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Strong run continues for Brittany Force

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Brittany Force NHRA Top FuelTop Fuel driver Brittany Force continued her strong run in her Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster at this weekend’s 3rd annual NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire.  For the third straight event, the Monster Energy team advanced in rounds, coming just short with a 1/100th of a second loss in the semi-finals.

Brittany Force qualified in the number 10 position.   First round of eliminations, this would match her up against the number 5 qualifier, Doug Kalitta.   With Doug holding the winning record at 6-3 against Force, and having been to the finals of this event the year before, Brittany would need to be at the top of her game in the first round to defeat the veteran.    She took the starting line advantage and never trailed, finessing the throttle when the dragster teetered on losing traction and salvaging the pass to a 4.287 second elapsed time at 211.03 mph performance.

Pedaling the car happens so fast and it comes with experience. I am still learning and every run is different. I think I handled that run pretty well. I got out of it and let it settle down and then I got back on the throttle nice and smooth,” said Force. “It hooked up again and got us far enough down the track to get the win over Kalitta. I don’t mind pedaling this Monster Energy dragster and I am getting better at it.”

Brittany Force wins Rd2 vs CramptonThough pedaling would get her the win out of round one, she would give up lane choice in the next round to number 2 qualified Richie Crampton.  The drivers are even at 3-3 in previous encounters.   But it would be Brittany this time, taking the win with a superior 3.885 second pass at 316.08 mph as Crampton hazed the tires.  The run was the second-fastest of the session, and gave Force lane choice into the semi-finals.

Now in her third consecutive semi-final round, a personal best for Force, she was paired with three-time Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon.  Hoping to propel herself to her first back-to-back final round finish, and another shot at her elusive first win, Force was ready to turn the tables on the veteran, who held a 2-0 record against her.   Though it would be Brittany out of the gate first, Dixon overcame a starting line disadvantage (.100 to .081) to get the win, with a 3.855 second E.T. to Force’s 3.894 second performance. The margin of victory was just 0.0105 seconds (approximately 5 feet).Another semi-final for B Force

“Looking back at the last three races I think this Monster Energy team is on fire right now. We have never performed like this. It is more than just performance this whole team has pulled together. We are pushing our dragster during qualifying and then showing up on race day and going rounds.  I am very proud of the entire team especially my crew chiefs Todd Smith and Ronnie Thompson. They had to be patient all year long because we couldn’t push the car because we didn’t have the funding. Now with Monster Energy we can really press it. Overall it was a great weekend and you can’t complain about going to two semi-finals and a final in the last three races. We are ready to get to Bristol and that is one of my favorite tracks.”

Brittany leaves the event No. 8 in NHRA Mello Yello Championship Points heading into this coming weekend’s 15th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee.

Brittany Force runner-up in Top Fuel

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Brittany Force falls just short of first win

Brittany Force runner-up Englishtown
Brittany Force Photo: Gary Nastase, John Force Racing

For the fifth time in her career and the first time this season, Brittany Force raced to a runner-up finish in Top Fuel at the 46th Annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey.     Her bid to become the eighth woman to win in drag racing’s Top Fuel class fell just short to New Jersey native Antron Brown in the final round.  Force qualified No. 6 and worked her way to the final round by defeating Richie Crampton, Tony Schumacher and Terry McMillen.

Overall this was an awesome day for this Monster Energy team. I am so proud of every one of my guys. They put everything into this dragster this weekend. We went all the way to the final and I don’t even know how that happened it was just a blur today. You can tell they are bummed and they really wanted to take home that win but I am so proud of them and especially my crew chiefs Todd Smith and Ronnie Thompson,” said Force.

Force and the Monster Energy team faced Richie Crampton in the first round, hoping to avenge the semi-final loss against Crampton in Kansas.    Both former Rookie of the Year recipients were quick off the line, but Crampton lost traction immediately and aborted, while Brittany thundered through to a  3.848 second elapsed time at 316.01 mph.  The win was critical for the team and would move Brittany into round two with lane choice against 8-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher.

Again, the pair would leave the line together, but Schumacher would also go up in smoke instantly, allowing Brittany to take the win with another consistent 3.838 second E.T. at 314.02 mph.  For the second race in a row, Force bested the former World Champ, evening her career head-to-head record against ‘The Sarg’ at 3-3.

It always helps when you get multiple round wins against anyone. We just use that to keep moving forward and to keep pushing a little bit harder. Really now having Monster Energy on board we now have the power to push harder. We can be more aggressive and push the performance,” said an excited Force.

