DATE OF BIRTH:
June 20, 1988
HOMETOWN:
Yorba Linda, Calif.
CAREER WINS: 2
FC: 1 TAD: 1
CAREER FINAL ROUNDS: 5
FC: 3 TAD: 2
CAREER BEST E.T.:
4.028
CAREER BEST SPEED:
319.60
Courtney Force, a national spokesperson for Ford Motor Company’s Driving Skills for Life initiative, wasted little time in showing off her competitive skills at the wheel of the 8,000 horsepower Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car in which she is vying this year for the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Road to the Future Award that identifies the NHRA’s Rookie-of-the-Year.
Driving one of the world’s most powerful race cars, a hybrid Mustang capable of zero-to-315 mile per hour acceleration in little more than four seconds, Courtney already has done something that her dad, 15-time champion John Force; her sister, two-time MAC Tools U.S. Nationals winner Ashley Force Hood; and her brother-in-law, 2009 champion Robert Hight, never did – and that is win her first professional racing round.
A graduate of Cal State-Fullerton, where she earned a degree in Communications, Courtney is making the most of the opportunity to compete at drag racing’s highest level.
Her preparation included a six-year apprenticeship in Super Comp and Top Alcohol followed by private tutoring in her big sister’s Drag Racing 101 class and a full season of testing last year in her own John Force Racing Ford Funny Car.
Finally racing against her father (whom she defeated in their first head-to-head meeting at Phoenix, Ariz.), her brother-in-law, teammate Mike Neff and the rest of the Funny Car contingent is the realization of a lifelong dream for the former high school cheerleader who Force identified early-on as the daughter most likely to follow him into a family business that has produced 17 world championships in the last 22 seasons.
“Ashley never thought about driving until she went to driving school,” Force admitted. “Brittany wanted to be a schoolteacher and Adria (who is married to Hight) always was into business and music but Courtney always wanted to race.”
Now she is getting the opportunity under the watchful eye not only of Force, but of co-crew chiefs Ron Douglas and Scott Wible, who directed her to the semifinal round in just her second pro start.
Like sister Ashley, who first leapt to prominence outside the race car when she won AOL Sports’ inaugural “World’s Hottest Athlete” contest (2007), Courtney similarly sped into the spotlight after being named “Top Agent” in the Fiesta Movement, a Ford marketing program in which 100 “agents” drove Ford Fiestas and then shared their experiences on various national social media platforms.
On the track, she also mimicked her sister’s success by driving one of veteran Jerry Darien’s race cars to the Top Alcohol Dragster title at the 2009 Northwest Nationals at Seattle, Wash.
Statuesque like her mother, Laurie, Courtney was one of the stars of Driving Force, the real-life TV series that aired for two seasons on A&E Network. Most recently, she was second among auto racing drivers in ESPN’s NEXT poll, which seeks to identify the “next big things” in all the major sports..
“This is what I’ve always dreamed of,” said the 23-year-old rookie, “and to have my sister Ashley and my dad teach me makes it that much better. I also have great teammates in Robert and Mike to lean on and get insight from. I’m just going to learn all I can and see where it takes me.”
“It’s been a little overwhelming,” she said of all the fan and media attention. “I’m just excited to finally be able to race a Funny Car. I always dreamed of going three hundred miles per hour and it’s just awesome to be finally be out here racing.”
Of her initial victory over her father, she said, “I hated beating him even though I’ve dreamed about racing him for such a long time.”
Courtney’s performance numbers, even in testing, were good enough to impress her sponsor – which takes no small amount of effort. After all, Traxxas is responsible for developing the technology that produced the XO-1, a radio-controlled hobby racer capable of 100 mph performance in a blistering 4.92 seconds.
No doubt that both driver and sponsor are solidly on the fast track to success.
Ron Douglas Crew Chief
Birthdate: 03/26/1970
Hometown: Highland, IL
Current Residence: Brownsburg, IN
Year hired at John Force Racing:
Which Team (s): Courtney Force
Background (education/work/racing experience): First job in motor sports was at Skuza Motorsports
Team Responsibilities: Crew Chief
Hobbies/Interests: sports
Ron Douglas, who helped direct Ashley Force Hood to second and third place finishes and back-to-back Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Funny Car titles in her two most recent seasons in the NHRA’s Full Throttle Series, will try to work the same magic this year with her sister Courtney.
Douglas will serve as lead crew chief on the Traxxas Ford in which 23-year-old Courtney Force, the youngest of John Force’s four daughters, will vie for the Auto Club’s Road to the Future Award which designates the NHRA Rookie of the Year.
Sharing tune-up responsibilities with Douglas will be veteran Scott Wible and a crew consisting of Kyle Darr, Steve Easton, Mark Freidenfelt, Dustin Johnson, Chris Kullberg, Robert Proctor and Brad Robinson.
