The Forces were out in force Friday at Bandimere Speedway near Denver for the start of the NHRA’s Mopar Mile-High Nationals.  
       
Courtney Force and her Advance Auto Parts Camaro earned both ends of the track Funny Car record in the opening qualifying session, covering the 1,000-foot Morrison, Colo., course in 3.899 seconds at 301.87 mph for the provisional No. 1 qualifying position as the John Force Racing trio topped the order at 1-2-3.   

They remained in that order through a second session that was traction-troubled for most of the field.   

Courtney Force swiped the elapsed-time mark from her father, John Force, moments after the six-time Denver winner and 16-time series champion clocked a 3.973 in his Peak-sponsored Camaro. Auto Club Camaro teammate Robert Hight challenged with a 3.981 for a tentative third-place showing.   

Maybe it was some payback for the fact her father used a holeshot here last July to defeat her in the final round, keeping Bandimere Speedway the lone facility on the Western Swing where his youngest daughter has yet to win. She was two-thousandths of a second better than her father with her elapsed time, but he had the better light and won by about seven feet.

In 2012, she had the advantage against Jack Beckman in the final round, until the final segment, when her car got squirrelly, nearly hit the wall, and allowed Beckman a victory margin of about four feet.  

Nevertheless, she said, “Denver is a great track for our team. Obviously, this is a tricky track for a lot of teams out here because of the high altitude. Our car went all the way to the final round last year, only to be taken out by my dad.” She said she’s “looking for a great three-race streak.”

Her dad said, “We come off of Denver with a win last year. We obviously figured out how to run on the hill. I was in the final, and so was Courtney. Love going back to Denver. The Bandimeres are the greatest people. It’s God’s mountain out there.”

The youngest racing Force said, “We’re hoping the Western Swing goes well for us. I’m excited to get back to the West Coast and hopefully turn things around for our Advance Auto Parts team. We definitely need more rounds and more points.”

For a few minutes Friday evening, until a rain delay lifted and Steve Torrence took the No. 1 Top Fuel spot, Courtney Force and sister Brittany Force were top qualifiers in the early going.

Matt Hagan gave his new Mopar 80th Anniversary livery extra television exposure in Friday’s first qualifying session about 700 feet down-track with a supercharger explosion and what he called “just a flash fire.” He was 15th in the lineup after that, leaving the 16th and final slot for Jack Beckman, the recent winner at Norwalk. He lost traction right away in his second run and dropped to the last-place spot overnight.

Beckman, along with slightly improving Tim Wilkerson, provided some bright news in an overwhelmingly disappointing second session. Beckman, in the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger, vaulted from 16th place to the tentative ninth position, but his car blew up in the top-end lights. Wilkerson was the only other racer who made it down the track with any significant power.