Drag racing’s Courtney Force makes history as she chases title

Drag racing’s Courtney Force is battling her legendary father for her first NHRA championship while making history in the process.

Force is the daughter of John Force, the record 16-time champion in the National Hot Rod Assn.’s funny car class. Funny cars and top-fuel dragsters are the two elite divisions of the NHRA that reach speeds of 300 mph.

Courtney Force, who also races funny cars, defeated former champion Matt Hagan to win the event in St. Louis on Sunday for her second consecutive victory. She also won the previous week in Dallas.

That left Courtney Force only 30 points behind her 65-year-old father in the championship standings of the NHRA’s premier Mello Yello Series with three events left. The season finale is Nov. 13-16 in Pomona.

With the win in St. Louis, Courtney Force became the first woman to win back-to-back funny car races and the first woman to collect four funny car wins in one season. The 26-year-old, in her second year in the series, now has seven funny car wins overall, also a record for a woman.

And it’s the first time in funny car history that a father and daughter were first and second in the point standings. Both race for John Force’s Yorba Linda-based team.

“I’m excited,” Courtney Force said after her winning pass over Hagan. “I’m proud of my guys. [We’re] working our way up that ladder. We’ve got to take this week after week, one round at a time.”

John and Courtney Force have Hagan right behind them in the title chase. Hagan, in third place in the standings, is 12 points behind Courtney Force and 42 points behind John Force.

“We need to create a gap between us and everyone behind us and climb our way up to catch Dad if we want to win this championship,” Courtney Force said.

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