Ashley Force's performance shored up a flagging team effort, and she didn't advance past the quarterfinals. But she and her father, as well as teammates Robert Hight and Mike Neff and Top Fuel drivers Brandon Bernstein, Morgan Lucas, and J.R. Todd each had wanted to honor their friend Eric Medlen's memory with a triumph.
Although Hight kept his points lead, this third of 24 races on the PowerAde Drag Racing Series tour marked the first time this year that he didn't reach the final round. "I said it before this weekend started and I still believe it -- when we get it, I believe we'll dominate. I see what these other guys are running out here, and we can run that (similar ET's and Speeds) dropping cylinders and backing it down. If we get it right I still believe we dominate," Hight said.
John Force, was 20-1 in first-round match-ups against longtime pal Densham heading into the race but after the race remains six round-wins away from his historic 1,000th victory during eliminations.
"There really isn't a lot you can say about today," Force said. "We are all leaving here alive, which is a big plus. The big positive is you learn a lot about what you shouldn't do on days like today."
Newest JFR driver Mike Neff, disqualified in the opening round for crossing the center line, said, "We especially wanted to win here for Eric, and it has just been a bad weekend. We really needed a good one, and we had a bad one. We'll just dust ourselves off and we'll go to Houston."
Bernstein, whose career record had been an impressive 17 of 23 in final rounds, lost to U.S. Army Dragster driver Tony Schumacher in the Top Fuel final by .065-seconds in the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Dragster. Lucas failed to qualify, and his teammate Todd was Schumacher's first victim Sunday.
"At least we went down there and we were respectable," Bernstein said. "Though I really wanted that trophy for Eric, I still feel like he rides with me every trip we make down the quarter-mile."