Momentum is a wonderful thing, especially for Courtney Force these days.

The popular NHRA nitro Funny Car driver made it two wins in a row, beating Matt Hagan Sunday to take the title at Midwest Nationals in St. Louis.

Momentum is a wonderful thing, especially for Courtney Force these days.

The popular NHRA nitro Funny Car driver made it two wins in a row, beating Matt Hagan Sunday to take the title at Midwest Nationals in St. Louis.

Force clocked a 4.094-second time at 311.27 mph to edge Hagan’s 4.121-second lap at 309.77 mph.

“My team gave me a great race car,” Force said. “We’ve gotten things turned around at the right time. Right here at the start of the Countdown to the Championship this is when we needed to have a consistent race car and I think that’s what we have so far.”

This was Force’s career-high fourth win of the season to go along with the races she won at Topeka, Kan., Sonoma, Calif., and Dallas. This was Force’s seventh career win. Force pilots the Traxxas Ford Mustang for John Force Racing.

Force became the first female to win back-to-back NHRA Funny Car races, Dallas and St Louis. Her four Funny Car wins are also the most in one season by female Funny Car driver and her seven career wins are the most by a female in the NHRA nitro Funny Car class.

Force’s victory parade Sunday consisted of wins over Bob Tasca III, Del Worsham, her father John, and Hagan.

Courtney beat her father, who was the No. 1 qualifier on a holeshot in the semis. He ran a 4.119-second pass at 311.27 mph., while Courtney came in with a 4.143-second run at 311.56 mph.

The difference was at the starting line Courtney had a .051 reaction time and John was at .099. Courtney’s reaction time was the best of the event for the nitro Funny Car class.

“It kind of made me sick to my stomach to be honest,” Courtney said about defeating her dad. “Dad, just seeing the look on his face, normally it’s kind of fun that I got to beat up on dad, but for some reason this time I could tell in his face, that’s he’s worried about Hagan passing him, me and Robert (Hight). I saw the look on his face, and I felt bad. Nobody likes to get beat on a holeshot and I didn’t want to do that to my dad. I did roll in on him and I went after it. I wanted to get the win, and I would rather get the points and go for that lane choice in the next round, and that’s where my mindset was at.”

With the win, Courtney is now second in the point standings with a 2,322 total as she takes aim at her first world title. John, a 17-time world champ, including winning last year’s championship, is in first place in the points at 2,344. This is the first time a father and daughter have been 1-2 in Mello Yello Series point standings.

“In the middle of the Countdown to make a big move up in the points like that was just huge for us because we need to create a gap between us and everybody who is behind us,” Courtney said. “We need to climb our way up to pass dad if we want to get this championship. That’s what we have our eyes set on right now. Dad’s tough to beat but a lot of these drivers our, everyone is so close in the points and every weekend it could change up, so I’m definitely going to savor this moment where dad and I are one and two in the points.”

Courtney began the Countdown in seventh place.

There are three races remaining in the season Reading, Pa., (Oct. 2-5), Las Vegas (Oct. 30-Nov. 2) and Pomona, Calif. (Nov. 13-16).

Courtney, who is in her third season driving a nitro Funny Car, was in the last two Countdown to the Championships, but had never won a race in the six-race format.

“I’m just looking at things round-by-round,” Courtney said. “It’s all about getting a win out here and picking up points and we have to go rounds to do that.”

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