John Force Racing Report from Royal Purple Raceway

  6^th of 24 races in the NHRA Mello Yello Series

Royal Purple Raceway- Baytown, Texas- April 27, 2014

    Final round results from Sunday’s 27^th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway, sixth race in the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:

FUNNY CAR – Robert Hight, Yorba Linda, Calif., AAA Texas Ford Mustang, 4.055, 314.90 mph, def. Jack Beckman, Norco, Calif., Infinite Hero Dodge Charger, 4.176, 308.43 mph.

TOP FUEL – Antron Brown, Brownsburg, Ind., Matco Tools dragster, 3.793, 317.72 mph, def. Khalid alBalooshi, Los Angeles, Calif., Al-Anabi dragster, 4.433, 184.67 mph.

PRO STOCK – Erica Enders-Stevens, New Orleans, La., Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro, 6.594, 210.60 mph, def. Allen Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn., Mopar Dodge Dart, 6.588, 210.28 mph.

* * * *

HIGHT WINS ATLANTA TO EXTEND JFR FINAL ROUND STREAK

            BAYTOWN, Texas (April 27, 2014) – Robert Hight came out on top again this weekend at the 27th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway where he won for the third time this year and extended his streak of consecutive final round appearances to five.

         In Sunday’s eliminations, he dismissed Bob Tasca III, Alexis DeJoria, Del Worsham and Jack Beckman to score his 32^nd professional career event win, No. 229 for John Force Racing as a whole.

             “It was like we didn’t even show up on Friday,” Hight said.  “It was horrible. On the first run it got through the clutch and wore it out and eventually smoked the tires. Second qualifying session we just totally missed it.  It was weak and shook, but I didn’t lose faith in my team.

             “They showed confidence and had the ‘we’ll go get ‘em Saturday’ attitude. We went out there and ran 4.07, 4.08 on Saturday to put us in the No. 4 spot.

             “Then the first three rounds today ran 4.07, 4.07, 4.07. You know how hard that is to do in one of these cars? There are so many variables.  It’s hard to make that many consistent runs in a row, but it shows how good my team is. They’re making just tiny changes, and at the last minute. They never act like there is a fire drill or anything is out of the ordinary, they just put their heads down and do their job. It’s a lot of fun right now,” said Hight.

             The Auto Club driver picked up his first professional win at Houston in 2005 and since then has won more Funny Car races than anyone other driver in the category.  He also scored his 299^th round win today.

             “It’s great to come out here and put AAA Texas on the side of the car. I’ve always felt bad, because we did get our first win here, but I’ve never been back to the final here in Houston. We haven’t done a very good job in this area. I haven’t gotten another win for them until now. To get back here and get them in the winner’s circle is huge.

             “I had high expectations coming into this weekend because I got my first win here. Mike Neff- he has owned this place. When he drove and tuned his own car he was, well, just like he was today. You have high expectations, especially since we’ve been in four straight final rounds. We’ve been kind of on a roll here. It dates back to Indy,” said Hight.

             This is the thirteenth race in a row that John Force Racing has had a Funny Car in the final round going back to the U.S. Nationals last season. Hight’s two final round losses this season have come at the hands from Alexis DeJoria and heading into the final round he was 1-4 versus the Patron XO Café sponsored driver.

             “That win against Dejoria was huge. She’s owned me, she’s had my number. I finally got a win against her at Four-Wide, but before that I was 0-4 and I still have a losing record against her. That’s a great team. They’re running well. She qualified right with me. We were 4 and 5. You always know they’re going to be there.

             “When you win one of these races, it’s an accomplishment. To have this as my third win of the year, just shows how steady my team is and, truthfully, that just puts more pressure on me because when that car goes up there and runs like it does, a bracket car, all I can do is screw it up. I have got to do my job,” said Hight.

             “When you can put 4.07’s on the board in a row in the heat, that mentally wears on your competitors. Some of these Funny Car guys, they’ll roll it in there deep and make their reaction times look good.  Not me.  I want ET.  I want my competitor to be scared and I don’t want to give lane choice away by rolling in deep.  Even in the final, I didn’t roll it in.  When you have confidence in yourself and in the car, there’s no need,” said Hight.

