READING, Pa. (Sept. 15, 2022) – Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster team will enter this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first event of six in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, with a 20 point cushion after finishing the regular season in the top spot.
Force, who has four victories in the Countdown to the Championship, is one of three women to have won multiple Countdown races (Erica Enders 10, Courtney Force 2) and one of only three to win a regular season championship (Erica in 2015 and 2021 and Courtney in 2018). Force is captured the No. 1 seed in the six race playoffs on the efforts of four wins in six final round appearances, a career best season for the 2017 world champion. Her top spot also makes her the first driver other than Steve Torrence to start the Countdown from No. 1 since 2016.
“The points have officially reset and our Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team is in the lead heading into the first race of the countdown in Reading, Pennsylvania. This first race is going to be a big one. I feel like it will set the tone for the final five,” Force said. “Our team is in the best position, and we plan to leave in that same position. Our game plan is a top qualifying spot, a good race day ladder and going rounds on Sunday. We’ve had luck in Maple Grove in the past and plan to build on that.”
When she won the series championship in 2017, Brittany started sixth. In her 2017 championship season, Force picked up the victory at Maple Grove Raceway, beating Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown and Steve Torrence in the last three rounds. In 2021, she was the No. 1 qualifier and went to the semifinals. She has been the No. 1 qualifier three times (2015, 2019 and 2021) and, in addition to her 2017 win, was runner-up in 2014 and 2016. She set the current track and national record on Sept. 14, 2019, when she ran 3.623-seconds. She also is the track speed record holder for Top Fuel at 335.57 mph, a mark she established Sept. 10 of 2021.
Competition at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway begins with qualifying on Friday at 5:45 p.m. and Saturday at 1:15 and 4:45 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled to begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the event begins Friday with a qualifying show at 7 p.m. ET and another on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Eliminations will be aired Sunday at 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) on FOX Broadcasting Network.
