The even-keeled demeanor of Robert Hight, driver and President of John Force Racing Inc. can often cause him to fly under the radar that is constantly triggered by the hyper-speed antics of team namesake and CEO John Force.  Because of this, Hight quietly has become the number one driver for the number one team in the sport’s most popular category.

As the two-time and reigning Funny Car champion, Hight is carving out his own piece of history apart from his boss. He was so dominant in winning in 2017 that he likely will be favored every time he rolls to the starting line in his 14th season.  A winner in just his fourth professional race, Hight was already one of the sport’s most accomplished drivers. He has won at least once in every one of his 14 pro seasons, has never finished outside the Top 10 and has never failed to start at least one race from the number one qualifying position.

Much of Hight’s success can be traced back to his pairing with crew chief Jimmy Prock.  Hight and Prock have become the most formidable Funny Car duo since Force and Austin Coil terrorized the troops back in the 1990s. In the 2017 season, Hight was either quickest in qualifying or quickest during eliminations at 16 of the 24 races in the Mello Yello series.  Hight began his career with Prock back in 2005 when he won the Auto Club’s Road to the Future Award as the NHRA Rookie of the Year. The two won a championship together in 2009 and, after a brief separation, were re-united a couple races into the 2017 season.

Hight not only won the 2017 championship, sharing the podium with JFR teammate Brittany Force, who won the Top Fuel title, he also set national records at 3.793 seconds and 339.87 miles per hour, the latter not only the fastest speed in Funny Car history but the fastest in the history of the entire sport.  A 43-time pro winner, fourth all time among Funny Car drivers, Hight made history en route to his first title in 2009 when he became the only driver in any category to win from the number ten starting position, winning 15 of 18 rounds of racing with three event victories in the Countdown.

One of the tour’s most accomplished racers, Hight has won three times in the season-opening NHRA Winternationals at Pomona, three times in the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, and once in the season-ending Auto Club Finals, also at Pomona.