Two weeks ago Robert Hight's enthusiasm for the NHRA Countdown to the Championship was waning.
"You can always have these fairytale dreams that if you make it there's a chance to win," said Hight, who won the NHRA Funny Car championship in 2009. "But if you haven't done anything to that point, what makes you think you're going to get it once you get there?"
That was Hight's feeling before the series heading to Indianapolis for the U.S. Nationals, the biggest event in the series.
Hight had to win his first-round race to even guarantee he'd be locked into the 10-driver Countdown field. He did more than that. Hight won the event for the third time in his career.
That victory snapped a 36-event winless streak for the pilot of the Auto Club Ford Mustang and gave him a boost of confidence at just the right time as the six event Countdown starts this weekend in Concord, N.C.
"It gives me confidence again that I can win," Hight said. "It also gives my new team confidence in me as a driver. They were probably beginning to wonder 'Is it him?' And maybe that's all in my head but that's how you start to feel. This was big for the entire team."
Up until the Indy win, it had been a rough season for Hight. To try and spark the team, team owner John Force made the decision to switch teams with Hight. And by switching teams, that meant everything changed expect for the decals on the car and the driver. That included crew chief Mike Neff, who went from Force to Hight.
"I have been with that team for so long and I never gave up believing in them," Hight said. I thought Jimmy Prock my old crew chief was going to start winning. John made it clear this wasn't a temporary switch. It was here to stay. This is how it is from now on."
Now that he's in the Countdown, Hight has plenty going for him. He's one of three John Force Racing cars in the Countdown field, with John Force and Courtney Force the other two. They can work together to try and knock out other Countdown contenders in a bid to secure a championship for a JFR car.
A John Force ride hasn't won a Funny Car title since 2010. While two seasons without a title might not seem like much to a lot of people, it's an eternity at JFR. The team has never gone three years without a title and Hight is going to do his best to make sure that doesn't happen this year.
Experience is also a help. When Hight won his title in 2009, he started the Countdown in 10th place, one spot worse than he will start this year. It took two races for Hight to come from 10th to first and he ended up fending off teammate Ashley Force for the title.
Hight should also benefit from having won at all six of the Countdown tracks.
All of those things, plus the big win in Indy, have Hight feeling good now.
"Momentum is good for us," Hight said. "We've got to use it to our advantage. It's not like we're a lucky team. We've got a good team. We're one of the cars that is feared. Now we've got to win."
