POMONA, Calif. -- Courtney Force drove the Traxxas Ford Mustang down a challenging right hand lane in career best time Sunday, beating Ron Capps in the final round of the 53rd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals and sending Ford Racing to its sixth season-opening NHRA Funny Car victory in the last eight years.

 
Placed in the unfavorable lane after an ugly semifinal in which she advanced out of an all-Ford match because Bob Tasca III was guilty of a rare foul start, the 24-year-old daughter of drag racing icon John Force drove around a treacherous right lane bump at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and sped to the quickest 1,000 foot time of the event: 4.025 seconds.

“That right lane for some reason has been tough for me this weekend,” she said. “We spun the tires down there (in qualifying), but getting it down there and running a 4.02 in what was considered the bad lane, for me that was unbelievable.
 

“Going against Capps, I was honestly terrified,” she admitted.  “He was running good all weekend. He got lane choice over me and it definitely made me nervous.  He’s a tough competitor, but going down there my car was flying.  It got over to the centerline and I just held onto it because I didn’t know, I thought maybe he was right out my window.

 
“I wasn’t looking over in his lane, I was just paying attention to my own, trying to keep it straight and get past the finish line.  It was definitely a tough round, not knowing where he was on the track, but we were able to do it.”

It was the second career Funny Car win for the graduate of Cal State-Fullerton who forever will own the distinction of having won the first race in the NHRA Mello Yellow Series, which made its debut Sunday at Auto Club Raceway.

 
“It was definitely pretty unbelievable.” beamed the champion. My team, it’s thanks to them. They’ve given me a great race car, a consistent one.  I just try to keep it straight down the center. They really made my job easy.
 

“Making it into the Traxxas shootout, I think that’s the coolest thing here at my home track; being the first one on that list.  You know, my dad won the Winternationals last year and it’s pretty cool.
 

“It was kind of a bittersweet finish here (at last November’s Auto Club Finals) not getting that win (but this time) we got the win, got in the winners circle and I’m Just proud of my team.
 

“My guys worked so hard trying to get our Traxxas Ford Mustang back up to the starting line for the final. They didn’t have a lot of time (an accelerated 45-minute turnaround due to a one-and-a-half hour racing delay caused by Antron Brown’s Top
Fuel crash), but they did a great job.
 

“They gave me a great car,” she said.  “Every single one of those guys in those Traxxas uniforms earned this. They gave me a fast race car and I love driving it.”
 

By succeeding her father as Winternationals champion on a track on which John Force Racing, Inc., has won 23 times in the last 24 years, Force became the first Funny Car driver to earn a spot in the 2012 Traxxas Nitro Shootout that will be contested for a $100,000 first prize over Labor Day weekend.
 

“I know the emotions she is going to have,” Force said of his youngest daughter. “I won here last year.  A young kid like that doesn’t understand how it all works yet, but she drove against a great champion in Ron Capps. They gave the fans a show. They were both going for it.
 

“I am really proud of her,” he continued, “(and) to have Mike Jenkins, the president (of Traxxas), here is key.  He wasn’t in Seattle for her first win (last August).”
 

Courtney Force also achieved another first insomuch as she will move on to next week’s 29th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals as the points leader for the first time in her career. She thus becomes the seventh different JFR driver to sit atop the Funny Car standings joining her father, sister Ashley Force Hood, brother-in-law Robert Hight, Tony Pedregon, Gary Densham and Mike Neff.

 
“(Crew chief) Ron Douglas just knows how to tune this car and I think we have a pretty bad hot rod.  I’m excited to see what we’re capable of doing. It’s pretty surreal and crazy that we went to the top spot and I’m leaving here in the points lead. That’s just crazy to me.”
 

Despite the little hiccup in the semifinals, it was an otherwise overpowering performance by a Traxxas team led by crew chief Ron Douglas and assistant crew chief Dan Hood.
 

On six of eight trips down the 1,000 foot course, the black-and-red Ford was clocked in 4.075 seconds or better, starting with a 4.036 qualifying time that earned her the third No. 1 start of her career.  She also rang up numbers of 4.071, 4.075, 4.066, 4.070 and, finally, 4.025 with top speed of the event at 318.24 mph.
 

Nevertheless, she conceded that the semifinal was just luck.
 

“I saw the red light (in Tasca’s lane),” she said. “I got on the radio and said, ‘guys, we just won that by pure luck.’ But you know what, we both get fired up against each other. He’s always good on the lights so he’s always a tough competitor.  The main thing is we both bleed Ford blue and we knew one of the Fords was going to the final so we were excited about that. You know, things happen. We both just wanted to get that win and we got lucky.”
 

