Although there purportedly is no difference between the McKinney chassis the team has used the last four races and the one it is adapting for this week's event, Hight and crew chief Jimmy Prock agreed that it was time for a change because something has been very, very wrong with their track record-holding Automobile Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, the first Funny Car to break the 4.80 second barrier at altitude.

After terrorizing the Funny Car division through this season's first half dozen races, winning twice and posting the two quickest quarter mile times in Funny Car drag racing history   4.644 seconds at Pomona, Calif., and 4.634 seconds at Phoenix, Ariz.   the 8,000 horsepower Ford suddenly has developed a split personality.

Although there purportedly is no difference between the McKinney chassis the team has used the last four races and the one it is adapting for this week's event, Hight and crew chief Jimmy Prock agreed that it was time for a change because something has been very, very wrong with their track record-holding Automobile Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, the first Funny Car to break the 4.80 second barrier at altitude.

After terrorizing the Funny Car division through this season's first half dozen races, winning twice and posting the two quickest quarter mile times in Funny Car drag racing history   4.644 seconds at Pomona, Calif., and 4.634 seconds at Phoenix, Ariz.   the 8,000 horsepower Ford suddenly has developed a split personality.

A finalist in four of his first five starts this year, Hight was on cruise control when an engine explosion and fire sent his Ford crashing into both guardwalls and then into the sand pit after a June 3 semifinal victory in the O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park-Topeka in Kansas.  Things haven't been the same since.

Forced into a back-up car because of chassis damage, Hight has won just two rounds since Topeka and, at Joliet, Ill., suffered the first qualifying failure of his career.  As a result, after watching Force change both his chassis and his fortunes with a victory last week at Bristol, Tenn., Hight and Prock were motivated to follow suit.

Indeed, it has been a perplexing two months for a team still expected to figure prominently in the Countdown to the Championship.  Prock has struggled with "dropped cylinders" that have impacted his ability to make adjustments to the engine and clutch.  The upshot is that the talented crew chief has changed almost every component on the car since his team's early season dominance.

Things came to a head last week at Bristol when Hight was beaten on a first round "hole shot" by journeyman Jim Head, losing despite a quicker quarter mile time.  The numbers notwithstanding, Prock doesn't believe it was his driver's fault.

"No one's more consistent on the (starting line)" he said.  "You look at his (reaction) times and they usually don't vary more than a couple thousandths.  The problem is the car just isn't reacting.  He hits the throttle and it doesn't move, at least it doesn't move like it used to."