Robert Hight, 2009 NHRA Funny Car world champion, understands that being the champion has its privileges. Case in point, when you’re sitting in your Funny Car, you can look up and see an airplane towing a banner of your likeness across the Southern California sky.

“That was pretty cool,” Hight said of the sponsor AAA Auto Club of Southern California’s sponsorship/championship activation. “Flying banners around and buying USA Today ads. All of the big papers on Thanksgiving.”

Robert Hight, 2009 NHRA Funny Car world champion, understands that being the champion has its privileges. Case in point, when you’re sitting in your Funny Car, you can look up and see an airplane towing a banner of your likeness across the Southern California sky.

“That was pretty cool,” Hight said of the sponsor AAA Auto Club of Southern California’s sponsorship/championship activation. “Flying banners around and buying USA Today ads. All of the big papers on Thanksgiving.”

Team owner John Force, who has won 14 championships, didn’t know exactly how to react to the attention afforded his son-in-law. Force, who is celebrating his 25^th anniversary with sponsor Castrol GTX, has never had a banner oh his own flown overhead.

“John jumped in his car, drove down the street, to see if he was on the other side of the banner,” Hight said, smiling.

The banner brings more pride than pressure for Hight.

“It was neat to see that up there, they are as excited about this championship as we are,” Hight said. “That’s what’s neat about the whole deal … they don’t put pressure on us to win. They just tell us to go out there and do what we do. The banner caught me off guard. I’m glad they didn’t want to tow me around, I’m afraid of heights.”

For his No. 1 qualifying efforts, Hight matches up against the 2008 champion Cruz Pedregon in the first round. Pedregon didn’t have a banner flying in the sky on Saturday.