Heading into Sunday’s Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals near Charlotte, Brittany Force is enjoying a start the likes of which she’s never experienced.

She won the two most-recent races: Houston one week ago and Las Vegas on April 3. She’s posted the top speed at all five national events, topped by a 338-mph blast at Vegas. 

She’s combining that kind of top-end muscle with improved reaction times, and that’s what allowed her to capture Houston over Justin Ashley.

It’s no wonder she’s on top of the Top Fuel world for the moment.

What a difference a year makes, she noted. In 2021, she had “a lot” of No. 1 qualifier performances, but couldn’t parlay those into wins. Her first victory, in fact, didn’t come until mid-August in Topeka, when she shared victory lane with her father and team owner, Funny Car superstar John Force.

The triumphs in Las Vegas and Houston marked the first time Brittany Force has won consecutive national events. 

While admitting that better reaction times have played an important role in her team’s strong performance this season, she reminded the media Saturday that her job involves far more than delivering a quick leave.

“It’s something I still battle with. Throughout the season I’m going to have ups and downs. I already have this season. It’s something that’s always been very tough,” she said.

“When you strap yourself into a car with a bomb behind you, it’s a whole different world and it’s a whole different mindset. You’re pulling five, six G’s on your body within the first hundred feet, and zero to 300 in less than four seconds is a lot.

“A driver is a lot more than reaction times, and that’s one of the unfortunate things I think gets missed all the time. There’s a lot going on: Keeping that car in the groove, when you’re dropping cylinders; keeping it in your lane, keeping it in that groove all the way to the finish line; listening for anything that feels off in your car and responding to it, and whether to keep your foot in it gunning for the end or pull your foot out of it and pedal it. It really doesn’t come down to reaction time all the time.”

She also said that four-wide racing, which is in play once a year at Vegas and Charlotte and wraps up for the season Sunday, offers the possibility of a challenge that doesn’t exist in “normal” racing in pairs.

“The two easiest lanes for a driver are one and four,” she said, noting that there’s only one other competitor in her immediate peripheral vision with a wall on one side of her dragster. “When you’re looking at that Christmas tree, it’s the closest thing to what you typically see every single weekend. Those would be my vote.

“What it really boils down to is lane choice and track, so I’ll leave it up to my crew chief,” David Grubnic. “Whatever lane he wants, whatever lane he thinks we can get the car down in and turn the win light on, that is the lane I want.”