John Force’s funny car team in top form as NHRA arrives in Seattle

As NHRA drag racing returns to Seattle this weekend to wrap up its three-race Western Swing, John Force’s funny car team is on a roll, having won the last three events.

Funny cars are one of the two elite classes of 300-mph dragsters in the National Hot Rod Assn.; the other is top fuel.

John Force Racing’s Robert Hight, who’s also president of the Yorba Linda-based team, has a series-high five wins this season -- including two weeks ago in Denver -- and leads the championship point standings.

Second in the standings is John Force himself, the 65-year-old funny car legend and reigning champion who has two victories this year, the latest three weeks ago in Norwalk, Ohio.

And in fourth place is Force’s daughter Courtney, who won her second event of the season last weekend in Sonoma, Calif. She also set the record for most career funny car victories for a female with five.

Ron Capps of the Don Schumacher Racing team is third in the funny car standings with one win this season.

Next up for the NHRA’s premier Mello Yello Series is the O’Reilly Auto Parts Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash., on Friday through Sunday.

“John Force Racing has a streak going right now since we have won the last three races and I want to keep that going,” Hight said in a statement.

And Courtney Force, 26, is returning to the event where she earned her first funny car victory as a rookie in 2012.

“Coming off a win in Sonoma and coming to a track that we have won at before gives you a little boost of confidence and excitement,” she said. “We are looking at coming off of the Western Swing on a high note.”

In top fuel, Doug Kalitta continues to lead the title standings by 46 points over 2012 champion Antron Brown.

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