HIGHT KEEPS FOCUSED DURING VARIABLE-FILLED DENVER WEEKEND
Mon, 2008-07-14 18:35
John Force Racing’s Robert Hight could have easily panicked. After all,
his plate was filled with many variables headed into the 29th running
of the Mopar Mile-High Nationals.
There were a handful of NHRA mandated changes that could have wrecked havoc on John Force Racing. The racing distance was reduced to 1,000 feet for the first time in the over fifty year history of the sport. The new chassis was mandatory for all Funny Car teams, there was the new Goodyear tire and all the teams were racing over a mile above sea level but none of these new changes tripped up the JFR drivers. Instead it was the familiar face of Tim Wilkerson that derailed not one, not two but three different drivers from reaching the winners circle.
"Tim Wilkerson and his team have been running great. They have been on a roll. I've been on rolls like that too. I am excited that our Ford Mustangs are coming around. Robert has moved up to No. 2 and Neff has moved up a little in points. We all start from scratch when you come to the hill (Bandimere Speedway),” said John Force. John Force Racing’s Robert Hight could have easily panicked. After all, his plate was filled with many variables headed into the 29th running of the Mopar Mile-High Nationals.
There were a handful of NHRA mandated changes that could have wrecked havoc on John Force Racing. The racing distance was reduced to 1,000 feet for the first time in the over fifty year history of the sport. The new chassis was mandatory for all Funny Car teams, there was the new Goodyear tire and all the teams were racing over a mile above sea level but none of these new changes tripped up the JFR drivers. Instead it was the familiar face of Tim Wilkerson that derailed not one, not two but three different drivers from reaching the winners circle.
"Tim Wilkerson and his team have been running great. They have been on a roll. I've been on rolls like that too. I am excited that our Ford Mustangs are coming around. Robert has moved up to No. 2 and Neff has moved up a little in points. We all start from scratch when you come to the hill (Bandimere Speedway),” said John Force.
The last driver to fall to points leader Wilkerson was Auto Club driver Robert Hight in the semi-final round. Hight moved from fourth to second in points but was unable to get around the streaking driver from Springfield, Ill. Hight dispatched veteran Del Worsham in the first round and former Funny Car champ Gary Scelzi in the second round before lining up against Wilkerson. Hight ever the optimist felt that even with the loss today his program made significant strides on the performance side all weekend.
“In the heat yesterday it ran well. We were low ET first round today. We dropped a cylinder in the second round it kind of hurt itself but we were able to get the win. It is going down the track. Our application is good. We went down the track all the runs at Norwalk, too,” said Hight.
“(Crew Chief) Jimmy (Prock) has figured some things out. There was one run yesterday when it tried to put a cylinder out at the hit. It kind of bobbled it but it stayed lit. We did some work to some of our ignition stuff and I don’t think it would have come back without those changes. It would have dropped a cylinder at the hit and I would’ve had to shut it off or it would have gone down track and hurt itself. We are making big strides with our motor,” added Hight.
Hight didn’t think racing to 1,000 feet was too much of a problem but it did create something else to think about for the nitro drivers.
“It wasn’t bad at all. I think the fans saw a lot of good races. It is a little harder for the driver in all honesty because you have three quarters of a second less to find the finish line. The first part of the run you are real busy and things are going on. All of a sudden the finish line comes up on you real fast,” said the driver who has won 100 rounds of racing faster than any other Funny Car driver. “Seattle might be a little tougher because it doesn’t go up hill past the finish line. It is all how it’s marked and it is also how well you are doing when you get to that point. It you are busy and it is a handful it all depends.”
There were a handful of NHRA mandated changes that could have wrecked havoc on John Force Racing. The racing distance was reduced to 1,000 feet for the first time in the over fifty year history of the sport. The new chassis was mandatory for all Funny Car teams, there was the new Goodyear tire and all the teams were racing over a mile above sea level but none of these new changes tripped up the JFR drivers. Instead it was the familiar face of Tim Wilkerson that derailed not one, not two but three different drivers from reaching the winners circle.
"Tim Wilkerson and his team have been running great. They have been on a roll. I've been on rolls like that too. I am excited that our Ford Mustangs are coming around. Robert has moved up to No. 2 and Neff has moved up a little in points. We all start from scratch when you come to the hill (Bandimere Speedway),” said John Force. John Force Racing’s Robert Hight could have easily panicked. After all, his plate was filled with many variables headed into the 29th running of the Mopar Mile-High Nationals.
There were a handful of NHRA mandated changes that could have wrecked havoc on John Force Racing. The racing distance was reduced to 1,000 feet for the first time in the over fifty year history of the sport. The new chassis was mandatory for all Funny Car teams, there was the new Goodyear tire and all the teams were racing over a mile above sea level but none of these new changes tripped up the JFR drivers. Instead it was the familiar face of Tim Wilkerson that derailed not one, not two but three different drivers from reaching the winners circle.
"Tim Wilkerson and his team have been running great. They have been on a roll. I've been on rolls like that too. I am excited that our Ford Mustangs are coming around. Robert has moved up to No. 2 and Neff has moved up a little in points. We all start from scratch when you come to the hill (Bandimere Speedway),” said John Force.
The last driver to fall to points leader Wilkerson was Auto Club driver Robert Hight in the semi-final round. Hight moved from fourth to second in points but was unable to get around the streaking driver from Springfield, Ill. Hight dispatched veteran Del Worsham in the first round and former Funny Car champ Gary Scelzi in the second round before lining up against Wilkerson. Hight ever the optimist felt that even with the loss today his program made significant strides on the performance side all weekend.
“In the heat yesterday it ran well. We were low ET first round today. We dropped a cylinder in the second round it kind of hurt itself but we were able to get the win. It is going down the track. Our application is good. We went down the track all the runs at Norwalk, too,” said Hight.
“(Crew Chief) Jimmy (Prock) has figured some things out. There was one run yesterday when it tried to put a cylinder out at the hit. It kind of bobbled it but it stayed lit. We did some work to some of our ignition stuff and I don’t think it would have come back without those changes. It would have dropped a cylinder at the hit and I would’ve had to shut it off or it would have gone down track and hurt itself. We are making big strides with our motor,” added Hight.
Hight didn’t think racing to 1,000 feet was too much of a problem but it did create something else to think about for the nitro drivers.
“It wasn’t bad at all. I think the fans saw a lot of good races. It is a little harder for the driver in all honesty because you have three quarters of a second less to find the finish line. The first part of the run you are real busy and things are going on. All of a sudden the finish line comes up on you real fast,” said the driver who has won 100 rounds of racing faster than any other Funny Car driver. “Seattle might be a little tougher because it doesn’t go up hill past the finish line. It is all how it’s marked and it is also how well you are doing when you get to that point. It you are busy and it is a handful it all depends.”
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