all the kids (and forty-year-olds) who were told they couldn't do it. You CAN do it."

Erica and Team in the winner's circle

One of the first persons to congratulate Erica was the godfather of Pro Stock, Bob Glidden, who called her on her cell right after ESPN's interview.

Congratulations to Erica, her crew and team owner Victor Cagnazzy on the historical win. Great job Dave, although I'd rather see you behind a steering wheel though. That's where you belong.

Thanks for reading.

Source: NHRA, CompetitionPlus, Wikipedia.
Photo credit: NHRA, Mark J. Rebilas.