             In the final round, Hight set top speed in the Funny Car category with a 314.90 mph run.  Hight’s average ET on race day was a 4.069, but other team members of Hight struggled this weekend.

             “Mike Neff was over helping Courtney’s guys, in fact, a lot of my guys were over there.  She had a good car in first round, just spun a little down track.  We all help each other. If you stood back on the starting line, I had Castrol, Castrol Edge, Traxxas, all of them behind my car. We share in the wins and it’s one big team.  Don’t look for those (Traxxas) guys to struggle much longer. They’re right around the corner from doing exactly what we are.”

             Despite a strong showing in qualifying, an impressive first round win and running a career best speed of 327 mph, Brittany Force was unable to advance past the quarter finals.  At the hit of the throttle, her 10,000-horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster overpowered the track surface.

             Always optimistic, the 2013 Rookie of the Year was happy that her team stepped up its game with a strong and consistent performance.  Brittany was hoping for another final round appearance today, but that will have to wait until the NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta in two weeks.

             “It was a bummer we didn’t win this weekend, but we learned a lot and I’m really proud of my guys. They worked so hard, and to improve the way we did on race day says a lot about this Castrol EDGE team,” said Brittany Force.

             During the first round of eliminations, Brittany faced off against rookie Richie Crampton.  Both dragsters left the starting line with Brittany getting a slight holeshot advantage. The Castrol EDGE Dragster never trailed and took the win light with a 3.787 second elapsed time at 327.82 mph.  It was one of the quickest and fastest runs of the event. 

             “The Castrol EDGE team ended up qualifying number eight, and we were paired up with Richie Crampton. I had run him once before at the Winternationals. Coming out today, I was pumped and excited and just felt good. I knew we had a good race car and I have a great team behind me with Todd Smith and Dean Antonelli.   So, we went out there and got past the first round and I was so excited.  I didn’t see my win light so I actually didn’t know I won. My guys told me over the radio,” said Brittany Force.

             Ask any drag racer and they’ll all tell you, the first round is always the toughest. Brittany has suffered her share of losses in the opening round on race day, but today was not one of those days.

             “It’s always good to get past round one as it’s a real bummer that after four qualifying passes and all the hard work the guys put into the car, only to lose in the first round. So, I was excited to get past round one and the fact I ran that 3.78 time, which was the best we ran all weekend, was huge. It’s such a positive to improve on race day, because the conditions are so different from qualifying. We also ran a career best speed of 327 miles per hour so I was excited and my guys were pumped up for that,” said Brittany Force   

             During the second round of eliminations, Brittany lined up against Steve Torrence. As soon as Brittany left the starting line, her Castrol EDGE Dragster immediately smoked the Goodyears.  She tried to pedal her race car in hopes of recovering the run and chasing down Torrence, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

             “I had beaten him in Phoenix earlier this year,” said Brittany Force.  “Unfortunately for us, he got the win.  Right when I stepped on the gas, my dragster went up in smoke, I tried to pedal it but we couldn’t get it down the track.”

             In a highly uncharacteristic move, John Force red lit his chances of winning his 140th career victory at today’s NHRA Spring Nationals.  The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champ was facing off against Cruz Pedregon in the opening round when his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang left the starting line early, causing the red light to come on in John Force’s lane.

              “We were excited going into the first round today, after we struggled here, trying to get qualified.  I had a red light, it happens, we learn from it and move on,” said John Force.

             Even though John was sidelined early on race day, he was still focused on his other team drivers and their performance throughout Sunday’s eliminations. Whether it’s giving advice and coaching his drivers as they go through the rounds of eliminations or being a cheerleader while watching them from the starting line, he knows it’s a team approach in securing another NHRA Mello Yello World Championship for John Force Racing.

             “The Castrol EDGE dragster with Brittany has been trucking all weekend. She won the first round with a 3.78, which is a big number out here in these conditions, and it’s pretty impressive. Courtney and I both struggled, but I struggled the worst with the red light.  Robert’s going some rounds and we’re looking strong in Top Fuel and Funny Car, so we’ll be all right,” said John Force.

