Alexis DeJoria had the best seat Friday at Bandimere Speedway for watching the NHRA's quickest Funny Cars at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. She ran first in the left lane and later in the right lane in the day's two rain-plagued sessions. But from both perspectives, she saw the father-daughter Force team steal the headlines.

Courtney Force opened the Western Swing by upstaging her 16-time champion dad John Force in the night session. She blasted her Traxxas Chevy Camaro to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position, covering the 1,000-foot suburban Denver course in a record 3.917 seconds at 318.39 mph.

That eclipsed John Force's 3.959-second E.T. – the first ever at Morrison, Colo. – which led the opening session. He improved his performance in his second chance Friday, driving his Realtree PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant camouflage Camaro to a 3.935, 320.43.   

He's aiming for his seventh victory at this facility; she's looking for her first.

"We were definitely hoping to run in the threes. It was definitely worth the wait, I'll say that," Courtney Force said after proving to be one of just three drivers to dip below a four-second E.T.

Del Worsham, in the DHL Toyota Camry, followed the Forces in the tentative third slot in the order with a 3.963-second pass at a track-speed-record 322.34 mph.

Courtney Force, who as a rookie in 2012 advanced to her second-ever final round and was runner-up here, said she wasn't entirely sure what the day or this weekend might bring.

"It's totally different set-ups this weekend, so I wasn't sure what to expect, being at high altitude [and] thin air," she said. "Everything changes with the crew chiefs, the car, the motor, everything."

Neither can she predict whether she'll hang onto the top spot after two more qualifying sessions Saturday.

"I hope we can hold onto it, but I'm sure there are going to be a lot of guys gunning for it," Force said. "You never know. I know a lot of these guys can run the threes

even in the heat. But it's different at this track, so you never know what they're going to bring to the table. My dad was able to run a three on both runs. I'm sure they'll improve, and I'm sure plenty of other guys will, as well."

Force – both of the Forces, but Courtney especially – was flirting with the 3.8-second range, and she said becoming the first to hit that milestone "would be awesome." She said, "We'll certainly try. We've got nothing to lose at this point."

She said she's equally excited to be showing off on the weekend's live FOX-TV broadcast her unique paint scheme for the Traxxas Camaro.

“We've had probably the most consistent race car to date, and that excites me as a driver. We've already picked up a win [at Houston] and looking for at least one more along the Western Swing. After the excitement we had over the new body and color scheme we ran in Chicago only, I am so thrilled to unveil yet another new paint scheme for the Western Swing! I love being able to have something different and unique on the track that really represents the Traxxas brand. I hope the fans love this one as much as I do."

Courtney Force is third in the standings. She shared Friday top-qualifying honors with Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

John Force was the one to erase his own 4.015-second track-record time from last July, but he also saw his two-year-old 318.39-mph speed record fall. It'll serve as incentive Saturday to shoot for his third straight top-qualifying position. His most recent Denver victory came in 2011 against fellow finalist Matt Hagan. Since 2010, John Force has been in four final rounds here.

He's the only Funny Car driver to sweep the Western Swing. He has 21 overall event victories in Western Swing competition. (The next closest active Funny Car competitor with multiple wins is Ron Capps with seven. Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta also have seven Western Swing wins in Top Fuel. Greg Anderson is the active leader in Pro stock with nine victories.)

Only 12 Funny Cars made passes in the opening session. Todd Simpson made it 13 in the night round. John Hale, James Campbell, and Jeff Diehl have not made attempts.