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Courtney Force 100th NHRA Win By A Female
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Less than a week after an emotional reaction to not making history, Courtney Force was even more emotional after her landmark-setting win Sunday.
Force beat Cruz Pedregon in the Funny Car final to win the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. It was the 100th event win by a woman in NHRA history, extending a tradition of victories by female drivers that began with Shirley Muldowney in 1976.
Force was clocked at 4.148 seconds in her John Force Racing Ford Mustang, while Pedregon was clocked at 4.225 seconds.
"There's just a lot of emotion right now," Force said. "It's been a long weekend. I'm so proud of my guys and I am happy to win this for all of the girls who have won races in NHRA over the years. They know how to win, and this win is for them."
Force is one of 14 women who have won in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. She is one of three women who have won races in the series this season, joining fellow Funny Car racer Alexis DeJoria and Pro Stock points leader Erica Enders-Stevens.
"All day I was just trying not to think about it," said Force, who outran Dale Creasy Jr., Jeff Arend and Tommy Johnson Jr. in earlier rounds. "I was pretty much crushed after last weekend, but we were finally able to do it. I am just so proud to do it for all the girls out there."
Muldowney was the first woman to win a professional drag racing event when she won in Top Fuel on June 13, 1976 in Columbus, Ohio. Seven women are currently competing in the professional levels of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series: Enders-Stevens in Pro Stock, DeJoria and Force in Funny Car, Brittany Force and Leah Pritchett in Top Fuel, and Katie Sullivan and Angie Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
"I think it's a terrific thing," Muldowney told NHRA.com before the race. "A lot of ladies played a big part in getting to 100 wins and it's good for the sport. Anything that shows women can be competitive with men and come out on top, it's a good thing."
Muldowney won the Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980 and 1982 to become the first NHRA driver to win three championships. She won 18 events in her career.
"Nobody could hold me back from what I wanted to do," Muldowney said. "When the NHRA saw that I was capable in the driver's seat they relaxed and were great. They were very accepting. They knew I could sell tickets and that I had the goods."
Force, 25, is the daughter of team owner and 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force. She's in her third season, having won three events previously.
"I am just so proud of her," John Force said. "She battles like me. People say she looks like her mom and she races like me. I saw her jump in there against Cruz and then she got the win. I gave her a big hug at the finish line and I just said I loved her and was so proud.
"I know she was disappointed last week and I just told her to have fun and race hard today. She is a competitor just like her sisters, Ashley and Brittany, and her brother-in-law, Robert Hight. I hope she remembers this feeling because history doesn't happen every day."
During a rain-delayed Funny Car final Monday at Atlanta Dragway, Force lost to teammate Robert Hight, failing to reach the 100-win landmark.
Force beat Cruz Pedregon in the Funny Car final to win the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. It was the 100th event win by a woman in NHRA history, extending a tradition of victories by female drivers that began with Shirley Muldowney in 1976.
Force was clocked at 4.148 seconds in her John Force Racing Ford Mustang, while Pedregon was clocked at 4.225 seconds.
"There's just a lot of emotion right now," Force said. "It's been a long weekend. I'm so proud of my guys and I am happy to win this for all of the girls who have won races in NHRA over the years. They know how to win, and this win is for them."
Force is one of 14 women who have won in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. She is one of three women who have won races in the series this season, joining fellow Funny Car racer Alexis DeJoria and Pro Stock points leader Erica Enders-Stevens.
"All day I was just trying not to think about it," said Force, who outran Dale Creasy Jr., Jeff Arend and Tommy Johnson Jr. in earlier rounds. "I was pretty much crushed after last weekend, but we were finally able to do it. I am just so proud to do it for all the girls out there."
Muldowney was the first woman to win a professional drag racing event when she won in Top Fuel on June 13, 1976 in Columbus, Ohio. Seven women are currently competing in the professional levels of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series: Enders-Stevens in Pro Stock, DeJoria and Force in Funny Car, Brittany Force and Leah Pritchett in Top Fuel, and Katie Sullivan and Angie Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
"I think it's a terrific thing," Muldowney told NHRA.com before the race. "A lot of ladies played a big part in getting to 100 wins and it's good for the sport. Anything that shows women can be competitive with men and come out on top, it's a good thing."
Muldowney won the Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980 and 1982 to become the first NHRA driver to win three championships. She won 18 events in her career.
"Nobody could hold me back from what I wanted to do," Muldowney said. "When the NHRA saw that I was capable in the driver's seat they relaxed and were great. They were very accepting. They knew I could sell tickets and that I had the goods."
Force, 25, is the daughter of team owner and 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force. She's in her third season, having won three events previously.
"I am just so proud of her," John Force said. "She battles like me. People say she looks like her mom and she races like me. I saw her jump in there against Cruz and then she got the win. I gave her a big hug at the finish line and I just said I loved her and was so proud.
"I know she was disappointed last week and I just told her to have fun and race hard today. She is a competitor just like her sisters, Ashley and Brittany, and her brother-in-law, Robert Hight. I hope she remembers this feeling because history doesn't happen every day."
During a rain-delayed Funny Car final Monday at Atlanta Dragway, Force lost to teammate Robert Hight, failing to reach the 100-win landmark.