             Even though John Force hasn’t visited the winner’s circle at Royal Purple Raceway since 2002, and his winless drought at the NHRA Spring Nationals continues, he still remains solidly in the top half of the NHRA Mello Yello points chase. 

  Courtney Force and her Traxxas Ford Mustang team fought all the way through qualifying to qualify 16^th.   It was the first time the 25-year-old has qualified lower than the No. 14 position.

             “We had a tough start going into first round.  We got things figured out just in time for first round today,” said Force.

             Force went up against competitor Del Worsham in the opening round. This was the ninth time the two have met up in eliminations and the fourth time they have met in the first round.

             “Unfortunately the car started to spin the tires down at the finish line, just enough right before the line for him to pass me. We were out ahead the whole time. I really thought we had that win so it’s a bummer for me and my team, but we’re going to look at the positives.

             “We made the show this weekend, we put up a good fight in the first round against Worsham and almost had it right there at the end,” said Force.

             The 2012 Rookie of the Year will hold her No. 10 points. She is just two pints behind Tim Wilkerson in the No. 9 spot.

             “We’re going to have to move forward. We have our eyes set on Atlanta now. We’re still in the top 10 in points which is a good thing. We just have to keep pushing forward, stay positive, stay motivated and go to Atlanta,” said Force.

  * * * *

Antron Brown Closes in on Top Fuel Points Lead.

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (April 22, 2014) - Antron Brown and the Matco Tools Top Fuel team have pulled to within 25 points of leader Doug Kalitta in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series standings heading to this weekend's event near Houston.

The 2012 Top Fuel world champion used his incredible reaction time to win the unique NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte on April 13 to become the first double winner of the season through five of 24 Mello Yello events.

That pushed his career total to 43 titles including 16 in Pro Stock Motorcycle from 1999 to 2006. The accomplishment of his team moved Don Schumacher Racing's total to 222 including 217 since 1999.

Antron is tied with Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon with 43 NHRA Wally trophies, which ranks 12th on the all-time list. Reaching 50 titles would make Antron the 10th driver to reach that milestone in drag racing history.

"I don't want to think about history or breaking records until my career is over," said Antron, who is 38. "Hopefully when I look back - one day when I kick the boots off and take the helmet off - I can look back and go, 'What a career!' And hopefully I can leave that legacy behind for my kids to look at and say, 'My dad was somebody.' "

Instead of looking that far down the road, the native of New Jersey living near Indianapolis and first African-American driver to win a major American auto racing world championship, isn't looking past his next race at Royal Purple Raceway at Baytown, Texas. The Baytown track is where he won his first of 27 Top Fuel titles in 2008.

"Hopefully I can make a little bit more history and break some records. We just want to compete at a high level every time we step onto the racetrack. If we do that, we give ourselves a great shot at winning races. That's what my whole mindset is.
"I don't worry about the stats we just achieved," he said. "I worry about achieving more and more."

After a surprising first-round loss to open the season, Antron and the team led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald won the next title and then advanced to three championship rounds in which they won twice.

The streak has made the Matco team the hottest over the past nine Mello Yello events including two titles in the last four races of the past season. In that span, the team has won four titles in six championship rounds.

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster
HOUSTON BY THE NUMBERS
Last event (April 13, Concord, N.C.): Qualified No. 4; won event title by beating Shawn Langdon, J.R. Todd and Doug Kalitta in Four-Wide Nationals.
A year ago at Houston: Qualified No. 4; lost in first round to Bob Vandergriff
Career at Houston: Wins 1 (2008); Runner-ups 3 (2012, 2010, 2004*); Poles 2 (2009, 2001*) *Pro Stock Motorcycle

         Pts Events Titles Rup Semi Qtr 1st rd Poles DNQ Win/Loss
2014 2nd     5          2        1       1      0       1        1        0         12-3
CAREER     291       43     39      60    82     65      35      3       488-245
Best Time, Speed: 3.701*/** sec. (10- 8-12, Reading, Pa.); 328.78 mph (10-8-12, Reading)
* Quickest ever/** NHRA record