Brittany Force runner up
Brittany Force launch Photo: Gary Nastase, John Force Racing

Force moved on to face Terry McMillen in round number three.    She would again reach the finish line first with a 3.899 at 314.09 mph, but would lose a fuel line at the top end and upset the blower.  This would cost her lane-choice in the final against Antron Brown.   Though she would leave first, Brittany shook the tires shortly after the launch.  She tried to pedal, but seeing the hometown boy was out ahead she clicked off.   Antron drove straight through the finish, with a solid 3.843 at 318.47 mph.

We pushed it all the way to the finals this weekend. Earlier in the season we were playing it safe because we didn’t have a sponsor and we couldn’t press as hard on the parts. We are a lot more confident and we are proud to be teamed up with Monster Energy.”

Brittany Force Top Fuel
Brittany Force Photo: Gary Nastase, John Force Racing

Two weeks ago, Force raced to her first semi-final finish of the season, and her advance to the final round of Englishtown moves her up in the Mello Yello point standings from 11th place to 8th place.    The runner-up finish marked the first final for her new sponsor Monster Energy, who last saw the final round with Kenny Bernstein’s Funny Car team, where they lost to John Force at Brainerd August 2007.

Brittany Force, in her third professional year of Top Fuel, is only 29 points out of 7th place with nine races left in the regular season, and is now headed to Epping, New Hampshire for the 3rd Annual NHRA New England Nationals this weekend.

I love having back to back races. That is the best part about having some momentum. We ended on a good note and we went to our fifth final. We only have a few days off and we go right back into the next one. I like to get into that groove and so does my team,” said Force, on the prospect of racing three weekends in a row.

 

Racing in Red Project funded

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Movie surrounding Erica Enders’ 2014 Pro Stock Championship Funded

Racing in Red, the behind-the-scenes documentary movie project that followed Erica Enders in her 2014 Pro Stock Championship winning season, recently achieved its Kickstarter funding campaign goal required to enter final production.    252 contributors successfully backed the campaign, donating a total of $126,255.00 towards the project’s final production costs.

Racing in Red |  Trailer Video

Racing in Red Official Trailer from Design con Carne, Inc. on Vimeo.

The Story

Racing in Red -Erica Enders documentaryAs the 2014 season began, Erik Danielson, a close associate of Elite Motorsports team owner Richard Freeman and owner of Danielson Entertainment Group, LLC had the forethought and vision to know this was a story that needed to be told. Using his own capital, he engaged husband and wife design and filmmaking team Kevin and Kelly Anderson of Design con Carne, Inc. to travel with the Elite team through the bulk of the season. The cameras rolled constantly, beginning in February with shaky test runs of the new car and driver and in Phoenix and on through the ups and downs, wins and losses, big paydays and empty bank accounts, trophies and blown engines of the grueling 10-month NHRA season.

As the project neared 95% completion, they needed financial assistant to enter final production to cover the costs of licensing, video and audio post-production, and original musical composition needed to finish.   The Kickstarter campaign gave fans a chance to donate, earning themselves unique project rewards for their support.

Racing in Red Release

Anticipated release of the Racing in Red Blu-Ray or DVD was listed on the the Kickstarter Campaign as July 2016.

Runner-up finish for Alexis DeJoria

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Alexis DeJoria finals Englishtown Alexis DeJoria finishes 2nd at Englishtown in Funny Car

Alexis DeJoria and the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car team raced to their first runner-up finish of 2015 at the 46th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals.     The sixth final round appearance of her Funny Car career, DeJoria and her Patrón team had one of the most consistent cars throughout eliminations on Sunday.

Patron Funny Car warm up in EnglishtownIn the opening round, the No. 10 qualified DeJoria would take on No. 7 qualifier Jack Beckman.   Beckman had the upper hand in their previous meetings, with an 11-4 record.    Beckman would leave first, but quickly lost traction and spun the tires as Alexis would power on to victory with a 4.089 elapsed time at 302.96 mph to his 4.458 second E.T. at 206.39mph.   That pass would earn DeJoria lane choice for the second round.

Dom Lagana would also take the reaction advantage against DeJoria in round two, but aborted the run when he also lost traction, as Alexis again made another strong 4.168 second pass.  This would place her in the semi-final round against Kalitta teammate, Del Worsham.

This would be a close race between the Kalitta Camrys.   Although Worsham would take a slight advantage off of the starting line, DeJoria was on his tail and passed him by 330 feet in route to a run of 4.120 to his competitive 4.138 second pass.   The margin of victory at the finish line was just 0.0015 seconds, or approximately 8 inches.    Alexis would also just edge out reigning World Champion and current points leader, Matt Hagan, for lane choice into the finals.

