If you have a need for speed, the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip is the place to be this weekend. The National Hot Rod Association is hosting their final competition of the season, where champions will be crowned and cars will be hitting speeds above 330 mph.
Racers are anticipating a great weekend ahead, with the competition kicking off on Thursday and concluding on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Annenberg Media had the opportunity to get onto the track in Pomona and have some pre-race fun. Of course, the media day at the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip was catered by the iconic California-based burger chain.
Like the media, fans will have the opportunity to speak with drivers one-on-one if they visit the track this weekend.
But the best part of the trip out? Getting behind the wheel. After a couple of rides darting down the 1000ft track with the professionals behind the wheel, reporters took control and felt what it’s like to be at the starting line.
With three time champion Robert Hight at the wheel, we were able to clock a 9.1 down the track in a Chevrolet Camaro. With Annenberg Media behind the wheel (and Austin Prock co-piloting and translating the Christmas tree), our best time was 9.4. Not too bad for a rookie, if you ask us.
Drag racing has a seasoned history in California, with the state being credited as the motorsports birthplace.
Back in the 1930s, car enthusiasts began racing in the California desert with speeds topping out around 100 mph. As cars became more advanced, racing developed as well and the NHRA was founded in 1951. The organization held its first official race in the spring of 1953 at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona.
The track, which was renamed the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, hosts the season opener in February and finale in November.
Annenberg Media visited the track and met with some of drag racing’s top competitors.
John Force has been racing for over 50 years, has collected 16 Funny Car Championships and is still racing today. “It’s a lot of stress. It’s a lot of anxiety. It’s a lot of ‘I got to win,’” Force said. “The fear, that’s what makes you get up and go after it.”
The fastest speed Force has clocked is 337.3 mph, and his fastest time zooming down the track equivalent to three football fields is 3.823 seconds. With top end speeds exceeding 300 mph, Force says there is a lot to keep in mind as drivers are competing to win: “You got to react to that Christmas tree, number one, then you got to hit that gas.”
Force described more critical details of the race: “You got to stay off the wall, you can’t cross center lines, can’t hit walls, you lose points.” And as the season is coming to an end, he emphasized the importance of these details, saying, “every point matters, especially at the end of the year.”
Through his success in the sport, Force has created a dynasty and cemented himself in the history books. He also created John Force Racing, the first multi-car team in the sport.
Hight serves as President of John Force Racing and is currently one of Force’s fiercest competitors, holding three Funny Car Championships .
Hight originally joined Force’s team as a crew member. After years of working on the cars, Force presented Hight with the opportunity to become a team driver in 2005.
“You know, I always wanted to drive,” Hight said. “It’s kind of like wanting to be a baseball player, you know? The chances of that happening weren’t very good, but John Force gave me the opportunity.”
Force doesn’t regret giving Hight a chance behind the wheel as he is in the running to win his fourth championship this weekend.
“Robert’s got a shot at [winning the championship] right now,” Force said about his teammate heading into the weekend.
Hight emphasized the strength of the team at John Force Racing: “You can’t win without good people, and we’ve been very fortunate at John Force Racing to have a lot of good people.”
Hight’s team is headed by Jimmy Prock, whose sons are also involved with John Force Racing: Sam Fabiano, who manages Force American Made in Indianapolis, Ind., Thomas Prock, who is also on Hight’s crew, and Austin Prock, who is a driver for John Force Racing.
Similarly to Hight, Austin Prock got his start with John Force Racing working on cars.
Prock is a fourth generation racer, with his great grandfather having competed in the Indianapolis 500. “I’ve been born and raised around motorsports,” Prock said. “It’s a family affair out here and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
This weekend, Prock, Hight, and Force will be racing, along with Force’s daughter Brittany who is a two-time Top Fuel Champion.
You can catch the races, interact with drivers, and feast on the iconic In-N-Out all weekend at the track.