NHRA MELLO YELLO STANDINGS
TOP FUEL
(DSR drivers in CAPS)
driver (wins), points
1. Doug Kalitta (1), 485
2. ANTRON BROWN (2), 460
3. Steve Torrence (0), 347
4. Shawn Langdon (0), 330
5. TONY SCHUMACHER (1), 316
6. Khalid alBalooshi (1), 290
7. SPENCER MASSEY (0), 288
8. Brittany Force (0), 246
9. Richie Crampton (0), 189
10. J.R. Todd (0), 183

NEXT EVENTS:
April 25-27, Baytown, Texas
May 16-18, Atlanta
May 23-25, Topeka
May 29-June 1, Englishtown, N.J. 

About Matco Tools

            Since 1979, the mission of Matco Tools has been to provide professional mechanics and auto enthusiasts with all of the premium tools, storage and equipment they need to get the job done, while also offering best-in-class service and customer support. The company's network of 1,500 premier independent mobile distributors is focused on developing and maintaining trust-based relationships with its customers and has increased its revenues by an average of 8% in each of the last three years. Ranked among the top 30 in Entrepreneur Magazine's 2014 Franchise 500®, the company continues to expand throughout the United States and Canada, adding several hundred mobile stores each year.  For more information, please visit www.MatcoTools.com.

Cars made in the US? GM Tops the List

DETROIT – For the second year in a row, General Motors dominates the “Made in America” Automotive Index produced by American University’s Kogod School of Business. GM’s Chevrolet Corvette Stingray tied for No. 1 and 17 other GM vehicles tied for places in the Top 10.

In addition to the Stingray, seven other Chevrolets made the Top Ten including: Traverse, Equinox, Express, Malibu, Impala, Suburban and Tahoe. Other GM vehicles that ranked in the Top 10 were the GMC Acadia, Acadia Denali, Terrain, Savana and Yukon; Cadillac CTS, Escalade and ATS and Buick Enclave and LaCrosse.

The index is authored by Frank DuBois, a global supply chain management expert and professor at American University. DuBois developed the list based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration along with the location of headquarters, design, research and development, and where the profits go.

More comprehensive than other studies of its kind, the Kogod index ranks 318 car models based on seven weighted data points. These criteria include several factors, unaddressed by the American Automotive Labeling Act, which is the basis for “made in America” automotive studies:

• Profit Margin: Location of the automaker’s global headquarters
• Labor: Location of assembly
• Research & Development: Location of R&D activities
• Transmission: Location of production
• Inventory, Capital and Other Expenses: Location of assembly
• Engine: Location of production
• The Labeling Act “Domestic Content” Score

Based on the Labeling Act, if 75 percent of a vehicle’s value or more of a car’s parts come from the U.S. or Canada, it’s considered a domestic product. Nearly 80 percent of Americans would rather buy an American-made product, according to a Consumer Reports National Research Center survey. Furthermore, a recent 2013 Consumer Reports article pointed to the 2013 AU/Kogod study as the study to use when trying to decipher which vehicles are American made.

“This index undoubtedly provides Americans with a more defined explanation of the actual origin of a vehicle and its purchasing impact on the U.S. economy,” said Gerald Johnson, GM North America Manufacturing vice president.
To view the complete 2014 Kogod Made in America Auto Index, visit kogod.american.edu/autoindex.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

It took four qualifying tries, but Antron Brown makes it to the number 1 spot.

Brown, Matco Tools team shoots to second straight pole
at Las Vegas spring race, look for efficient Sunday in eliminations

LAS VEGAS (March 29, 2014) - Antron Brown and his Matco Tools Top Fuel team would like to extend at winning streak at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday after championship eliminations of the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals.

And they took a step toward that by winning their second straight pole in the Las Vegas Spring race and 35th of his career.

