Brittany Force has hit a huge achievement in her drag racing career, securing her 50th No. 1 qualifying position at the 39th Annual Texas NHRA Fall Nationals held at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas.
Back in 2014, Brittany Force achieved her first career pole in the Top Fuel category in Kansas, where she and her sister, Courtney, both claimed the No. 1 qualifying positions. That event was significant since their father, John Force, also set a track record in the Funny Car category.
Her latest qualifying run was remarkable, clocking in at 3.667 seconds with a speed of 338 miles per hour. With this achievement, she reached a threshold in her career that only a few have managed, making her one of the most distinguished figures in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Force fought back tears as she reflected on the achievement. She explained:
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“Just to hear 50, it was such a big achievement.
“It’s a big achievement by all of John Force Racing. It’s so many sponsors throughout the year, so many crew chiefs throughout the years, crew guys, so many [people] throughout the years to get us to that 50.
“When I look at the list, my first number one qualifier was 2014 in Topeka, I believe it was alongside my sister.
“We both went No. 1 qualifier. She went on and ended up winning the race, but that was a special one in Kansas for us.”
Currently eighth in the 2024 championship standings, Force finds herself 173 points from the top. After finishing seventh in the 2023 season, her focus this year is to build on past performances. She continued:
“Our focus this year is just improving on last season. We came out of a tough season. It’s been tough for us this year and just setting goals for ourselves, trying to achieve them and then we get set back and we’re trying to achieve another one. So really our focus is on our lane, in our pits, [and] what we can accomplish.
“That’s not what everyone else is doing around us. That doesn’t seem to help us. We could use it as motivation, but it’s what the guy in the lane next to us is doing. It doesn’t affect how we’re setting up our car or how we’re running. We stay focused in our lane and really move forward with that.”
She added:
“The cool thing is it was a collective thing. It wasn’t just done with one team. It was done with so many teams and so many different crew chiefs who I’ll always look up. They all taught me things along the way that I still use to this day. So I’m very thankful to them that they’re part of my whole career in getting that 50.
“50. It seems like an impossible number. Just hearing the number 50, like, ‘Wow, we’ve really done that.'”
Brittany Force’s drag racing career began at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, where she first gained experience in the Super Comp and Top Alcohol Dragster divisions. Her professional debut came in 2013, the same year she received the NHRA Rookie of the Year award. Her historic win at Gatornationals in 2016 and her 2017 Top Fuel World Championship established her as a formidable force in the drag racing world.
