This week’s Burnout Friday video features a bright red 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 piloted by NHRA funny car driver Courtney Force. Courtney Force is best known due to her dad, NHRA legend John Force, but over the past few years, Courtney has made a name for herself as being one of the top drivers in the funny car class.
Starting with the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season, John Force Racing switched from the Ford Mustang to the Chevrolet Camaro. So for the past two seasons, John, daughter Courtney and long-time teammate Robert Hight have been competing – and doing very well – in Camaro funny cars. During the 2016 season, John Force finished 4th in the championship race while Courtney finished 6th, with the team winning 6 of the 24 races this year.
NHRA reporter Amanda Busick recently met with Courtney Force to discuss this season and next season, and rather than just sitting in a studio, the two hung out with the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The interview itself took place next to the new supercharged Camaro, near the starting line of Pomona Raceway, but before talking – the two went for a ride down the quarter mile in the new ZL1.
The on-track action began with Courtney Force doing an absolutely massive burnout in the new Camaro ZL1, smoking the tires so hard that the cloud quickly enveloped the front of the car. Force smoked the tires through a handful of gears before letting the car roll forward to the line for a shot down the quarter mile.
Unfortunately, we don’t get to see any times on the big board as Courtney Force takes the 2017 Camaro ZL1 down the track. However, the burnout action at the beginning and end of the video – coupled with the discussion with Courtney Force – makes this a great way to kill some time on a Friday.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
