On a day when track temperatures reached 120 degrees and smoking the tires was commonplace it was Courtney Force who beat father John Force in the NHRA Sonoma Nationals. The win for Courtney in her Traxxas Ford Mustang broke a tie with sister Ashley Force Hood for career Funny Car victories by a female driver with five. Courtney Force outran her 65-year-old father with a 4.253-second pass at 296.24 mph in her Ford Mustang. She also won this this year at Topeka, Kansas, for the 100th female victory in NHRA history.
“It was a great (finals) for two JFR (John Force Racing) teams. No matter who won, it was going to be good, but I’m glad it was me. It’s cool to reach number five,” Courtney Force said. “I’m very proud of my team. Obviously, I wouldn’t be here without them and the hard work that they put in. I’m only as good as my team.”
John Force, coming in second place to his daughter was starting his record 650th national event at Sonoma and seeking his 141st career win in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang. Force, the 16-time Funny Car world champ, with the final round loss, Force fell to 5-6 against Courtney.
alBalooshi won for the second time this season, beating teammate Shawn Langdon. It was the second win of the season for alBalooshi, who also celebrated his 35th birthday during the race weekend, this victory took him to number four of his career.
“The trophy is exactly what I wanted,” said alBalooshi, who beat Billy Torrence, Clay Millican and Englishtown winner Richie Crampton to reach the final. “This is a very special birthday for me. This trophy is the best gift of my life, and [crew chief] Jason McCulloch gave it to me with all my crew guys.”
Line earned his second win of the season by defeating V. Gaines in the finals. The victory in his Summit Racing Chevy Camaro was the 200th win for Chevrolet in Pro Stock. The win secured Line has 33rd career victory.
“Overall, I felt like my car was as good or better than any other one out here but I struggled this week,” said Line, who gave Chevrolet its 200th win in the Pro Stock category. “I did things that I’d normally never do. I botched a burnout, couldn’t stage, couldn’t cut a light, and couldn’t find the finish line. Other than that, everything was perfect.”
Krawiec grabbed his second victory of the year with a 6.854 at 193.99 on a Harley Davidson against Jerry Savoie. Krawiec now moves up to 24 career victories.
“I almost forgot how to get back here [to the winner’s circle],” said Krawiec. “Going into the final I was 100-percent concerned about Jerry. We build his horsepower and he’s doing an awesome job but that’s why we drag race.”
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