John Force PEAK Antifreeze car to make season debut in Norwalk

NORWALK — John Force will switch gears at this weekend's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, trading in his BlueDEF Platinum livery for the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant paint scheme on his Chevrolet Camaro SS at Summit Motorsports Park. Starting the weekend from the No. 8 spot in the Camping Word Crag Racing Series point standings, Force — who will keep the new paint scheme for the remainder of the season — is coming off a busy weekend at Bristol Dragway. The 74-year old was runner-up in the postponed NHRA New England Nationals originally scheduled to be contested in Epping, N.H. Then he had a quarterfinal exit at the regularly scheduled Thunder Valley Nationals. Force is racing for his 17th series championship and is trying to win at least one tour event for the 35th season. "I'm looking forward to going back to Norwalk," Force said. "Summit Motorsports Park is an amazing facility. The Bader family knows how to do it right. I've been coming here for a lot of years. I know the family well, Bill Bader Sr., he built something great and now his family has continued the tradition and grown the vision, it is spectacular really. "Every weekend I race, I want to win. It's why I do it, why I'm still out here. So I'm hoping this PEAK team puts on a good show for these Ohio fans." A year ago, Force made more history at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. He won his 1,400th round of racing by besting Bobby Bode in the first round with the quickest time, 3.878 seconds, and top speed, 333.41 mph, of the entire event. Force started from the No. 1 qualifying position one time at Summit Motorsports Park, in 2013. He won the event in 2014, defeating the now reigning world champion Ron Capps in the finals. The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park features Funny Car qualifying at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. and. 5 p.m. on Saturday. Eliminations for the event are slated for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of race weekend action begins with a qualifying show at 5:30 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will air on FOX at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Hight set to begin Norwalk Wally defense Entering as the defending Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals winners\, Robert Hight and the AAA/Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro are hoping to repeat history at Summit Motorsports Park with their third victory of the 2023 season. Currently in third place, Hight won in Norwalk last year from the No. 3 starting position, his first victory in 15 starts at the fan-favorite venue. Hight has three No. 1 starts at Norwalk in 2007, 2008 and 2011. Before breaking through for a win, he was runner-up in 2008 and 2017. He is the current track record holder for speed at 334.65 mph set in 2017. "Racing in Norwalk is always a highlight," Hight said. "There's a lot of history there, and the Bader family has created a tradition of putting on great events for fans. It should be a good weekend. We'll have AAA out and we're right in Cornwell Tools' backyard. "It would be great to get AAA their first win of the season and share the winner's circle with them." Hight became just the 13th driver in NHRA pro drag racing history to win 600 competitive rounds, a mark he reached with a first-round win at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals in April after qualifying No. 1. His qualifying efforts extended his record of having qualified No.1 at least once and won at least once in every season that he has contested the championship (18). Hight currently sits third in the overall championship standings thanks to two victories at the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals and NHRA Arizona Nationals. Hight most recently qualified No. 1 at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. and had a semifinal exit. Brittany Force narrowing in on Top Fuel victory Brittany Force and the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster team enter this weekend's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park looking for their first win and a jump up in the points standings. Currently sitting tied for third with teammate Austin Prock, Force owes her positioning to three No. 1 qualifying starts at the season-opening Gatornationals and both Four-Wide events in Las Vegas and Charlotte. She has also had four semifinal points finishes in the last six events, including one at the return of the Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway where Force and her team made a jump from fifth to second in points. Most recently in Bristol, Tenn., Brittany had a quarterfinal exit at the postponed New England Nationals and a first-round exit at the Thunder Valley Nationals. "With four qualifying runs, we have a better shot at getting qualified in the top three and figuring the track out with a little less pressure," Brittany said. "You change your game plan with fewer qualifying runs and debate pushing for the top spot. With fewer runs it's riskier so it's nice to have an extra run this weekend. "In the past at Summit Motorsports Park we've qualified well and last year we were No. 1, set the track record and had a semifinal exit. Our history gives us some good data to pull from and get set up for the weekend." A win at Summit Motorsports Park this weekend would not only be her first of the 2023 season, but Force's first at the venue. Despite not having raised a Wally at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, Brittany has had success in the event. In her last six starts at the event, she qualified in the top three with No. 1s in 2019 and 2022 when she set the current track record at 3.666 seconds. Her best finish was runner-up in 2021.