Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
BRADENTON, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2025) – Anxious to build on the momentum generated in last fall’s Countdown to the Championship, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force sends her Monster Energy dragster back to work this week in the second PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
One of only two women to have won an NHRA championship in drag racing’s signature category, Force is anticipating a reversal of fortune in this year’s Shootout after failing to make the eight-car starting lineup at the special non-points event a year ago.
“I’m excited to get this 2025 season started,” Force said. “This is a great opportunity for our team to get back in the swing of things after some time away from the racetrack. David Grubnic will continue to lead the charge alongside (co-crew chief) John Collins and three new crew members.
“The Pro Superstar Shootout gives our Monster team a chance to redeem itself after a slow start last season,” she said. “We plan to take advantage of all the testing opportunities leading up to qualifying to give us the best possible chance to qualify well and win this exciting event.”
Although she was quickest on the first day of qualifying a year ago, she was unable to improve thereafter and wound up on the outside, looking in. That inconsistency became a recurring theme during 2024 as Grubnic and Collins continued to develop a new engine/clutch/drivetrain combination designed to keep the 38-year-old at the forefront of the category.
After failing to qualify at Chicago and after skipping the race at Norwalk, Ohio, following dad John’s June crash at Richmond, Va., the NHRA national record holder for time and speed was faced with the prospect of missing the Countdown altogether for the first time since her debut season in 2013.
Instead, she secured her spot with a trip to the semifinals at the U.S. Nationals and, after a first-round loss in the Countdown opener, qualified No. 1 in four of the last five races, won at Las Vegas and finished fifth in points, improving her standing by five positions.
As a result, her optimism is understandable.
“Each member of our crew is in a different position this year, taking on different tasks,” said the former NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year, “but (the members of this) Monster team enjoy the challenge of taking on a new job so they can be skilled in all areas (and that) speaks very highly of their work ethic.
“I believe once we get comfortable in this new routine, we will pick up right where we left off in our 2024 season.”
Continue reading...
BRADENTON, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2025) – Anxious to build on the momentum generated in last fall’s Countdown to the Championship, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force sends her Monster Energy dragster back to work this week in the second PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
One of only two women to have won an NHRA championship in drag racing’s signature category, Force is anticipating a reversal of fortune in this year’s Shootout after failing to make the eight-car starting lineup at the special non-points event a year ago.
“I’m excited to get this 2025 season started,” Force said. “This is a great opportunity for our team to get back in the swing of things after some time away from the racetrack. David Grubnic will continue to lead the charge alongside (co-crew chief) John Collins and three new crew members.
“The Pro Superstar Shootout gives our Monster team a chance to redeem itself after a slow start last season,” she said. “We plan to take advantage of all the testing opportunities leading up to qualifying to give us the best possible chance to qualify well and win this exciting event.”
Although she was quickest on the first day of qualifying a year ago, she was unable to improve thereafter and wound up on the outside, looking in. That inconsistency became a recurring theme during 2024 as Grubnic and Collins continued to develop a new engine/clutch/drivetrain combination designed to keep the 38-year-old at the forefront of the category.
After failing to qualify at Chicago and after skipping the race at Norwalk, Ohio, following dad John’s June crash at Richmond, Va., the NHRA national record holder for time and speed was faced with the prospect of missing the Countdown altogether for the first time since her debut season in 2013.
Instead, she secured her spot with a trip to the semifinals at the U.S. Nationals and, after a first-round loss in the Countdown opener, qualified No. 1 in four of the last five races, won at Las Vegas and finished fifth in points, improving her standing by five positions.
As a result, her optimism is understandable.
“Each member of our crew is in a different position this year, taking on different tasks,” said the former NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year, “but (the members of this) Monster team enjoy the challenge of taking on a new job so they can be skilled in all areas (and that) speaks very highly of their work ethic.
“I believe once we get comfortable in this new routine, we will pick up right where we left off in our 2024 season.”
Continue reading...