Funny Car

Position

 Driver

  Points  

  Change  

1

Tony Pedregon *

3178

-

2

Robert Hight *

3159

+1

3

Gary Scelzi *

3092

-1

4

Ron Capps *

3067

-

 

5

Jack Beckman

2358

-

6

Mike Ashley

2337

-

7

John Force

2191

-

8

Jim Head

2163

-

9

Del Worsham

1050

-

10

Ashley Force

960

+1

11

Jeff Arend

934

+2

12

Cruz Pedregon

925

-2

13

Tommy Johnson Jr.

916

-2

14

Kenny Bernstein

903

-

15

Tim Wilkerson

884

-

 


  HIGHT WINS ALL JFR FINAL TO CAP EMOTIONAL SEASON
- Scores #2 Position in NHRA POWERade Funny Car Countdown -


Team Castrol/Auto Club driver Robert Hight ended the season in the same position he started but with better results, winning the 43rd Auto Club NHRA Finals. In February Hight crossed the centerline in the final round at the Winternationals to hand Gary Scelzi a season opening win, today Hight bested teammate Phil Burkart Jr. in an all John Force Racing final round. This was the 27th time John Force Racing has doubled up in the final round but only the second time John Force has not been a participant.

 

"A lot of things have happened since February. To win this final race in front of our sponsors was great. We’re gonna have a new Ford engine next year. We need to get John (Force) on the mend. We’re gonna build some different race cars. Right now I'm gonna take a page out of Eric Medlen’s book and go out and eat a little ice cream tonight and enjoy this win,” said Hight

 

Hight was in championship contention until the semi-final round when his 4.877 second pass was not enough to put him in position to set a national record and capture his first POWERade Championship. Hight finished second for the second year in a row leading the stable of John Force Racing Ford Mustangs that placed three cars in the top ten.

 

Ironically Hight’s win today would have secured the championship under the pre-Countdown point structure.

 

“Had we won the championship, that wouldn’t have made it a great year,” Hight said. “Winning the race didn’t make it a great year (because) earlier this year we lost our teammate (Eric Medlen, who succumbed last March to injuries suffered in a testing accident at Gainesville , Fla. ).

 

“In fact, there’s not much that would have made this a good year because we’ll never have Eric back. I miss him, miss him like you can’t believe. This winter’s going to be really tough, ‘cause Eric and I worked a lot together in the winter.”