For the second time in three years, NHRA Top Fuel driver Brittany Force finishes runner up at Maple Grove during the Dodge NHRA Nationals.   She faced two-time world champion Antron Brown in a rematch of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in what has been one of the closest final rounds so far in the Countdown as both dragsters ran identical elapsed times of 3.721 seconds. Force came up .003 of a second short to Brown after both drivers had nearly equal reaction times with Brown slightly edging Force, a three-time winner this season at the stripe.

“It was definitely a crazy challenging weekend. Everyone only got one qualifying pass, we blew up in the second round and that just makes it tough on everyone. I have a strong team behind me. They pulled through today and we made it to the finals. I have the greatest group of guys on this Monster Energy team. When I saw the time slip I couldn’t believe how close that race was,” said Force.

After qualifying in the No. 12 position, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team would pick up her first career win over three-time world champion Larry Dixon in a very pivotal first round. It was a close race, with Force’s 3.728 second run prevailing over Dixon’s 3.760. Force got the win by a wing at the finish line. This was Force’s first win over Dixon in five previous races. Force ran the same elapsed time as her second round opponent Doug Kalitta, but he was awarded lane choice into round two based on the higher speed posted.

When Force pulled up beside Mac Tools teammate Doug Kalitta in the second round for her third consecutive semifinal appearance at the Dodge NHRA Nationals, Kalitta was already in motion when the tree dropped, earning a redlight disqualification and handing Force’s Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster the win. Force was so focused on her run that when her dragster shook she pedaled her race car leading to a massive motor explosion. It was a costly win for Force, but it moved her up to the No. 4 position in the Mello Yello point standings.

“When you are further down the track and you blow the tires off it is easier to handle. You know where you are at on the race track and you know what is happening.  When it happens instantly it just rattles your head and it is just hard to focus on what is going on,” explained Force. “I didn’t notice that he red-lit beside me because I am trying to get this Monster Energy dragster to hook back up and get down the track. When I felt it blow up and there was nothing happening I saw him out the window and I thought he was going to get the win. At the same time I saw our win light and all that was happening in two seconds. There was a lot going on and that was a lot to wrap your head around. I wish I would have seen my win light sooner and maybe I wouldn’t have blown it up but hey it was a show for the fans watching on Fox.”

In the semifinals, Force was paired up with fellow Countdown competitor and No. 1 qualifier Leah Pritchett. Both drivers launched simultaneously, but Pritchett went up in smoke while Force made the strongest Top Fuel run of the semifinals. Force’s winning time of 3.731 seconds at 325.06 mph was the quickest and fastest of all four Top Fuel dragsters. The win set up a replay of the Brainerd Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals against Antron Brown where Force got her third win of the season.

“I was trying to do what I did first round and second round which was stay positive. I went up there thinking we are going to get this win. I said it with Dixon. I said it with Kalitta and I said it before the semifinal race. I used that positive energy to really drive myself. That is what I using to make sure I did my job every round today,” concluded Force.

This set the stage for one of the most exciting final rounds of the Countdown.    Both Force and Brown left with nearly identical reaction times, running nearly identical E.T.’s at the finish line.   But it was Brown who would take the win, by a mere 19 inches.

“This was still a great weekend for us. We would have obviously have liked to be in the winner’s circle but we still have a lot of positives. We moved from 5th to 3rd in the points. The tough part is we have to keep this momentum and keep moving up. The No. 4 and No. 5 drivers are right on our tail. We are going to have to stay on our game. Hopefully at the next race we will get all four of our qualifying passes and do exactly what we did this weekend to get the win,” added Force.

This weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals,  Brittany Force celebrates 1 year with Monster Energy backed Top Fuel Dragster.  Since that announcement last year, Force has been on a meteoric rise through the Top Fuel ranks and comes into this weekend’s race as the Top Fuel points leader and the category’s only two-time winner in 2016.

I am so proud of this team. When we announced Monster Energy as the sponsor last year we just got such a big push of momentum and excitement. We finished in the Top Ten and we are as high as the top three in points last year. I have been lucky to have a great crew for my whole career,” said Force.

At the beginning of this season, Brittany’s Monster Energy team made another significant alliance – with the addition of Alan Johnson as Top Fuel consultant and the appointment of Brian Husen as crew chief.   This change has proven to be a game-changer, as Force quickly moved to championship contender. A final round finish in Phoenix was followed by her first breakthrough win at the historic Gatornationals, the class points lead, and another victory in Charlotte.  The momentum this season by the Monster Energy team has Force more motivated than ever.

The win in Gainesville was unbelievable. I have dreamed about getting that first win and when it happened I couldn’t believe it. My whole family was there which was great and we got the first John Force Racing double-up win since Robert (Hight) won in Funny Car right in front of me. It was just a perfect day,” added Force.

It may have taken the four year professional 75 Top Fuel starts to get her first win, but just two races later she was hoisting her second Wally as the winner of the tough NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. She was the first female nitro winner at zMAX Dragway and the first female to win the unique Four-Wide race in any category.

