Growing up in drag racing, Brittany Force is aware of the legends and their great accomplishments. The second-generation drag racer entered this weekend's DeWalt Tools NHRA Carolina Nationals knocking on the door of a nearly 30-year old Top Fuel record. 

In the 1982 and 1983 seasons, Gary Beck drove the Larry Minor Top Fuel dragster to nine consecutive No. 1 qualifiers. Friday night, Ms. Force pulled to within one race, at least provisionally, of Beck's longstanding mark on the strength of a 3.662 elapsed time at 331.85 miles per hour.  

"It's incredible that this team has been able to carry that for, hopefully this could be eight races straight," Force said. "That's incredible. It's picking up bonus points. We're stashing away those number one qualifier hats. But again, we're looking for race day too. That's our focus. Tomorrow it's two more solid runs down the racetrack, grabbing those bonus points, and then winning this thing on race day on Sunday."

"It's my entire team involved in that. It's not just me as the driver. I always get the credit, but it's David Grubnic, and Mac Savage, and every single one of my guys that got us here. To that point, we're at seven in a row. That's just incredible. Very proud of all my guys."

Brittany Force is gunning for her eighth straight No. 1 start, one shy of Beck’s Top Fuel record. If she tallies that eighth consecutive, she also will break a tie with her dad for the John Force Racing team lead. John qualified No. 1 at seven straight events – the last six races of 1994 and the first race in 1995.

Force is one of only two women (with Erica Enders) to have won a pro race at zMAX and is trying to become the first woman to win both events. In 2016, Force won the 4-Wide and was runner-up to Steve Torrence at the Carolina Nationals in 2018. 

Force said a big key to the success is the nature of tuner David Grubnic.

"He comes out and he wants to put the best number up on that board every single time we run," Force said. "On certain runs, race day, whatever it is, he debates, ‘should we pull it back and play it safe?" 

"Every time we've done that, it hasn't worked to us. So with David Grubnic in our pit, it's throwing those numbers up, it’s the best that we can. That's what he does and why go against that? That's what he does and he delivers."

And when Grubnic delivers, Force does too.