“That was a heartbreaker,” Tasca said. “It was 100 percent me.  I took a shot at the ‘Tree and went red, and that was the ball game. But we made a full pull. We got a lot of good data to look at.  As a driver, that’s the last thing you want to do, give it away, but at the end of the day you have to get up for the fight and if you don’t go red once and a while, you’re not trying.

 
“I (just) hate to let the guys down,” he said.  “Motorcraft, Quick Lane, FordParts.com…their support is unbelievable. They worked so hard in the off-season. We’ll pick the pieces up and go to Phoenix. We got some big wins here. We’ll shake it off and look forward, not back.”
 

Except for Courtney and Tasca, it was a short opening day for the blue oval brigade.  John Force, Robert Hight and Tim Wilkerson all exited in the very first round of Funny Car although Force, a six-time Winternationals winner, probably deserved a better fate.
 

In a round in which races were won with times of 4.346, 5.013, 5.023 and 5.165 seconds, Force lost in 4.119 seconds to Capps’ slightly quicker 4.108.  Both cars -- Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang and Capps’ NAPA Dodge -- crossed the finish line at speeds exceeding 313 mph.
 

For Hight and Wilkerson, the outcome was decided somewhat earlier.  Hight lost a back-pedaling battle with Cruz Pedregon (5.416 to 5.165) and Wilkerson was guilty of a rare foul start that sent him out against 2011 world champion Matt Hagan.
 

“You always want to win the first race of the season,” said Hight, who has done so three times in his brief career, “but they don’t hand you the championship trophy until the end of the season.
 

“Jimmy (crew chief Jimmy Prock) has been looking at a number of different issues on the Auto Club Mustang and we are getting some answers with every pass. I’m glad we’re going to Phoenix in four days (for the Arizona Nationals).
 

“(We’ll) keep working and we’ll figure this Mustang out.  We are creating a lot of power and, honestly, we are trying to get it harnessed so we can run like some of these guys that are running 4.0s all the time. We’ll get there and when we do you’ll see a big smile on my face.”
 

Meanwhile, the debut of the Ford-powered Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster was brief, but promising.  Courtney’s sister, Brittany, qualified the car 15th in the field but gave No. 2 qualifier Brandon Bernstein a first round challenge, losing in 3.822 seconds at 323.43 mph.
 

“I have always been a positive person,” said the 26-year-old rookie.  “I always try and find the positive spin on things.  Even though we went out first round, we did get qualified and we got a chance to race. I got to run against Brandon Bernstein. I grrtneew up watching him and his dad. That was pretty awesome to have him in the lane next to me.”

 

 
FUNNY CAR – Courtney Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Traxxas Ford Mustang, 4.025, 317.72 mph, def. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., NAPA Dodge Charger, 6.090, 116.32 mph.
TOP FUEL – Shawn Langdon, Mira Loma, Calif., Al-Anabi dragster, 3.721, 322.27 mph, def. Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., U.S. Army dragster, 3.747, 324.12 mph.
PRO STOCK – Vincent Nobile, Dix Hills, N.Y., Mountain View Tire/NAPA Dodge Avenger, 6.584, 210.05 mph, def. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Delaware, Ohio, JEGS.com Dodge Avenger, foul.
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER – Jim Whiteley, Grand Junction, Colo., BAD, 5.245, 273.39 mph, def. Chris Demke, Tujunga, Calif., BAD, 5.271, 270.86 mph.
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR – John Lombardo Jr., Brea, Calif., 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 5.555, 261.17 mph, def. Jason Rupert, Yorba Linda, Calif., 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 5.653, 255.63 mph.
COMPETITION – Ross Wilson, Alta Loma, Calif., 2005 Pontiac Sunfire, def. Alan Ellis, Mapleton, Utah, 1923 Ford T-roadster.
SUPER STOCK – Jimmy DeFrank, Chatsworth, Calif., 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, def. Mike Cotten, Broken Arrow, Okla., 1970 Plymouth Barracuda.
STOCK – Jimmy DeFrank, Chatsworth, Calif., 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, def. Michael Iacono, Wading River, N.Y., 1985 Chevrolet Camaro.
SUPER COMP – Phil Dion, Paradise Valley, Ariz., dragster, def. Scott Taylor, St. Isidore, Alberta, Canada, dragster.
SUPER GAS – Rick Beckstrom, Novato, Calif., 2003 Pontiac Grand Am, def. Peter Bothe, Long Beach, Calif., 1978 Porsche.