Alexis DeJoria in EnglishtownThe final round was a nail-biter from start-to-finish.   The two launched off of the starting line with nearly identical reaction times (0.079 versus Hagan’s 0.074), with DeJoria pulling away to take the early lead.  She led the race to 330 feet, but Hagan recaptured the lead at 660 feet, by just 0.001 seconds.   He would hold onto the win, defeating DeJoria by a 0.0114 second margin of victory and less than a car length.   An exciting race but unfortunately DeJoria just barely missed setting off the win light with her 4.138-sec pass to his 4.132.

What a day. I’m just beside myself right now,” said DeJoria a three-time Funny Car winner. “To do this well at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals is awesome. I’ve never won in Englishtown and I’ve definitely never made it to the finals here, so it feels good. I’ve really got to give it up to my team- they’re the main reason we went so far today. They’re such an excellent group and they’ve really got my back. I love these guys like a family. I wasn’t the greatest on my reaction times every round, but when it mattered, I really pulled it off.  It was a hell of a final against Matt Hagan. I didn’t give anything up on the starting line, that’s for sure, and I’m leaving Englishtown pretty stoked.”

Although she missed putting her Patrón Toyota Camry in the Winners Circle by just a few thousandths of a second, advancing to the final round enabled the Patrón team to gain sixty valuable points. The team has struggled with only a pair of semi-final finishes over the course of the first eight races, and has sat at the bottom of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship points throughout most of the season. They entered Sunday of the Toyota NHRA Summernationals in the No. 10 spot with only a one-point advantage above the No. 11th ranked driver.   The runner-up finish allowed them to move up to the 8th spot, and put much needed points on the board in an ultra-competitive Funny Car class.

“We picked up quite a few points this weekend, and we’re starting to get back into the swing things so I’m really glad we’re back at it up in Epping next weekend.”

Now ranked eighth, the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry Funny Car team leaves Old Bridge Township Raceway with 487 points. They compete next at the 3rd annual NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, N.H., June 12-14.

 

Jet Dragster driver Marisha Falk steps down

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Marisha FalkLarsen Motorsports Jet Dragster driver Marisha Falk announced that she will step down from full time driving at the conclusion of the 2015 season.   The 28 year-old from Kenosha, WI is in her fourth season with the Larsen Motorsports team and is one of four Larsen Motorsports jet dragsters that currently compete in the IHRA Nitro Jam Series.

Marisha is the currently the driver of the Applied Racing Components Jet Dragster, but plans to step out of the full-time position, into a back-up driver role for the Larsen team.   This will allow new Larsen Motorsports drivers to gain seat time as part of a recently introduced Larsen Motorsports expansion.

Marisha driving for us is among the best things that has happened to Larsen Motorsports,” said Elaine Larsen. “Four seasons of outstanding performance and dedication to the growth of our company have shown her commitment not only to LMS but to the sport of drag racing.”

Falk plans to participate in testing with the Larsen Motorsports team in order to keep her license current, and may occasionally be seen at races beyond 2015.  She also plans on being an integral part of the team’s driver development program.

She will be hugely missed by her fans but rest assured, Marisha could return in an LMS car,” said Chris Larsen.

marisha falk jet dragsterMarisha Falk has a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Science and Masters of Business Administration, she has over 10 years of flight experience and her multi-engine air transport rating, and works as a worldwide private jet charter specialist with Paramount Business Jets, putting her knowledge of the aviation industry to use.

I am grateful for the opportunity Chris and Elaine Larsen have given me to drive for our team over the past four years,” said Marisha. “I am excited about future opportunities to mentor and share my knowledge and skills with upcoming drivers.  I cannot thank the entire racing community enough for being so welcoming and supportive; you have definitely made my racing career thus far much more meaningful.  It is with great sadness that I close this chapter in my life to open so many more.”

Record setting return for Enders at Summernationals

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Erica Enders EnglishtownEnders returns to record-setting Englishtown

As NHRA Pro Stock drag racer, Erica Enders prepares for the 46th Annual Toyota Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, she carries the memories of last year’s record-setting performance – an added measure of confidence for this year’s event

Enders and her Elite Motorsports team set the national elapsed time and speed records in Englishtown, New Jersey a year ago with a 6.464 second performance at 215.55 mph, with the speed mark still intact today.

“There’s a lot of history at Raceway Park,” said Enders, the 2014 Pro Stock champion. “I’m excited to go back because we set both ends of the national record there for e.t. and mph. The E.T. record was just broken by Jason (Line) in Charlotte, but we still hold the mph record. Definitely some fond memories there for me: My husband Richie (Stevens) has won there a handful of times, so it’s a lucky track for him.”