Antron used his last of four qualifying runs to earn his first No. 1 qualifying spot in the past 13 events going back to last year's U.S. Nationals a few miles from his home in Pittsboro, Ind. His best run was 3.768 seconds at 325.14 mph, which is the fastest through two days of qualifying.

"Our class right now is just incredible," said Antron, who has owns 42 NHRA titles. "I saw the ignition box come out, the Matco guys went into the (electronic) management box with the clutch flows, the fuel flows and everything started changing and I said 'Uh-oh, here we go, this is when it gets good.'

The Matco Tools team led by crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald with car chief Brad Mason and the Matco crew produced a consistent dragster at Las Vegas and they continue to be the hottest Top Fueler over the past seven Mello Yello events.

After advancing to last spring's championship round, the Matco team returned in the fall to win the event title.

"We are truly blessed to have the team we have. It's going to be a fight like this all year long. You don't have to be the fastest car, you have to be the most efficient car. I think we have our stuff together to go out there on Sunday and get the job done with the Matco Tools/U.S. Army/Toyota car.

"We want to be efficient and efficiency pays off. We just want to be there. We want to run strong each round. So that's our goal this year, to be more efficient. Our deal is we just want to get better week in and week out."

TOP FUEL
No. 1 Qualifier: Antron Brown (DSR), 3.768 sec., 325.14 mph

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Top Fuel Dragster
Qualified: No. 1
CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First Round: BROWN vs. Mike Strasburg
QUALIFYING
FRIDAY: 4.579 sec., 166.39 mph, (Session 1); 3.797, 322.96, (Session 2)
SATURDAY: 3.816, 320.97, (Session 3); 3.768, 325.14 (Session 4)
 

About Matco Tools

            Since 1979, the mission of Matco Tools has been to provide professional mechanics and auto enthusiasts with all of the premium tools, storage and equipment they need to get the job done, while also offering best-in-class service and customer support. The company's network of 1,500 premier independent mobile distributors is focused on developing and maintaining trust-based relationships with its customers and has increased its revenues by an average of 8% in each of the last three years. Ranked among the top 30 in Entrepreneur Magazine's 2014 Franchise 500®, the company continues to expand throughout the United States and Canada, adding several hundred mobile stores each year.  For more information, please visit www.MatcoTools.com.

About Don Schumacher Racing

     Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., fields seven professional NHRA teams. In Top Fuel, the U.S. Army dragster driven by seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher, the 2012 NHRA Top Fuel world champion Matco Tools dragster driven by Antron Brown and the Battery Extender Powered by Schumacher dragster driven by Spencer Massey; and in Funny Car, 2012 NHRA world champion Jack Beckman in the Valvoline MaxLife Dodge Charger R/T, 2011 world champion Matt Hagan in the Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge, the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge of Ron Capps and the Make-A-Wish Dodge driven by Tommy Johnson Jr.

     DSR has won 220 NHRA national event titles and 11 world championships.

JFR Ready for Eliminations Tomorrow

TEAM JFR QUALIFYING REPORT
2014 NHRA Final Qualifying Summary
3^rd of 24 races in the NHRA Mello Yello Series

45^th annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals

Auto Plus Raceway

Gainesville, FL
March 14-16, 2014

 * * *

C. FORCE GEARED UP FOR GATORNATIONALS AFTER STRONG SATURDAY

GAINESVILLE, FL – Courtney Force will take on the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car field from the No. 5 spot on Sunday at the 2014 Amalie Oil Gatornationals. Force entered Saturday not in the show, but quickly turned things around for her Traxxas Ford Mustang team. The 25-year-old started the day with a 4.131 ET at 308.85 mph and moved solidly into the show at the No. 7 spot and picking up three bonus points as the quickest Funny Car of the session.

“I’m excited that our Traxxas Ford Mustang team was able to come out here on Saturday of qualifying and improve on our last two qualifying sessions. We moved up to the top half of the field and that’s what we were going for,” said Force.

In the fourth and final qualifying session, the 2012 Rookie of the Year posted a 4.121 ET at 308.64 mph and moved up to the No. 5 spot and gaining her team two bonus points for being second-quickest of that session. That run set her up to take on competitor Matt Hagan in the opening round on race day.

