Brittany Force and Antron Brown finish a qualifying run. (Ron Lewis photo)

Brittany Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster qualified No. 5 and quickly dispatched No. 12 qualifier Shawn Langdon with a 3.723-second run that was second quickest of the first round. In the quarter-finals Force pulled up beside veteran Terry McMillen and once again it was Force getting the win light. Force’s 3.771 second run pass was just one one-thousandth slower than Doug Kalitta her semi-final opponent.

In the semis Force had to give up lane choice to Kalitta but crew chief Brian Husen had a solid tune-up in the Monster Energy Top Fueler and Force raced to her seventh career final round and second final at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. Force’s winning elapsed time of 3.760 seconds gave her lane choice over Leah Pritchett’s winning 3.832-second time.

“It feels good when you consider this is our second race into the season and we are already in a final. That is pretty outstanding especially with all the changes we made in the off-season. Getting to that final makes us feel really good. We have a long season ahead of us but I know it will be a good one,” said Force, who moved up to No. 4 in the Top Fuel point standings.

“Going rounds definitely gives you confidence. When you have guys like Brian Husen and Alan Johnson working on your car but it also really pushes you to make sure you are on your game. Now I have a car and I have to perform well and do the job as a driver. It adds some pressure but I think it adds pressure in a good way.”

(Ron Lewis photo)

Doug Kalitta didn’t win the race, but he left Phoenix with the Top Fuel points lead – a position he hasn’t been in since 2014. The Mac Tools dragster, tuned by Jim Oberhofer and Troy Fasching, qualified in the number-one spot with a 3.741 Elapsed Time. With only 15 Top Fuelers at Phoenix, Kalitta got a bye in the first round, but the team bettered their qualifying time by three hundredths with a 3.716-second pass.

Kalitta claimed his 550th round win when he got past Dave Connolly, but then lost to Brittany Force in the semifinals.

“We had a great Mac Tools machine today,” said Kalitta. “I am excited that we have started the season this strong and I cannot tell you how excited I am to race in Gainesville in a couple weeks.”