Plus, Englishtown is a favorite stop for Pro Stock competitors because fans in the area truly love the class.

“It’s Pro Stock country up there,” Enders said. “People there love Pro Stock, so it’s always exciting to get back to a racetrack where the whole grandstands want to see us race. The back of the pits are packed, and you get a lot of educated questions. It’s nice.”

Weather may not be favorable for any record-setting runs this year, but Enders expects to be among the fastest drivers. Fresh off a victory at Heartland Park Topeka, she was the quickest in all three rounds of qualifying and in all four rounds of eliminations. The weather forecast calls for temperatures in the low 80s this weekend with a slight chance for rain.

“Englishtown and Reading are always two of the most likely tracks to have weather conditions conducive for record-setting runs,” Enders said. “If the conditions are there, I definitely put our money on us. We’ve certainly got a good handle on our hot rod right now, and I’ve been driving really well. We’ll see what the good Lord deals us with the weather, and we’ll go up there and do our best.  Record or not, our goal is to win the race. Coming off a win in Topeka, I’m very excited to get back behind the wheel.”

The Topeka victory put Enders back on top in the points standings for the second time this year, and she leads Jason Line by 58 points.   But her focus isn’t on points at this stage of the season.

“It’s always exciting to lead the points, but it’s a long season,” Enders said. “We’re only a third of the way through it, and we’ve got a lot of races left. There are a lot of tough competitors out there in Pro Stock, and it’s going to come down to the wire. With the Countdown format, it doesn’t mean a whole lot to get very far ahead. We were 250 points ahead last year, and it came down to the final round of the final race.”

Qualifying for the 46th Annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals takes place at 3:45 and 6:15 p.m. ET, Friday, and 1:15 and 3:45 p.m., Saturday. Elimination  round racing begins at noon, Sunday. ESPN2 will broadcast the action.

New Jersey event sponsor for Angelle Sampey

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Angelle SampeyNHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle driver Angelle Sampey and her Star Racing team just announced a new event sponsor for the upcoming 46th Annual NHRA Toyota Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey.  Platinum General Construction Services joined the Star Racing team as an event sponsor after owner Ralphie Navarro visited the three-time world champion’s new crowd-funding program, JoinTeamAngelle.com a sponsorship initiative for fans to get involved with the team.

With sponsorship through the JoinTeamAngelle.com campaign, Platinum General Construction Services will have its logo featured on Sampey’s Star Racing motorcycle during the event. Other perks include pit uniforms for Platinum General Construction Services staff members, meet-and-greet time with Sampey and the Star Racing team and tickets to all sessions of the Toyota Summer Nationals event.

When I first saw the opportunity that Star Racing and Angelle were offering through the JoinTeamAngelle.com website, I knew right away that it would be a great fit for us because it offers affordable access to a major sponsorship with benefits our staff can enjoy,” said Mr. Navarro. “I’ve been looking for a special event opportunity to share with our staff. We have a great team of people who do such a terrific job every day, and the chance to share a weekend of NHRA racing with the Star Racing team is one I couldn’t pass up. Plus, I’ve been a big fan of Angelle over the years. She’s a true superstar in this sport. Star Racing is one of the all-time great teams in NHRA, and this was an opportunity for me to be able to step up and make a difference for them.”

Employee Hospitality

Select employees of the New Jersey-based Platinum General Construction Services company will get the opportunity to experience the activities at the Toyota Summer Nationals event. Star Racing will be hosting the Platinum General Construction Services staff in the team’s pit area, and they will have the opportunity to see what takes place behind the scenes as Sampey and the Star team prepare to race.

What makes this event sponsorship with Star Racing and JoinTeamAngelle.com so special is that they are going to be sharing time with us and taking us inside their racing operation,” said Mr. Navarro. “I want to compliment Star Racing on the JoinTeamAngelle.com program because it offers our company a number of advantages through our sponsorship. This type of opportunity is totally unique and I would encourage other smaller or mid-sized companies to visit JoinTeamAngelle.com. Platinum General Construction Services is proud to be a part of Team Angelle, and we are counting the hours until we get to the track.”

Star Racing team owner George Bryce was able to put together a custom program that fit the needs of Navarro’s company.

Quite obviously, we are thrilled that Raphie Navarro and Platinum General Construction Services will be joining us through the JoinTeamAngelle.com campaign at the Toyota Summer Nationals as an event sponsor.  When Ralphie contacted us about what he had in mind to celebrate the work of his staff, we immediately began working with him on designing an event sponsor package that would create a meaningful and memorable experience for his company. We want to salute Ralphie as a sponsor and as a business owner who sincerely cares about his staff. One of the advantages we have with the JoinTeamAngelle.com campaign is that we can customize sponsor packages for an event, a series of events or the entire season.”