 
* * * * *

 
FUNNY CAR – 1.Courtney Force, Traxxas Ford Mustang, 124; 2. Ron Capps, 91; 3. Johnny Gray, 76; 4. Bob Tasca III, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang, 71; 5. Gary Densham, 60; 6. Cruz Pedregon, 56; 7. Matt Hagan, 52; 8. Todd Lesenko, 51; 9. Jack Beckman, 43; 10. Del Worsham, 38.  Also, 11.Tim Wilkerson, Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang, 33; 12. Tie, John Force, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, and Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang, 32 each.

 
TOP FUEL – 1. Shawn Langdon, 116; 2. Tony Schumacher, 106; 3. Antron Brown, 77; 4. Khalid alBalooshi, 74; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 60; 6. Doug Kalitta, 59; 7. David Grubic, 55; 8. Steve Torrence, 53; 9. Spencer Massey, 34; 10. Clay Millican, 33.  Also, 14. Brittany Force, Castrol EDGE Ford dragster, 31.
 

PRO STOCK – 1. Vincent Nobile, 118; 2. Jeg Coughlin Jr., 95; 3. Vieri Gaines, 81; 4. Greg Stanfield, 72; 5. Allen Johnson, 52; 6. Shane Gray, Kurt Johnson and Chris McGaha, 51 each; 9. Mike Edwards, 45; 10. Erica Enders-Stevens, 42.

 
* * * * *

First round – 1.Courtney Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Traxxas Ford Mustang, 4.066, 316.97 mph, def. 16. Phil Burkart Jr., Yorkville, N.Y., Energy Options Chevrolet Impala, 7.183, 88.37 mph; 15. Todd Lesenko,  St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, Uni-Select Dodge Charger, 5.013. 176.33 mph, def. 2. Jack Beckman, Norco, Calif., Valvoline NEXTGEN Dodge Charger, 5.457, 149.45 mph; 3. Gary Densham, Bellflower, Calif., Lawson Rock and Oil Dodge Charger, 5.023, 113.21 mph, def. 14. Tony Pedregon, Brownsburg, Ind., American Racing Toyota Camry, 5.071, 151.58 mph; 13. Bob Tasca III, Cranston, R.I., Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang, 4.137, 311.56 mph, def. 4. Del Worsham, Chino Hills, Calif., DHL Toyota Camry, 4.615, 234.21 mph; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg, Ind., Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry, 5.165, 247.75 mph, def. 12. Robert Hight, Yorba Linda, Calif., Auto Club Ford Mustang, 5.416, 201.04 mph; 6. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., NAPA Parts Dodge Charger, 4.108, 313.58 mph, def. 11. John Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, 4.119, 313.07 mph; 7. Johnny Gray, Artesia, N.M., Pitch Energy Dodge Charger, 4.056, 314.31 mph, def. 10. Alexis DeJoria, Venice, Calif., Tequila Patron Toyota Camry, 6.255, 107.43 mph; 9. Matt Hagan, Christiansburg, Va., Mopar Dodge Charger, 4.346, 227.84 mph, def. 8.Tim Wilkerson, Springfield, Ill., Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang, foul.
Second round – Capps, 4.251, 241.84 mph, def. Densham, 5.808, 105.41 mph; Gray, 4.038, 307.72 mph, def. Lesenko, 4.202, 307.30 mph; C. Force, 4.070, 312.64 mph, def. Hagan, 5.668, 140.31 mph; Tasca, 4.154, 311.20 mph, def. C. Pedregon, 4.523, 189.15 mph.
Semifinals – Capps, 4.036, 316.23 mph, def. Gray, 4.056, 301.07 mph; C. Force, 10.422, 49.91 mph, def. Tasca, foul.
FINAL – Courtney Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Traxxas Ford Mustang, 4.025, 317.72 mph, def. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., NAPA Dodge Charger, 6.090, 116.32 mph.
 

