Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
JOLIET, Ill. (May 14, 2025) – With a couple of milestones clearly within reach, Brittany Force this week sends her national record-holding, 340 mile per hour Monster Energy Chevrolet after the Top Fuel championship in the 25th running of the NHRA Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.
Seeking her 18th Mission Foods tour victory, a number that would tie her with Shirley Muldowney for most by a woman in the NHRA’s signature class, she also is just one round win away from reaching 300 in a pro career that began in 2013.
Nevertheless, the second youngest of John Force’s daughters is taking nothing for granted on the eve of the season’s sixth event. That’s because, while she is the Route 66 track record holder for speed at 334.82 mph, she knows better than most how fleeting success can be on the world’s premier drag racing circuit.
Just one year ago at this race, in fact, she found herself on the outside looking in, a non-qualifier for the first time in 190 events and for just the fifth time in her career.
“I’m eager to get to Chicago and back with my crew chief David Grubnic and our Monster Energy team,” she said. “After a DNQ last season, we all feel the need to redeem ourselves and make up for our mistakes a year ago.”
Although she was runner-up to reigning series champion Antron Brown at the 2014 race in just the third final round appearance of her Top Fuel career, Route 66 Raceway remains one of the few tracks at which she has yet to hoist a trophy and one of even fewer at which she has a losing round record (7-8). She hopes to provide an edit to both those statistics this weekend.
“Coming off a new national speed record in Charlotte at 341.59 mph, we feel our overall performance has significantly improved since last season and we are in a much better place to qualify well and have a shot at a Chicago win,” she said.
After reaching the second quad three weeks ago at the original 4-Wide Nationals, the 38-year-old Californian boosted her career round win total to 299, a single win-light shy of a total thus far amassed by only 11 Top Fuel drivers in the NHRA’s 75-year history.
Currently the owner of 11 track speed records and seven elapsed time standards including a Maple Grove Raceway (Reading, Pa.) record of 3.623 seconds that is the quickest in history, Brittany will be seeking her 54th No. 1 start when qualifying begins Friday.
