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Courtney Force sets NHRA Funny Car mark

 
Published July 28, 2014

SONOMA, Calif. — Courtney Force beat father John Force in the NHRA Sonoma Nationals on Sunday to break a tie with sister Ashley Force Hood for career Funny Car victories by a female driver with five.

Courtney Force, 26, outran her 65-year-old father with a 4.253-second pass at 296.24 mph in her Ford Mustang.

"It's cool to reach number five," she said. "I'm very proud of my team. Obviously, I wouldn't be here without them and the hard work that they put in. I'm only as good as my team."

Khalid alBalooshi won in Top Fuel, Jason Line in Pro Stock and Eddie Krawiec in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Formula One: Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull overtook Ferrari's Fernando Alonso near the end of the race to win a thrilling Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest for his second victory of the season and his career.

Lewis Hamilton, who started from pit lane after his engine caught on fire during qualifying, was third, holding off Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, who started from the pole. Ricciardo finished 5.225 seconds ahead of Alonso. Hamilton was 0.632 seconds further back and 0.504 seconds ahead of points leader Rosberg.

Ricciardo made three pit stops — compared to two for Alonso and Hamilton — and his newer set of tires paid off in the end as he surged past the leaders with three laps to go. "We had the fresher tires, but I knew it was going to be an exciting finish," said Ricciardo, the only non-Mercedes driver to win this year. "That was a lot of fun, the last few laps."

Edwards out at Roush: Carl Edwards' 11-year run with Roush Fenway Racing will end after this NASCAR season. Roush confirmed the expected move. Edwards said he has a completed deal with another team but is not ready to talk about it. He's believed to be headed to Joe Gibbs Racing in a new fourth car; his contract with Roush doesn't permit him to announce his plans until September.

Race Team Alliance: The rest of NASCAR's full-time teams should soon be added to the alliance, which is working on issues facing the sport, chairman Rob Kauffman said.

The group formed this month with nine teams: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Richard Petty Motor Sports, Roush Fenway Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing and Team Penske. Kauffman met with other owners this weekend at Indianapolis and said they are on board.

The group wants to lower costs for teams and create one voice on issues. NASCAR chairman Brian France said last week the group isn't necessary and listening "to one voice is just a bad idea."