First round – 1. Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., U.S. Army dragster, 3.756, 326.40 mph, def. 16. Sidnei Frigo, Deerfield Beach, Fla., Arivinco dragster, 3.849, 317.57 mph; 2. Brandon Bernstein, Zionsville, Ind., Protect the Harvest dragster, 3.785, 324.44 mph, def. 15. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Castrol EDGE Ford dragster, 3.822, 323.43 mph; 3. Doug Kalitta, Ypsilanti, Mich., Mac Tools dragster, 3.799, 326.71 mph, def. 14. Leah Pruett, Avon, Ind., Dote Family Racing dragster, 3.850, 309.56 mph; 4. Antron Brown, Brownsburg, Ind., Matco Tools dragster, 3.855, 293.80 mph, def. 13. Larry Dixon, Indianapolis, Ind., Rapisarda Racing/Titan Cranes dragster, 3.881, 310.34 mph; 5. David Grubic, Ennis, Mont., Optima Batteries/Candlewood Suites dragster, 3.741, 325.69 mph, def. 12. Morgan Lucas, Brownsburg, Ind., GEICO Powersports dragster, 3.764, 328.14 mph; 6. Khalid alBalooshi, Los Angeles, Calif., Al-Anabi dragster, 3.769, 326.40 mph, def. 11. Bob Vandergriff Jr., Alpharetta, Ga., C&J Energy Services dragster, 3.810, 324.36 mph; 7. Shawn Langdon, Mira Loma, Calif., Al-Anabi dragster, 3.803, 294.37 mph, def. 10. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster, 3.811, 321.42 mph; 8. Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, Capco Contractors dragster, 3.787, 322.81 mph, def. 9. Spencer Massey, Fort Worth, Texas, Schumacher Electric dragster, 3.763, 326.63 mph.
Second round – Langdon, 3.738, 327.43 mph, def. Bernstein, 3.775, 323.89 mph; alBalooshi, 3.782, 325.22 mph, def. Kalitta, 3.782, 320.66 mph; Brown, 3.848, 308.64 mph, def. Grubnic, 4.976, 139.07 mph; Schumacher, 3.756, 322.19 mph, def. Torrence, 3.782, 324.28 mph.
Semifinals – Schumacher, 6.465. 96.17 mph, def. Brown (unable to return); Langdon, 3.749, 324 mph, def. alBalooshi, 4.326, 195.25 mph.
FINAL – Shawn Langdon, Mira Loma, Calif., Al-Anabi dragster, 3.721, 322.27 mph, def. Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., U.S. Army dragster, 3.747, 324.12 mph.
 
PRO STOCK

 

First round – 16. Chris McGaha, Odessa, Texas, Harlow Sammons Dodge Avenger, 6.590, 210.31 mph, def. 1. Mike Edwards, Coweta, Okla., Interstate Batteries/I Am Second Chevrolet Camaro, 12.387, 61.44 mph; 2. Vieri Gaines, Lakewood, Colo., Kendall Oil Dodge Avenger, 6.557, 211.93 mph, def. 15. Deric Kramer, Sterling, Colo., American Ethanol Dodge Avenger, 6.614, 209.64 mph; 14. Kurt Johnson, Lawrenceville, Ga., Mark Christopher Auto Group Pontiac GXP, 6.596, 210.14 mph, def. 3. Erica Enders-Stevens, New Orleans, La., GK Motorsports Chevrolet Cobalt, 8.682, 92.42 mph; 13. Shane Gray, Denver, N.C., Gray Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, 6.604, 209.88 mph, def. 4. Jason Line, Troutman, N.C., Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, 6.570, 212.19 mph; 5. Vincent Nobile, Dix Hills, N.Y., Mountain View Tire/NAPA Dodge Avenger, 6.580, 210.60 mph, def. 11. Matt Hartford, Phoenix, Ariz., Total Seal Dodge Avenger, 10.367, 88.35 mph; 6. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Delaware, Ohio, JEGS.com Dodge Avenger, 6.572, 211.11 mph, def. 12. Steve Kent, Lottie, La., Kent Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, 6.600, 209.33 mph; 10. Allen Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn., Mopar Dodge Avenger, 6.602, 211.10 mph, def. 7. Rodger Brogdon, Tomball, Texas, Protect the Harvest Chevrolet Camaro, 13.918, 92.30 mph; 9. Greg Stanfield, Bossier City, La., MAV TV Chevrolet Camaro, 6.599, 209.56 mph, def. 8. Greg Anderson, Mooresville, N.C., Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, 6.686, 208.88 mph.
Second round – Stanfield, 6.616, 208.68 mph, def. McGaha, DQ, centerline violation; Nobile, 6.592, 210.01 mph, def. Gray, 6.644, 209.33 mph; Gaines, 6.566, 211.06 mph, def. A. Johnson, 6.575, 210.77 mph; Coughlin, 6.569, 210.47 mph, def. K. Johnson, 6.672, 207.75 mph.
Semifinals – Nobile, 6.575, 210.34 mph, def. Stanfield, 6.588, 207.75 mph; Coughlin, 6.574, 208.42 mph, def. Gaines, 6.538, 212.23 mph.
FINAL – Vincent Nobile, Dix Hills, N.Y., Mountain View Tire/NAPA Dodge Avenger, 6.584, 210.05 mph, def. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Delaware, Ohio, JEGS.com Dodge Avenger, foul.