August 2009 Archives

Above: John Force, left, will switch rides with teammate Robert Hight,
beginning this weekend.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and it's reached that point for the John Force Racing team.
Force, already comfortably in the Countdown to 1, along with daughter Ashley, announced Sunday a drastic attempt to get son-in-law Robert Hight in the top 10 for the NHRA's version of the postseason.
Hight, who has struggled with consistence all year, will drive Force's ride during the final two races of the regular season - this weekend's Toyo Tires Nationals near Reading, Pa, and the U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis.
Hight trails No. 10 Cruz Pedregon by 70 points, with No. 11 Matt Hagan 30 points behind Pedregon.
"I said I wouldn't shuffle my crew chiefs for three races," said Force on ESPN's telecast of the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn. on Sunday. "But I am moving a driver. Today, [I think] I earned enough to get my Castrol Mustang into the Countdown. It's not secure, but it's close enough. To be safe, I should have gone one more round, but I didn't, [so] I'm going with what we've got.
"I have about a 100-point lead with two races to go. Somebody is going to really have to do some damage to catch me, but we've got to get Robert back in the hunt, so I'm going to move Robert over to my car, and I'm gonna drive the Auto Club Mustang."
Hight, who has finished in the top five the past two seasons, is up for the challenge.
"We caught a break when Tony (Pedregon) beat Cruz," Hight said. "That was big for us. We're only three rounds behind Cruz for the 10th spot. We have two races (remaining before the field is set) and I am up for the challenge. I've been in pressure situations before and I am confident in my abilities.
"We are not out of this Countdown by a long shot."

Above: Tony Pedregon, seen here holding the series
championship trophy in 2007, showed his mettle this weekend.

This could have been a tough weekend for veteran Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon.
But there's a reason he's a two-time NHRA champion.
He showed why, winning the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn. just days after dropping a bombshell on the NHRA circuit, announcing Friday that he and long-time crew chief Dickie Venables had parted ways.
It sure didn't look like it Sunday after he marched to four round wins, including beating second-place Ron Capps in the finals with a 4.149-second pass.
"I've had a long and successful career," Pedregon told NHRA.com. "I've been very fortunate to be able to drive for guys like Larry Minor and John Force. I've learned a lot from them, and I really felt that I'd been through everything, and I really didn't anticipate this happening on such a short notice. Thursday I knew the reality and I didn't really feel like I was in a panic. I'm very optimistic and I really believed that I had a good foundation to work with. I addressed my team when I showed up, and I told them that I really need them.
"I had all the information in front of me, and it was just a matter of putting the right people in the right places. There was a little bit of uncertainty, the fear of losing and wanting to win. I started to put things in perspective and I thought there is no need to panic. The first goal was to get here, put things in place, and I wanted to qualify. Once we qualified, I thought, well maybe we can go a round or two."
Pedregon will bring a 28-point lead into next weekend's event in Reading, Pa.
Other winners Sunday were Morgan Lucas in Top Fuel and Greg Anderson in Pro Stock.