Robert Hight
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Robert Hight (born August 20, 1969) is an
NHRA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...
drag racer Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...
and president of
John Force Racing John Force Racing is an NHRA drag racing team. In over 30 years of competition, John Force Racing has won one Top Fuel and 20 Funny Car championships. The current line-up of drivers includes Top Fuel drivers Brittany Force, Austin Prock and Funn ...
, and driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS
Funny Car Funny Car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. Funny cars are characterized by having tilt-up fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a custom-fabricated chassis, giving them an appea ...
. He is a three-time
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is a drag racing series organized by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). It is the top competition series of the NHRA, comprising competition in four classes, including Top Fuel Dragster, Funny Car, ...
Funny Car champion, with titles in 2009, 2017 and 2019. His 2009 title gave the JFR team its 15th championship, while his 2017 title was the team's 19th crown. Hight has finished in the top 10 in points in all but one of his 14 competitive seasons (the exception being the 2020 season, when JFR only ran two championship rounds due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
). Hight grew up in
Alturas, California Alturas (Spanish for "Heights"; Achumawi: ''Kasalektawi'') is a city and the county seat of Modoc County, California. Located in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, the city had a population of 2,715 at the 2020 census. Altur ...
but now lives in
Yorba Linda, California Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and had a population of 68,336 at the 2020 census. Yor ...
.


Early career

After a number of years as a fan, Hight eventually joined a team, and became a clutch specialist for John Force Racing in 1995. He worked as a crew member until 2005, when he was named a driver, teaming up with
John Force John Harold Force (born May 4, 1949 in Bell Gardens, California) is an American NHRA drag racer. He is a 16-time NHRA and 1 time AHRA Funny Car champion driver and a 22-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing (J ...
and Eric Medlen.


2005

Hight finished fifth in points in his first season with John Force Racing, totaling two victories, four final rounds, and a 28-21 record in 23 starts.


2006

Hight finished second in points in his second season with JFR, garnering three victories, six final rounds, and a 35-20 record in 23 starts.


2017

Hight entered his 13th season driving a Chevrolet Camaro, with crew chief Mike Neff and co-crew chiefs Jon Schaffer and Jason McCulloch. He started the season driving the California Highway Patrol car, reminiscent of a CHP car, at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Beginning with the third race of the season, the NHRA Gatornationals, Hight was reunited with crew chief Jimmy Prock, with whom he had won the 2009 championship. After a slow start, the team gradually came together and earned its first No. 1 in June at the New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H. Hight earned the team's first victory at the Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado, and followed that up two weeks later with a win in the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington. Gradually, with strong qualifying performances and solid races, the team crept into the top five, and eventually as high as second before the regular season ended at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Hight also starred with record-breaking performances, which included setting the NHRA's fastest speed ever - 339.87 mph at Sonoma Raceway in California in July - and the first 3.7-second performance in a Funny Car - 3.793 seconds at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota. By the end of the season, Hight would have seven of the top 10 speeds ever run in Funny Cars - all set in 2017. In the Countdown to the Championship, Hight started strong, recording a victory in the opener, the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C., and after a seesaw battle with defending champion Ron Capps over the next four races, a win in the AAA Texas Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas. A semifinals appearance in the next to last round in Las Vegas, Nev., helped him jump into the points lead, entering the final race, the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, which paid points-and-a-half. He clinched the title after winning his first-round matchup. He increased his lead to 98 points by finishing runner-up in the event. Overall, Hight tied his career-bests of finals in a season (seven) and low ETs (10), and earned career-bests in elimination-round victories (45) and top event speeds (13). He earned four victories, the most he had earned since 2014, when he scored five wins.


Personal life

Hight is an avid Los Angeles Dodgers fan. He was a star in trap shooting, and was close to pursuing the chance to compete on the U.S. Olympic team in that sport.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hight, Robert 1969 births Living people Dragster drivers Racing drivers from California Force family People from Alturas, California