John Force’s record in jeopardy at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

As the NHRA season nears its end, Las Vegas Motor Speedway could see a change in the record books. John Force’s long-standing record could be under threat Brittany power and her teammate Austin Prock lead strong performances.

At the 24th Annual Ford NHRA Nationals performance, the spotlight fell on Brittany Force as she secured the top spot in the Top Fuel category. This event is the 19th stop in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and is also part of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, which serve as the fifth of six races in this series.

John Force, a legend in the NHRA drag racing community, made his long-awaited returns to the circuit after his crash earlier this yearwhich brought about a wave of enthusiasm and optimism. His presence seemed to bring happiness to his daughter Brittany and her teammate Austin Prock.

Brittany Force wowed with a remarkable run, clocking 3.675 seconds at 536.74 mph in her Chevrolet Accessories dragster. This performance not only placed her at the top of the Top Fuel qualifiers, but also marked the fifth time in the season and 51st time in her career that she has claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot.

“Coming into this weekend, we knew it was going to be special because my dad was planning to come out, and I think everyone was really looking forward to seeing him, especially me,” said Brittany Force. “I’m so excited for him. I think it’s great for him. This is just the best medicine for him. We’re always excited to come back to Las Vegas where we’ve had so much success in the past. We’ We really want to finish the season strong and get into the winner’s circle for our sponsors.”

Brittany’s performance was mirrored in the Funny Car division by Prock, who also captured the No. 1 spot with a 3.843-second run at 533.33 mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. His performance puts him in a promising position to potentially break John Force’s single-season record for No. 1 finishes.

Reflecting on John Force’s return, Prock said:

“That was a great way to welcome him back. All three John Force Racing cars had great runs and it was a good way to say, ‘Welcome back, boss.’ It’s just nice to have John back on the track for the first time since Richmond.

“I’m glad he’s back. I wanted to cry when I saw him this morning. That first run was very tough, obviously at the low point of the session. We’ve got two more tomorrow and the conditions will be good.” probably better. I don’t believe 3.84 will hold. I think we need to improve that.”

A drag racing icon, John Force has a storied career with 16 NHRA Funny Car championships and 157 career victories. His daughter Brittany, along with sisters Ashley and Courtney who have had their own racing successes, continue the Force family legacy in NHRA drag racing.

This weekend, Greg Anderson put in a strong performance in the Pro Stock category, capturing the No. 1 qualifying spot with a 6.597-second run at 200 mph (327.02 km/h) in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson is 90 points behind his teammate Dallas Glenn.

“Without a doubt, I have to win this race. That’s all I can do at the moment. Even if I win the last two races, that might not be enough to get (the championship) done. Our plan is to climb the ladder determine so it’s beneficial, but there’s no happy place on a Pro Stock ladder,” Anderson said.

Matt Smith led Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying with a run of 6.822 seconds at 190 mph, significantly closing the points gap to leader Gaige Herrera.

“Our mentality this weekend is to just not have bad luck, because we’ve had a lot of it lately. In Reading I had a bad fuel pump and in St. Louis we lost a crank puller and in Dallas the engine stopped working.” That’s three races we should have won and that would have been 60 points. We should be in the lead now, so I’m not asking for luck.”