Approaching Crowd Funding Goal

The JoinTeamAngelle.com fan sponsorship drive has continued to gain momentum since the program debuted in mid-May during the NHRA Atlanta Dragway event. Currently at the 70% threshold, the campaign is on-track to reach its initial $30,000 goal in its first 30 days.

It’s been quite gratifying and quite humbling to see the response we have received in the first couple of weeks following the announcement and debut of JoinTeamAngelle.com,” said Mr. Bryce. “We have seen our fans engaged in ways that I’ve not seen in my 40 years in racing. Through the website, fans are watching our videos, reading our blogs and getting a sense of what happens on the inside of a racing team. We’ve also seen small and mid-sized businesses approach us concerning sponsorships that are financially reachable and provide value for their organizations. The campaign has given our team tremendous momentum and we are excited about the possibilities for the season.”

Dina Parise runner-up at IHRA Summer Nationals

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Dina Parise
Photo: IHRA

Pro Modified drag racer, Dina Parise, qualified No. 1  on the way to her first final round appearance of the season at the IHRA Nitro Jam Summer Nationals this weekend in Cordova, Illinois.

The former professional Ice Capades skater-turned racer from New Freedom, Pennsylvania posted a 6.913 second elapsed time at 154.35 mph to secure the No. 1 qualified position in the Crower Pro Mod class on Friday in her blown 2013 Dian Parise Racing Cadillac CTS-V, a car she endearingly nicknamed ‘Stella’.   Dina and her team debuted the Cadillac at the Bradenton IHRA event in April and have been working out all the new-car bugs since, with steady improvements.

Rain delay gives Dina Parise Competition Bye into the Final

On Saturday, rain hit Cordova International Raceway, cancelling the scheduled Saturday eliminations, and forcing racers and fans to stay over into Sunday.  Because of a short field in the Crower Pro Mod class, Dina would take the tree for a competition-bye right into the Final round.  She would face the 1970 Camaro of  Ruben Tetshovili for the event title.   Tetshovili would leave first, and stay out front for the win, defeating Dina’s  7.560 second elapsed time at  134.55 mph with a 6.963 second, 163.16 mph timeslip.

Dina is currently 5th in the Crower Pro Mod for the IHRA Nitro Jam championship points chase.

Doubleheader weekend for Taylor Ferns

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Taylor Ferns
Photo by: Al Steinberg

Taylor Ferns will get to hit the dirt twice this weekend in her home state Michigan as she takes to the track at Hartford Speedway and I-96 Speedway for a pair of events.

The weekend will open for Ferns today with the Engine Pro Sprints on Dirt Presented by ARP, where she will drive the Eco-Mend/Jimmy’s Towing Maxim at Hartford Speedway.

Saturday, she will the race in the NAPA Auto Parts Rumble in Michigan for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series at I-96 Speedway.

After getting rained out on Monday, I am really looking forward to getting to race twice this weekend,” said Ferns. “We’ll be racing both the 360- and 410-sprint car, which is always a good transition. I’ve never been to Hartford before, so I’ve been watching You Tube video to stay on points. I did race a micro (sprint) at I-96, but that was on the smaller inner track, so it will be a lot different this time, especially racing with the World of Outlaws, who in my opinion, are the best in the world.”

Ferns has raced once with the Sprints on Dirt this season, finishing eighth on May 16 at Plymouth Speedway in Indiana. That event marked her first 360-winged sprint car start since last fall.

The Michigan native, who now calls the Indianapolis area home, competed with the World of Outlaws earlier this month at the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio, during the two-night “Mother of All Sprint Car Weekends” on Mother’s Day weekend. She battled engine problems on the second night, which forced her to scratch after time trials.

Last weekend, Ferns returned to Plymouth Speedway to race with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions on May 22 in the Earl Gaerte Classic. She opened the night by timing in 31st and finished eighth in the second heat race. The night ended for Ferns in the B-main.

We have a full week of racing coming up and we are hoping to have a good start to that in Michigan,” said Ferns. “We’ll be racing good competition both nights and that always adds a bit to the learning curve, but it’s also how you get better. The team has been working hard as always and we can’t wait to get to the track both days this weekend.”

Ferns has made 12 starts this season, while battling Mother Nature, with a number of scheduled events rained out. She finished a season-best eighth in her first race of the year with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions in Florida. She also has raced with the MOWA Series, OVSCA and F.A.S.T. Series.

She will continue to contest a true “Outlaw” schedule in 2015, racing with a variety of series at numerous tracks across the Midwest.