In no other event in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series has Brittany Force won a higher percentage of her two-car heats than she has in the NHRA Nevada Nationals, contested this week for the 24th time at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Nevertheless, her 18-8 elimination record is far from the only reason the two-time Top Fuel World Champion is encouraged about her chances of ending a two-year victory drought in this, the next-to-last race of the year.
“I’m excited to get back to Las Vegas with my Chevrolet Accessories dragster,” said the 16-time tour winner. “The Strip has always been a strong track for us and it’s easily one of my favorite places to race. We’ve had great moments there, including winning (the Nevada Nationals) in 2019 and winning both races in 2022 and to have my dad back at this year’s race would make a win even more special.”
The only other Top Fuel drivers to sweep the Las Vegas races are Larry Dixon and Steve Torrence and Dixon did so in 2002, before the spring race morphed into the tour’s second four-wide event.
Her 2022 victory in the fall race, one in which she used a stellar .034 of a second reaction time to upend Mike Salinas on a final round hole shot, was the last time she and her team celebrated in the winners’ circle.
“With only two races left, we’re focused on finishing strong and moving up in the points for a finish we can be proud of,” said the 38-year-old former NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year who, in 2017, became the first woman in 35 years to win the championship in drag racing’s signature category.
The track record holder for both time and speed at 3.652 seconds and 338.17 miles per hour, marks she established in 2019, Force has started from the No. 1 qualifying position in two of her last three appearances in the Nevada Nationals and in three of her last five races this season.
In a pair of afternoon qualifying sessions on both Friday and Saturday in conditions that likely will mimic those on race day, Force will try to secure the 51st No. 1 start of her pro career in a Chevy Accessories machine prepared by crew chiefs David Grubnic and John Collins.
As a driver, Grubnic was the Top Fuel runner-up at this race 18 years ago. As a crew chief, he has put a car on the drag racing equivalent of the NASCAR “pole” four times in his last seven tries in the Nevada Nationals.
