For the past three months or so, NHRA Camping World Drag Racing competitor Brittany Force has had groceries in her refrigerator.
To the average person, this may seem like a mundane occurrence of life. But to the two-time Top Fuel champion, it signals the calm of the offseason and a return to what most people would call normalcy.
Though the comfort of being home is appreciated while it lasts, Force is antsy to be back in the seat of her 11,000-horsepower dragster. Luckily for her, the opening round of the NHRA season at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway is only two weeks away.
“I don’t have groceries in my refrigerator year-round. We’re just not home long enough. We come home for a few days and then we pack up and leave again,” Force said. “It’s nice to enjoy that home life, but it’s not the lifestyle I’m used to, so I’m already getting that itch to get back out there.”
The 36-year-old has a tall order to fill this season, but it’s not anything she hasn’t done before.
After securing her second Top Fuel world title last November at the NHRA Auto Club Finals in Pomona, Calif., Force will face pressure to defend her title against capable opponents such as Steve Torrence, Antron Brown, Justin Ashley and Austin Prock. While she might consider them part of her NHRA family when she’s outside the car, when the helmet’s on, it’s all about flipping the win light.
Among other goals for this season, Force has a few bucket-list victories she’ll be shooting for on the circuit this year.
Brittany Force and her father, John Force. (NHRA photo)
First on her list is the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., on June 9-11. With Bristol Dragway being one of her favorite facilities, making it to the winner’s circle there for the first time in her 10-year career would be a highlight of her season.
The second track she’s eyeing is Indiana’s Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. A triumph at the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend is the dream of any drag racer and has not escaped the thoughts of the Top Fuel titlist.
“Indy is one of the biggest races of the season. I’ve come up in the final round the last couple years, so that’s definitely on my list,” Force said.
Paired with crew chief David Grubnic, Force snagged five wins and set eight of the fastest speeds in Top Fuel history during her 2022 campaign. Prior to last year, her career-best season was 2017, when she took four trips to the winner’s circle and captured her first championship.
The second-generation drag racer is encouraged by her recent progress and is keen to continue growing her win tally.
Force’s objective may sound simple, but her journey through the 21-race NHRA series, beginning in Gainesville, Fla., and ending in Pomona, Calif., will be anything but easy.
“The ultimate goal is two years in a row, back-to-back championships,” Force concluded.
Compared to her rookie season in 2013, Force feels she has developed the confidence and the know-how to make it happen — combining her 10 years of seat time with Grubnic’s guidance and the hard work of her John Force Racing crew to create a formula for success.
If she had to pick one area in which she’s improved the most since her NHRA debut, and even since her first Top Fuel victory in 2016, it would be her competitive edge.
“These cars are so powerful, they’re beasts, they’re unpredictable. You don’t know what they’re going to do. It’s how you respond and react in the right manner,” Force said.
The defending champ and her nitro-burning dragster will be one to watch at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals on March 9-12.
Keyword: B. Force Seeks Bucket-List Wins & Third Top Fuel Title