DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The fastest man on four wheels at Daytona International Speedway isn’t Chase Elliott, the 20-year-old rookie who will start today’s Daytona 500 from the pole position.
It’s likely Robert Hight, Funny Car driver for John Force Racing. His last run down the dragstrip was at a leisurely 313 mph. It was a bit too leisurely. He lost in the semifinals of last week’s season-opening NHRA WinterNationals at Pomona, California.
“I love NASCAR racing,” Hight said Saturday at DIS. “I actually love a lot of motorsports but NASCAR is probably one of my favorites.”
A 36-time winner in NHRA, Hight was on hand for the weekend as a guest of Chevrolet. While the two series might seem worlds apart to some, Hight was clearly in his element.
“I love going in the garage area,” he said. “I get to see a lot of people I know. … I’m fortunate that I know some of the drivers through sponsors and those relationships. I’m very interested, being a mechanic, in how these things work and what they’re looking for, what they’re doing, what kind of changes they’re making, the new technology. I love that stuff.
“And it’s cool getting to talk to the fans. The fans come up and they recognize you … not like John Force, but they recognize you and you get to talk about your sport.”
Hight did clutch work during several of driver John Force’s championship seasons. In 2004, he made the move to the driver’s seat. It was an eye-opening transition.
“The first time I went down the race track, it was in a nitro Funny Car,” he said. “Nervous. Scared to death because you don’t know what to expect.
“I could build a car, a complete car from start to finish. But I know how hard the crew works. If I go out there and stuff this thing in the wall or do something stupid, it will create all this work for these guys.
“And of course, I’m never going to live this down. I’ll hear about it forever.”
A year later, he was a full-time driver. He won in his fourth race out and led the points as a rookie.
Today, he’s a wizened veteran. But the thrill that came with those first shakedown runs hasn’t been forgotten.
“It’s the horsepower,” he said of the sport’s draw. “Just the sheer horsepower. Once I saw those cars run, I thought ‘I’ve got to be around this.’ “