I think the Four-Wide win showed how strong this Monster Energy team is. I screwed up in the last qualifying session. Alan and Brian just told me to forget about that and concentrate on race day. That really helped and we had a great racecar. We had lane choice all day and I did my job. It was another great team win for this Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster. This is a long season so we are just focusing on each race as they come along,” said Force.

The 36^th annual Southern Nationals kicks off a marathon tour for the NHRA Mello Yello Series competitors.  After Atlanta, they embark on a 5 race stretch in six weeks, and Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team will be looking to continue to go rounds and fine tune their racecar for the Countdown and the Traxxas Shootout.

We are locked into the Traxxas Nitro Shootout which is great and I am just looking forward to getting into the summer and racing a lot. I feel the most comfortable when I am racing every weekend. I will always have butterflies in my stomach on every run but you just stay more focused when you are racing all the time,” summed up Force.

NHRA Top Fuel driver, Brittany Force, may have waited a few seasons to earn her first win in the class, but she didn’t waste any time getting a second victory under her belt.   The Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster team delivered consistently all day on Sunday, resulting in a 4-Wide Win for Brittany Force.

Over the course of three elimination rounds of Four-Wide racing, Force had the quickest Top Fuel dragster in all three quads she raced.   When it mattered the most, Force was able to keep focused and used stellar reaction times to secure her second win in three races.

The format for the 7th Annual Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods confuses the most veteran of drivers.  In the chaos, drivers crossing the finish line at nearly 320 mph don’t know whether to celebrate or suffer in defeat.

“I didn’t see (the win light) and didn’t even know we won until they pulled me in to where all the Fox Sports 1 cameras were. I asked them to make sure.  I said, ‘Did we win?’ So I didn’t even know until I got out of the car and that was very exciting.  No one could probably see, but we thrashed to get up here and I didn’t think we were going to make it up to the lanes in time to run here,” said Force. “Our belts got pulled back when they put the car back together and we had to unbolt the car and then re-buckle me in and I wasn’t sure we were going to make it.   But we did and I guess it’s good because under pressure we all figured it out and got the car down the track.”

The Monster Energy team is hitting its stride to start the season thanks in part to the technical alliance with Torrence Racing and the oversight of Top Fuel tuner Alan Johnson and crew chief Brian Husen.  Brittany has raced to three final rounds in the last four races.

“I just want to say thank you to Alan Johnson and Brian Husen and the entire team because I am just so proud of everyone,” added Force. “That is just incredible to know that Alan Johnson and Brian Husen can put a car together that is that consistent every single run and run like that.  It’s insane and I am so proud to be teamed up with them.   It really shows and it really builds my confidence up for the season.  The season is still getting started but we are definitely off to a really good start.”

Force earned her first victory at the Gatornationals, and has won a total of twelve rounds of racing this season. In the previous two seasons, it took Force twelve races to capture twelve rounds wins and her career best final round total in one season is four.   It took the Monster Energy team 75 races to get their first win but only two races to pick up win No. 2.

People say that the first win is the toughest and it was because it took me ’til my fourth season.  My second one came easier but I wouldn’t say easiest because it is still tough.   These guys on my team are the hardest workers that I have seen and they have dedicated everything into this car.   Now I get to celebrate with them in the winner’s circle,” added Force.

The win was Force’s first at zMAX Dragway, and marked the first win by a female in the Four-Wide format.   The only racetrack that features four lanes of action, Charlotte’s 4-Wide Nationals are tricky for even the most seasoned drivers.   Many struggled with staging mishaps and were distracted by the chaos that ensues with 40,000 HP all taking the starting line at the same time.

“I am still just trying to get over that Four-Wide deal where I got so screwed up in qualifying and just not coming in with a clear head.  I was just trying to find my focus and it’s tough and to be able to win four wide is amazing.   To be the first female, that is pretty awesome.”

Force had to out run two-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown in every quad of eliminations to score the victory. In the first session, Force was the first to the finish line with an event-quickest elapsed time of 3.734 seconds. In the second quad, she was able to pick her lane again and had to face off with Brown, Richie Crampton and JR Todd. Again Force got to the finish line first with Brown on her heels.

In the final quad, Force had her best reaction time of the day, .042, to leave first on Doug Kalitta, Brown and Clay Millican. The winning elapsed time of 3.764 seconds at 319.98 mph was enough to edge out Brown’s runner-up time of 3.779 seconds.

But before that final run, Force’s team had to thrash in the staging lanes and the 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year was afraid they might not make the call.

You know, sometimes drivers just do better under pressure and I always wondered what type I was.  It wasn’t just me, it was the entire team.  I don’t know if everyone could see but I was coming up here there was a problem with the belts.  But they unbolted the car and we got it figured out and we got the win,” explained Force in the pressroom.

While Force was focusing on beating some of the toughest competition in recent Top Fuel history the crew chiefs were battling twice as many lanes as normal and tricky track conditions.   This resulted in several rounds of lane swap shuffling that often resulted in 4 cars being backed out and moved several times before the round would begin.

The thing is that it’s the most challenging about this place is that there are four lanes.   And you have to have lane choice and there are four to pick from and this place is so challenging because there are four to pick from and the starting line is tough.   Our goal of the day was maintaining lane choice every round and we did a good job of that,” said Alan Johnson outside the winner’s circle celebration.