It’s been a record year for the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac dragster and its driver Brittany Force.
Beyond leading the NHRA Top Fuel standings, Force has also captured four wins so far this season and has already secured a spot in the Countdown to the Championship.
“I think our team is in a great place. This is the best we’ve done, especially looking at last season,” Force said.
In 2021, Force was fighting for a win all the way until mid-August when the series paid a visit to Topeka, Kan., for the Menards NHRA Nationals, where she walked away with the Wally and an immense amount of relief.
Comparatively, it only took until the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in early April of this year for Force to visit victory lane and kickstart her season.
“We would do so well in qualifying, but couldn’t perform on race day. And that’s the difference we’ve made this season. We’ve been able to carry that over to Sunday,” Force said.
Her climb to the top has placed her in the rare position of calling out her competitors on Labor Day weekend at the final round of the Pep Boys All-Star Top Fuel Callout.
The All-Star Callout features a novelty racing format for the qualified Top Fuel competitors. Instead of holding qualifying rounds and following a ladder-style program, “It’s race day, right from the start,” Force said.
Force crossed a win at Sonoma off her bucket list earlier this year. (NHRA photo)
The All-Star Callout will be held in conjunction with Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park — the biggest race on the NHRA circuit.
“It’s exciting to have this extra race back at Indy,” Force said. “It definitely adds a little bit of pressure. It’s a different dynamic than we’re used to, than I’ve ever seen in drag racing.”
Force has already tasted victory at a callout event, due to her win at the first round of the specialty series at the NHRA Gatornationals in March. She now holds the cards going into the All-Star Callout conclusion as the lead entry.
It’s her decision, along with her John Force Racing team, to choose her rival for the race.
“I’m glad Brittany is in the position to do the calling out, it puts less pressure on myself, because I don’t have a pick, I’m just gonna go race whoever I get to race,” said four-time defending Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence, who is among the four qualified drivers.
Along with Force and Torrence, Justin Ashley in his Phillips Connect Vita C Shot dragster and Mike Salinas in his Scrappers Racing dragster will participate.
The race-within-a-race forces the best in the series to go against one another in a modern-day return to the shootout-style racing of the past. While it’s certainly about pride and the $80,000 winner’s check on the table, it’s also a showcase for the drivers and their personalities.
“It’s people going against each other,” Torrence said. “This will be a huge deal for drag racing. I think that it brings a different dynamic and maybe a different crowd of people to watch, because it’s more of the grunge-style racing.”
Meanwhile, Force is heading into Indianapolis Raceway Park with laser-like focus, keeping her eye on both the callout trophy and the National Wally. Last year, Torrence got the best of Force in the final elimination round in Indy, so she’s looking for a bit of redemption in this year’s “Big Go.”
“We’re going to try everything we can this year,” said Force, who is the 2017 Top Fuel champion, but who has never won the U.S. Nationals. “To have an Indy win is huge. That’s something that you’ll never forget, that’s something everybody wants and everybody’s chasing after.”
It won’t come easy, especially with the three opponents she has to choose from in the callout.
“Everyone’s tough, everyone has a great car, everyone has a great driver and team,” Force said, adding that there’s really no “easy team” to pick. “It’s a tough position to be in.”
But with the significant progress she’s made this season, Force is entering the event optimistic about the prospects of scoring a pair of Indy wins.
Keyword: Brittany Force: ‘A Tough Position To Be In’