“It definitely feels great. We changed some things around and it seems to be going in the right direction. We went out there and ran a 4.131 and a 4.121 so we were able to improve on the last run down the track,” said Force.

This will be the eleventh time the pair have matched up on race day since Force’s Funny Car debut in 2012. They are 5-5 in previous match-ups.

“We’re excited going into tomorrow. I think we have a good feel for both lanes. We have lane choice, but we have tough competition going up against Hagan. We’re just going to give it all we got and hopefully go some rounds,” said Force.

Robert Hight and the Auto Club Mustang team made a strong run to start the day. His Mike Neff tuned Funny Car posted the second quickest ET of the session and gave the team a great boost going into the final qualifying session. With temperatures cooling slightly after a number of delays in the Top Fuel session Hight’s Mustang hazed the tires at the top end and he will go into eliminations as the No. 10 qualifier and will race former teammate Tony Pedregon.

“Today was a good day. We made another solid run in the first session under race day conditions. In the last session Neff was looking for the edge and we just missed making another good run. Every time we go down the track we learn something plus we learn from our teammates. Courtney’s Traxxas Mustang made two good runs and we were right with her in the early session. The crew chiefs will get together tonight and we will all have a good game plan for tomorrow,” said Hight.

“The lanes are pretty even and I don’t see any reason we can’t have a long race day tomorrow. Tony Pedregon will be tough and we can’t look past him. I will do my job on the starting line and I know these Auto Club guys will give me a great race car.”

Hight is 9-15 against Tony Pedregon and he defeated him in the first round of last year's Gatornationals.

John Force tried to tame the unpredictable track surface of Auto Plus Raceway for two straight days. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champion struggled through four qualifying sessions and could only manage a 4.38 second elapsed time, placing his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang in the 16th spot.

“It’s been tough and we’ve struggled with this car but all our cars are in and the dragster is running good. Even though the Castrol car is struggling, but they said to me down there on top end during the interview after that last qualifying run, ‘Cruz is low qualifier like you were in Pomona and now and you’re number 16’. At the end of the day when you’re number one and I was low ET and got both ends of the track record, I was sick over that on Sunday morning because you know that car is right on the edge because no one else can do it. We’ll be fine tomorrow,” said John Force.

While most racers agonize by not qualifying in the top-half of the field, it doesn’t faze John Force who has won the Gatornationals seven times.  

“Being the 16th qualifier, I’ve got nothing to lose I’m going out there with a full heart and going after that kid. I love Cruz, it’ll be a fun race, a Toyota against a Ford and we’re going to have some fun.”

Force is 61-29 against Pedregon, 3-1 at the Gatornationals and 13-8 in previous first round meetings. Force has never won a race after qualifying No. 16 so this is an opportunity for him to achieve another milestone.  Force's streak of No. 1 qualifying performances ends at five. 

Coming off her first Top Fuel final round appearance just last month in Phoenix, Brittany Force struggled to qualify in the top half of the field today. Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster to ran a 3.86 second elapsed time placing her in the 13th spot. She narrowly missed picking up a qualifying bonus point in the first session on Saturday posting the fourth quickest Top Fuel run of the session.

“Qualifying didn’t actually go as expected as we’ve had some crazy runs and little bit of confusion in the first qualifying session,” said Brittany Force, who was recently named Rookie of the Year by RACER magazine.  

In trying to get a hold of Auto Plus Raceway crew chief Todd Smith has been trying to get Castrol EDGE Dragster back to its consistent ways. As a driver, Brittany knows the unpredictability of conditions come race day. She is 2-4 against Doug Kalitta but 2-1 in first rounds. 

“It’s been very past two days for us but the important thing is we’re No. 13 and we’re are in the show and we’re ready to play tomorrow. We’re running Doug Kalitta and we’re beaten him before so I’m pumped and ready for tomorrow and we’re ready to go some rounds,” said Brittany Force.   

