John Force will switch gears at this weekend’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park, trading in his BlueDEF PLATINUM livery for the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant paint scheme on his Chevrolet Camaro SS, a look he’ll keep for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Starting the weekend from the No. 8 spot in the Camping Word Crag Racing Series point standings, Force is coming off a busy weekend at Bristol Dragway, where he was runner-up in the postponed NHRA New England Nationals originally scheduled to be contested in Epping, New Hampshire, and had a quarterfinal exit at the regularly scheduled Thunder Valley Nationals. Force is racing for his 17th series championship and is trying to win at least one tour event for the 35th season.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Norwalk. Summit Motorsports Park is an amazing facility. The Bader family knows how to do it right,” Force said. “I’ve been coming here for a lot of years. I know the family well, Bill Bader Sr., he built something great, and now his family has continued the tradition and grown the vision, it is spectacular really. Every weekend I race, I want to win. It’s why I do it, why I’m still out here. So I’m hoping this PEAK team puts on a good show for these Ohio fans.”
A year ago, Force made history at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, winning his 1,400th round of racing by besting Bobby Bode in the first round with the quickest time, 3.878 seconds, and top speed, 333.41 mph, of the entire event. Force started from the No. 1 qualifying position one time at Summit Motorsports Park in 2013 and won the event in 2014, defeating the now reigning world champion Ron Capps in the finals.
The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park begins with qualifying on Friday at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. Eliminations for the event are slated for Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage of race weekend action begins with a qualifying show Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will air on FOX Broadcasting Network Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET.
