Last season, Top Fuel racer Brittany Force experienced a new twist in her NHRA drag racing career. For the first time in three years, she failed to visit the winner’s circle.
It was a bit of an odd result, considering the John Force Racing driver won her second Top Fuel championship the year before, in 2022. It seemed only natural that Force and crew chief David Grubnic would tap into that magic and bring home a handful of Wallys for their efforts in 2023.
Only, that wasn’t what happened.
In 21 races, Force recorded a single runner-up finish and four semi-final appearances. Her Achilles heel proved to be the quarterfinals, where she came up short 10 times.
On Monday, the 37-year-old admitted the offseason had drug on long enough and she was anxious to find redemption, starting at this weekend’s NHRA Gatornationals at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway.
“We’re ready to get going, especially after a tough season last year,” Force said. “I always try to take away something, learn something from the tough years…I realized it is really easy to stay positive and motivated when you’re winning and you’re leading the points like we did (in 2022). We didn’t do that (in 2023), we struggled all season long.”
While the reference back to 2023 was brief, there was plenty to unpack about her upcoming Top Fuel campaign, which will be her 12th season at the top level of NHRA. Like the rest of her competitors, it’s been more than three months since Force made competitive runs in her Monster Energy-sponsored dragster.
The John Force Racing team tested a few weeks ago, but as most drivers will tell you, testing doesn’t provide the same pressure-packed experience one would have against an opponent in competition.
While Force certainly is hoping to collect her first Wally in 22 races on Sunday, there is another element being thrown into the equation during the three-day Gatornationals.
For a second consecutive year, the NHRA season opener will feature a race-within-a-race. The Pep Boys Top Fuel All-Star Callout is scheduled for Saturday, on the eve of eliminations.
“I don’t love it so much as a driver. I’m very routine and I like to know who I’m going up against, but again, it’s a great show for the fans and it’s something different for our sport,” Force said.
She is one of eight drivers — others are Steve Torrence, Doug Kalitta, Mike Salinas, Justin Ashley, Antron Brown, Shawn Langdon and Josh Hart — who will participate in the $130,000-to-win specialty event.
The field will have the opportunity to log two qualifying runs before the All-Star Callout begins, as the race counts as a third qualifying session for the drivers involved.
“You don’t get a lot to work with. You kinda just have to take a deep breath and focus on doing your job like it’s any other run,” Force said.
The All-Star Callout also forces crew chiefs to make a difficult decision: Either go out and attempt to win the bonus money, or focus on setting a better qualifying run for the Gatornationals.
As a side note, Force will have two crew chiefs this year. John Collins will assist with tuning duties on her dragster alongside Grubnic, who has worked with Force for several years.
“It’s a battle for teams and crew chiefs to decide…crew chiefs are going to have to make some tough decisions, because at the end of the day, we all want that win,” Force said.