Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 8, 2025) – Qualifying promise morphed into race day disappointment Sunday for all three John Force Racing drivers competing in the 23rd NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
The only one able to advance beyond round one was two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force who, after struggling during qualifying, flashed the form that carried her to the winners’ circle last week at Epping, N.H., in a first round victory over former European Top Fuel Champ Ida Zetterstrom.
Her 3.811 second, 330.39 mile per hour charge in the Monster Energy Chevrolet was the second quickest time of the opening round and her quickest of the weekend, but it just wasn’t quite good enough to earn her the choice of lanes in round two against Justin Ashley, whose first round 3.783 turned out to be the quickest of the race.
Against Ashley, the Monster lost traction near the first of the “tunnel bumps” at Bristol, about 330 feet down track, slowing the 18-time tour winner to 4.925 seconds at only 160.40 mph and sending her into the next race in the Mission Series, the two-day NHRA Virginia Nationals, in sixth place in points.
“We just couldn’t get down the racetrack (in round two),” she said. “We know this team is at its best and can run in the cool conditions, as was evident last week in Epping, but it’s now summer and we’re going to be racing in the heat for the next few months. So, we’ll take what we learned in Bristol and apply it going forward and come out strong in Richmond.”
As frustrating as the day was for Brittany and her team, it was even more so for the Cornwell Tools and PEAK Funny Car teams.
After qualifying No. 1 and No. 4, Austin Prock and Jack Beckman both were out of competition after a single round. That’s something that had never happened since the two became teammates last August and it’s something that had not happened to two JFR Funny Car drivers since April 2, 2023, when John Force and Robert Hight both were eliminated in round one at the Winternationals.
“Frustrating day,” Prock said after his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS lost traction and fell to No. 16 qualifier Buddy Hull for the second straight week. “The car just came loose over the bumps, and I just wasn’t able to catch it in time. We have all these safety parameters on these things now and that bit us because the safety system shut the car off and I was just coasting.
“The thing was humming along right through there,” said the point leader and reigning series champion. “It felt nice (but) right when the car was starting to accelerate, the tires started to get tall, we went over a bump and before I knew it, it was blazing the tires off, and it was kind of like slow motion. Definitely frustrating, but it’s the name of the game and we’ll be better in Richmond.”
Seeing his teammate struggle a few pairs ahead of him, Beckman was gifted with an opportunity to make up some ground in the point standings at the wheel of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy but couldn’t capitalize, losing to Funny Car rookie Julie Nataas, the former Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion.
“It looks like we were just pushing a little bit too hard,” said the cancer survivor and U.S. Air Force veteran. “Bristol is a very bumpy track – and it’s tough. You really have to cripple the car when you go over the two pedestrian tunnels out there, and that’s hard to do on a car that’s this quick.
“We had the best numbers early in the run but then, when it went over that first bump, it just unloaded, and (there was) nothing I could do. It automatically shut the throttle off. There’s a safety channel (and) if it revs up too quick, it won’t even let us get back on the throttle. However, it wouldn’t have made a difference on that run anyway.
“It’s a bitter loss,” said the former Super Comp World Champ, “but they won’t let us redo it. We’ll unload in Richmond ready to race and win.”