* * * *

THE DRIVERS

JOHN FORCE, 64, Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang

Final Qualifying: 16^th at 4.380 seconds at 246.98 mph

Bonus Qualifying Points: 0

First Round Opponent (W-L): Cruz Pedregon (61-29)

ROBERT HIGHT, 44, Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 10^th at 4.132 seconds at 303.78 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: +2 (2^nd quickest of Q3)

First Round Opponent (W-L): Tony Pedregon (9-15)

COURTNEY FORCE, 25, Traxxas Ford Mustang
Final Qualifying: 5^th at 4.121 seconds at 308.64 mph
Bonus Qualifying Points: +5 (Quickest of Q3 and 2^nd quickest of Q4)

First Round Opponent (W-L): Matt Hagan (5-5)

BRITTANY FORCE, 27, Castrol EDGE Top Fuel Dragster

Final Qualifying: 13^th at 3.865 seconds at 315.93 mph

Bonus Qualifying Points: +1 (3^rd quickest of Q3)

First Round Opponent (W-L): Doug Kalitta (2-4)

* * * *

RACE SCHEDULE:

Sunday, March 16

Final Eliminations                      11:00 AM

Camaro Z/28 Engineers Get Grip on Wheel Slip

Tire grip, braking capability require action to prevent wheels rotating in tires

2014-03-13

DETROIT – While running fast laps at several of the country’s most challenging tracks, Camaro Z/28 engineers noticed the tires were providing so much traction and the brakes so much stopping force that the wheels rotated inside the tire – an unexpected challenge that required fast thinking.

“We were told to build a fast car – period,” said Mark Stielow, Camaro Z/28 program manager and pro-touring expert. “We knew on Day One we’d need to bring some of the best suppliers onboard to make it happen.”

The suppliers included Pirelli and its P Zero™ Trofeo R tires and Brembo for carbon-ceramic brake rotors. The Trofeo R tires have a track-oriented tread design and compound that, together with the carbon-ceramic rotors, help the Z/28 achieve up to 1.5 g in deceleration force.

It was a perfect combination, but engineers quickly found that when the Z/28’s capability was tested, the wheels were rotating – slipping – inside the tires. They sought the root of the problem by marking one of the Pirelli P Zero™ Trofeo R tires at the beginning of a lap with a chalk line relative to the valve stem on the wheel. At the end of the lap, they recorded where the chalk line ended up and noticed the tire had rotated at least a full 360 degrees from where they started.

Racers use an abrasive paint around the bead of the wheel, where the tire meets the rim, to combat the problem on race cars. The Z/28’s engineers tried it, but it wasn’t strong enough to prevent the slippage, so other approaches were tried. Finally, they tried media blasting, which involves shooting a gritty material through an air gun at the wheel's surface, adding texture to the paint for the tire to grip.

“Media-blasting the wheel created an extremely aggressive grit on the rim, which finally got the tire to hold,” said Stielow.
Along with the tires and brakes, some of the tire slip can also be attributed to the 7.0L LS7 engine helping spin the wheels with an SAE-certified 505 horsepower (376 kW) and 481 lb-ft of torque (652 Nm). While going around corners, the helical-gear limited-slip rear differential also sends power to the wheels so well that differences in tire slip can be observed from side to side on the rear axle.

The 2014 Camaro Z/28 arrives in dealerships this spring

Modified Chevrolet Bowtie Makes Z/28 Even Cooler

Traditional badge modified in the name of all-out track performance

DETROIT – In developing the 2014 Camaro Z/28, the team scrutinized every component looking for ways to improve track performance, lap after lap. Even the iconic Chevrolet bowtie faced audit.

During aerodynamics testing, Powertrain Cooling Development engineer Richard Quinn noticed that the bowtie on the Z/28’s grill was displacing air away from the radiator, which can impact engine cooling – an important aspect for all vehicles, especially track-oriented cars.

Removing the bowtie altogether did not seem to be an appropriate solution. Instead, Quinn took a cut-off wheel to the gold fill of the bowtie, leaving the silver outline intact. He installed the prototype on the grill and retested to see the results.
“There are engineers in our team that race as a hobby,” said Quinn, “and we used that racer’s mindset to look for ways small or large to get better performance out of the Z/28. Even the smallest details on the Z/28 were weighed for cooling benefit, and this is one that stuck.”

