HIGHT CONTINUES JFR STRONGHOLD IN DENVER WITH SEVENTH NO. 1 OF SEASON

Written by Larry Crum, photo by Richard Brady    Sun, 2019-07-21 08:00

 

There is just something about Bandimere Speedway and the drivers at John Force Racing.

Whether it be wins, pole positions, flat-out performance or even a little bit of luck, JFR drivers just seem to know how to get it done up on the mountain.

And on Saturday, Robert Hight continued that impressive performance with the sixth-straight top qualifier award for JFR Racing at the track outside of Denver as Hight drove his Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to his seventh No. 1 of the season and 67th of his career at the 40th annual Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil.

“We’ve had a lot of good luck up here and some great races,” Hight said. “The great thing about this track is that it is an equalizer. It is hard to make power and everybody runs very similar so you have to race well to get the job done. And that is just something we have always managed to do well here.”

Hight rebounded nicely after three aborted runs to open the weekend with a chart-topping 3.975-second pass at 326.16 mph in the next-to-last pairing of Saturday’s rain-delayed final session. Hight had slid all the way outside the top 10 before rebounding in his final pass of the evening.

Hight was then the recipient of a little bit of luck as the rest of the qualifying round, which had already been delayed due to rain, was called with a few additional cars still to run as rain once again began to fall on the facility.

“We came in here testing some new stuff. Yesterday the two runs that we had with the different parts didn’t go well, so you have to throw that out and then the first run today we missed it again,” Hight said. “I am glad the NHRA and the fans stuck this out so we could make another run. You don’t want to go into race day having not gone down the track, so that was big for us.

“But I will be honest, I don’t know if that (time) would have stuck. The last four cars were pretty good and they were in a better position to step up than we were.”

Tommy Johnson Jr. placed the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat second with a 3.987 at 317.72 mph, while Friday night top qualifier Cruz Pedregon slipped to third with a 4.002 at 317.42 mph. Ron Capps (4.005) and Bob Tasca (4.008) rounded out the top five.

Defending race winner John Force, who is seeking his 150th career NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series win, qualified sixth with a 4.051.

With only 15 Funny Cars making a pass this weekend, Hight’s performance on Saturday earned him a bye in round one as he will face the winner of Tim Wilkerson and Shawn Langdon in round two on Sunday. The points leader is seeking his fifth Wally of the season.

If Hight or Force manage to win on Sunday, it will also extend JFR’s streak to four-straight at the toughest track on the tour.

“You kind of have to throw this race out. This one is hard. You only come here once a year and you have to make a lot of changes,” Hight said. “That is why Jimmy (Prock) came in here testing. He really thought that what he was going to run would be better up here. And it doesn’t mean that it isn’t, it just means that we didn’t get it in two runs. So we have to throw this one out and from here on out you have to start getting your act together and start working on a combination for Indy and the Countdown.

“As for tomorrow, I think the weather is going to be good. It is going to be a little cooler, so I am excited about that. And if you are going to be number one, it is good to do it when there are only 15 cars.”

 

 
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