It was one week ago when NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force let the cat out of the bag to her more than 25,000 Twitter followers.
The spoiler alert was that Courtney’s sister, former Funny Car driver Ashley Force Hood, was pregnant with her second child.
While that announcement adds to the belief her older sister won’t be returning anytime soon – or perhaps at all – to driving, Courtney had other ideas and touched on those Thursday at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.
It was one week ago when NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force let the cat out of the bag to her more than 25,000 Twitter followers.
The spoiler alert was that Courtney’s sister, former Funny Car driver Ashley Force Hood, was pregnant with her second child.
While that announcement adds to the belief her older sister won’t be returning anytime soon – or perhaps at all – to driving, Courtney had other ideas and touched on those Thursday at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.
“There’s a lot of people saying there’s no way she’s coming back with a second kid on the way. But I definitely don’t believe that. This is my personal opinion, I see it as she’s had one kid, she’s getting another one done and maybe she’ll be back sooner,” Force said, eliciting a laugh from the press room.
“That’s how I see it because she’s been out here all season watching me race. I know she’s eager to get back to it. She’s busy being a mom right now, but she loves being out here at the races. I want her to come out and compete against me because I would just have a ball.”
That sister versus sister matchup in Funny Car will have to wait for the time being, which is the cause of some minor disappointment for Courtney, who is having a banner rookie season.
Force, who already has one win and two No. 1 qualifiers spots in 2012, ran a blistering 4.032 at 315.93 mph during first day qualifying in Pomona, and she always expressed great joy and gratitude in being able to enjoy her rookie campaign in Funny Car with her dad, John, competing next to her and her siblings, Ashley and Brittany, watching all the action.
“I always get that sense of comfort when I’m out her with my sisters and my family,” Force said.
“It’s just great being out here with my family, getting to race with them. We all grew up at the track and I just love every moment of it. Getting to compete against my dad, it just puts a smile on my face because it’s a lot of fun.”
As for the future, expect to see at least one new Force in the lanes next year.
If all goes well on the sponsorship and testing front, the plan is to have Brittany behind the wheel of a Top Fuel dragster, which would instantly make her the fastest Force in the family.
In a family that revolves around racing, those bragging rights go a long way, but Courtney is excited to see what transpires.
“She’s definitely done a good job and she’s getting the hang of it. It’s going to be awesome to see her progression,” Force said.
Courtney might concede top speed honors to Brittany, but she also anticipates the day when she can race against Ashley in Funny Car competition.
“I look forward to the day when Ashley is in the lane next to me and I look forward to Brittany hopefully next season being in the Top Fuel category so I can cheer her on,” Force said.
“There’s always sibling rivalry. We all want to win and we all want to do well, and we’ve got some great teachers. It would just be awesome to be competing against each other.”
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