With 19 years of experience working with some of the most productive teams and well-known drivers in drag racing, nine as crew chief, Douglas brings a wealth of knowledge to his new role including victories with three different drivers in two different nitro categories.
Douglas, who had worked at Don Schumacher Racing, Doug Herbert Racing and for two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon, provided additional crew chief experience that supported battery-mate Dean “Guido” Antonelli when the two hooked up to combine to make Force Hood a legitimate title contender.
“The preparation of the car is our No. 1 priority,” Douglas said. “We want to make sure the product is right before we ever take it to the starting line. We make sure the car is prepared properly and safely – that’s priority one. Then we’ll decide how we want to attack the racetrack.”
It’s a philosophy that fits solidly with Force’s vision for his daughter’s program.
Douglas began his career at Dean Skuza Motorsports in 1993 season. It was the perfect starting point because, as a smaller Funny Car operation, it gave Douglas the chance to do a little bit of everything.
“We only had three crew guys,” he said. “I mostly maintained the cylinder heads and top end of the engine, but we all had to drive the truck, learn how to work on the body and build the engines.”
It was on-the-job training and it provided a perfect foundation for Douglas, who worked briefly on Randy Anderson’s Funny Car before being hired as a crewman on Schumacher Racing’s Exide-backed Top Fuel dragster (driven by six-time NHRA champion Tony Schumacher).
“We started with nothing,” Douglas said. “We had a bare shop floor and in just a matter of weeks, we got a truck and trailer and built the whole operation.”
His work at Schumacher’s caught the eye of former World Champion Dick LaHaie, who hired him at Doug Herbert Racing. Working with LaHaie for six seasons as assistant crew chief proved fortuitous insomuch as he was named crew chief when LaHaie announced his retirement.
Nevertheless, having invested 10 years in the sport, Douglas felt like if he wanted to continue to advance, it would be advantageous to move to Indianapolis, which was becoming home to more and more pro teams.
As a result, he relocated to Indy and went to work as crew chief for Pedregon, whom he guided to a SummitRacing.com Nationals victory at Las Vegas in 2006. It would be his last stop before landing at JFR where he teamed with Dean “Guido” Antonelli and they won four times with Force Hood, helping make her the first woman ever to win an NHRA Funny Car race.
Daniel Hood Assistant Crew Chief
Nickname (If any) Danny
Birthdate: 07/08/1981
Hometown: Yorkville, IL
Current Residence: Anaheim Hills, CA
Year hired at John Force Racing: 2007
Which Team (s): Courtney Force
How did you get involved in drag racing: his father
Background (education/work/racing experience): He has worked for Gary Bolger Racing, Dale Creasy Jr Racing, Dean Skuza Racing, Frank Pedregon Racing, and Gotham City Racing. He was also a crane mechanic for 4 years erecting tower cranes in Chicago.
Team Responsibilities: Parts Manager; Track Specialist
Favorite part about being involved with drag racing/working at JFR: it's a huge family organization
Career Highlights: winning Indy in 2007 with Mike Ashley; Ashley's First Win!
Favorite Track/Race: Chicago, IL
Hobbies/Interests: spending time with his wife, baby and cats; hockey; hunting
Andy Bissett Team Leader
Birthdate: 11/17/1976
Hometown: Rushden, UK
Current Residence: Indianapolis, IN
Year hired at John Force Racing: 2005
Which Team (s): Courtney Force (Traxxas)
How did you get involved in drag racing: Grew up close to Santa Pod Raceway in England and went to races with family and friends and was hooked!
Background (education/work/racing experience): He attended Lancaster University, UK and received a degree in Computational Physics. His racing career began at Nemesis Racing in the UK with TAD. He started at JFR in 2005 on Ashley's A/ Fuel Dragster and moved up to Funny Car with her.
Team Responsibilities: team leader, transport manager, piston and rod assemblies, manifolds
Favorite part about being involved with drag racing/working at JFR: winning races; the challenge; traveling around the country; the camaraderie of the team
Career Highlights: 2003/2004 FIA European Champions; 2008 Full Throttle Pit Crew Champions; only crew guy to win in two different categories at a NHRA National Event with Ashley Force
Favorite Track/Race: Pomona (Winternationals and Finals)
Hobbies/Interests: music, reading, theme parks, cycling, poker
Kyle Darr
Birthdate: 01/28/1991
Hometown: Oakhurst, CA
Current Residence: Pittsboro, IN
Year hired at John Force Racing: 2011
Which Team (s): Courtney Force
How did you get involved in drag racing: He became friends with Jack Wright and started working on his Nostalgia Funny Car.
Background (education/work/racing experience): He attended Fresno City College and continued to work for Jack Wright Motorsports.