The “Flowtie,” as the engineers now affectionately refer to it, is just the chrome outline of the traditional bowtie, with the center removed. This simple solution alone was enough to allow three additional cubic meters of air into the engine per minute. Engineers found the Flowtie dropped the temperatures of engine coolant and engine oil by 2°F (1.2°C) during extended track sessions. That seemingly small improvement was enough to justify making the Flowtie standard on every new Z/28.

“The Flowtie is just one example of the team’s focus on track performance,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “That same attention to detail is evident throughout the cooling systems for the LS7 engine, as well as the carbon ceramic brakes and the differential.”

The naturally aspirated Z/28 weighs 300 pounds less than the supercharged Camaro ZL1 and 55 pounds lighter than the Camaro 1LE - with changes ranging from lightweight wheels to thinner rear-window glass.

“The Camaro Z/28 has more than 190 unique parts, compared to a Camaro SS,” Oppenheiser said. “Like the Flowtie, each of these parts were changed with one objective: to deliver incredible performance on the track – not just for the first lap, but lap, after lap, after lap.” The 2014 Camaro Z/28 arrives in dealerships this spring.

It's about time for a reversal, no matter how small.

Ford moves jobs, production from Mexico to America

 

An article from Detroit News reports that Ford Motor Co. plans to announce details of a manufacturing shift of medium-duty trucks from Mexico to the United States. 

Its F-650s and F-750s will be moved to the Ohio Assembly Plant, and the switch is planned to take place in early 2015.

According to the story, Mark Fields, who served as the company's American production president, said in 2011 that moving the commercial vehicle production in-house will streamline and strengthen the engineering and manufacturing of the next-generation medium-duty trucks. 

It was also announced in December that Ford would pour $128 million into the Ohio Assembly Plant to support commercial truck production, to in-source production of its F53 motor home chassis and F59 commercial stripped chassis, Detroit News said.

Are we building enough Buicks?

DETROIT– Closing its first full year, the Encore became the Buick lineup’s fifth model and second crossover, ringing up sales success in one of the industry’s fastest-growing segments.

Entering the small SUV and small luxury SUV segment in the U.S. at the end of last January, the Encore helped boost sales in a rapidly expanding market that just last year alone, grew by 52 percent from 2012.

“Right out of the gate, demand for the Encore was high,” said Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick marketing. “It accounted for most of the segment’s growth last year and that’s because it offers the right safety, technology, and features in the right-sized vehicle for many customers.”

As one of the first luxury crossovers of its size, Encore’s U.S. retail sales reached 31,046 units during its first full year of sales. Globally, the Encore sold 97,311 vehicles in calendar year 2013, helping Buick set its global sales record of 1,032,056 last year.

“The small SUV segment looks like the next hot spot in the new-car market,” said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. “The combination of functionality and fuel efficiency offered by models like the Buick Encore makes them a compelling value equation for consumers.  We're seeing rising research activity in these models from users of KBB.com, and we expect sales to grow in the coming months and years.”

Encore’s early entry to these segments is significant. Combined, the segments are expected to more than double in sales between now and 2018.

 The Encore earned an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2013 Top Safety Pick and 5-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

It also ranked highest in the Sub-Compact CUV segment in the 2013 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study^SM and among others, was named the winner of Kelley Blue Book’s 2014 5-Year Cost to Own awards in the Luxury Compact SUV/Crossover category.

Encore customers cite good fuel economy, high quality and exterior design as the top reasons for purchase, with one in two buyers coming from a non-General Motors brand.

About Buick
Buick is an international modern luxury brand offering vehicles with sculpted designs, luxurious interiors and thoughtful personal technologies, along with responsive-yet-efficient performance. Buick is attracting new customers with its portfolio of award-winning luxury models in North America and China. Learn more about Buick cars and crossovers at www.buick.com, on Twitter @buick, on Pinterest or at www.facebook.com/buick

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