Courtney Force, Shawn Langdon win at NHRA Winternationals

Courtney Force made it a banner day for women in U.S. motor racing Sunday by winning the funny car division of the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona.

Hours after Danica Patrick made history by capturing the pole position for NASCAR’s Daytona 500, Force defeated Ron Capps of Carlsbad in the funny car final eliminations at Auto Club Raceway.

Force’s winning run was 4.025 seconds down the 1,000-foot drag strip at a top speed of 317.12 mph.

It was the second win for Force, the 24-year-old daughter of 15-time funny car champion John Force of Yorba Linda.

In the National Hot Rod Assn.’s other elite class, top fuel, Mira Loma native Shawn Langdon won by nipping seven-time champion Tony Schumacher in the final round. Landon’s winning pass was 3.721 seconds at 322.27 mph.

Earlier in the elimination rounds, Schumacher teammate and reigning top-fuel champion Antron Brown escaped serious injury after his 8,000-horsepower dragster exploded in a fireball, flipped and then coasted upside down to the end of the drag strip.

In the NHRA’s pro stock division, Vincent Nobile won after his rival in the finals, four-time pro stock champion Jeg Coughlin, left the starting line too soon.

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