Team Responsibilities: body and tires
Favorite part about being involved with drag racing/working at JFR: vast array of technology available at hand here at JFR
Career Highlights: final round at Saturday Night Nitro 2011
Favorite Track/Race: Bakersfield, CA
Hobbies/Interests: drag racing, hanging out with friends
Favorite Track/Race: Willowbank Raceway and Famoso Raceway
Hobbies/Interests: drag racing
Steve Easton
Birthdate: 09/09/1983
Hometown: Brisbane, Australia
Current Residence: Brownsburg, IN
Year hired at John Force Racing: 2011
Which Team (s): Courtney Force
How did you get involved in drag racing: He started working on and driving nostalgia blown alcohol cars.
Background (education/work/racing experience): Attended Morton Tech College in Australia and started to race and tune blown alcohol cars from 2007-2011.
Team Responsibilities: clutch specialist
Favorite part about being involved with drag racing/working at JFR: knowing that he had a part in getting the car to the other end of the track
Career Highlights: top qualifying the Australian Winternationals 2011 for Supercharged Outlaws
Favorite Track/Race: Willowbank Raceway and Famoso Raceway
Hobbies/Interests: drag racing
Mark Freidenfelt
Birthdate: 07/29/1988
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Current Residence: Brownsburg, IN
Year hired at John Force Racing: 2011
Which Team (s): Courtney Force
How did you get involved in drag racing: He was at the right place at the right time and realized that is what he would like to do.
Background (education/work/racing experience): Traveled around with his dad’s band “The Fryed Brothers Band” as a sound engineer for several years before he started his career in drag racing. His first job in racing was with Tom Conway on his Torco Top Alcohol Dragster. He was later introduced to Fuel Funny Cars at Brian Thiel Racing.
Team Responsibilities: cylinder heads
Favorite part about being involved with drag racing/working at JFR: being a part of a brand new team and getting to know everyone at JFR
Career Highlights: the opportunity to qualify in Sonoma with Brian Thiel in front of his hometown friends and family
Favorite Track/Race: Sonoma
Hobbies/Interests: riding fast motorcycles, hanging out with my family and friends, building custom Harleys
Anthony Lum
Nickname (If any) Pineapple
Birthdate: 01/31/1990
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Current Residence: Brownsburg, IN
Year hired at John Force Racing: 2012
Which Team (s): Courtney Force
How did you get involved in drag racing: His entire family consists of gear heads and was born into drag racing.
Background (education/work/racing experience): He has worked on outlaw streetcars, pro mods, alcohol funny cars and dragsters, nostalgia funny cars and dragsters, and road course.
Team Responsibilities: left side of engine assembly, fuel system and push rods
Favorite part about being involved with drag racing/working at JFR: the professionalism, will power, desire and motivation. Total domination mindset!
Favorite Track/Race: Charlotte, Indy, Pomona
Hobbies/Interests: all forms of motorsports, fishing, camping, hunting, design and fabrication
Chris Wigginton
Nickname (If any): Wiggy
Birthdate: 01/07/1989
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Current Residence: Indianapolis, IN
Year hired at John Force Racing: 2012
Which Team (s): Courtney Force
How did you get involved in drag racing: school
Background (education/work/racing experience): He attended Wyotech after he graduated high school. This is his first job in motor sports.
Team Responsibilities: racks and manifolds
Hobbies/Interests: trucks, fishing, hunting
Brandon Hazelton
Birthdate: 05/22/1986
Hometown: Pittsgrove, NJ
Current Residence: Clayton, IN
Year hired at John Force Racing: 2012
Which Team (s): Courtney Force
How did you get involved in drag racing: His father
Background (education/work/racing experience): He received his associates in applied science from Camden County College before coming to work in the racing industry.
Team Responsibilities: short blocks and bottom end
Favorite part about being involved with drag racing/working at JFR: racing around the country feels like home and working at JFR makes him feel like he is doing it with his family
Career Highlights: winning the 2012 Hardest Working Crew Championship
Favorite Track/Race: Reading
Hobbies/Interests: working on his car, traveling
Joe Janisch
Birthdate: 11/13/83
Hometown: Long Island, NY
Current Residence: Avon, IN
Year hired at John Force Racing: 2012
Which Team (s): Courtney Force
How did you get involved in drag racing: Ran into a team testing at a local track, helped them out and later received a job offer.
Background (education/work/racing experience): He was a Lexus Dealership tech and then went began his career in the racing industry. He started at Doug Foley Drag Racing and then went to Don Schumacher Racing working on Matt Hagan’s car before joining the JFR team.
Team Responsibilities: blowers and injectors
Favorite part about being involved with drag racing/working at JFR: getting to compete with other top teams and having the ability to see the whole country.
Favorite Track/Race: Denver and Las Vegas
Hobbies/Interests: paint ball, skeet shooting, hockey
