Funny Car veteran Force fails to qualify

Robert Hight won the Funny Car pole for today’s championship eliminations in the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals with a 4.849-second pass at a speed of 321.27 mph.

That might have taken some of the sting from his teammate and boss, John Force, not qualifying.

It’s the second consecutive spring visit by the pro tour to Las Vegas Motor Speedway that Force did not make it past Saturday.

“You have to perform. You get the same shots as everybody else, and we didn’t do it,” Force said. “We didn’t deliver.”

Hight, who won the title last year, was the top qualifier at Las Vegas in October but lost in the first round.

He won this season’s first title and was runner-up at the next event near Phoenix, but failed to qualify for the last NHRA event two weeks ago near Houston.

“It’s been feast or famine for us this year,” Hight said.

As surprising as it was for Force to not qualify for only the 13th time in 499 events, it was shocking when Kenny Koretsky, 50, qualified No. 1 in Pro Stock for the first time in 215 events. He had a 6.724-second pass at 204.05 mph

The popular driver received congratulations by nearly all of his competitors.

“They’re happy for me being No. 1, but they won’t be happy when I beat them (today),” he said. “We can win this.”

In Top Fuel, four-time reigning series champion Tony Schumacher, who has won three Las Vegas titles, was the top qualifier at 4.510 seconds (328.38 mph).

• HARVICK EXPECTED — NASCAR Sprint Cup star Kevin Harvick and his wife, DeLana, are scheduled to attend today’s event and announce a partnership with Top Fuel driver/owner Bob Vandergriff.

The plan is to field a second Top Fuel dragster next year to complement the UPS-sponsored car driven by Vandergriff, according to a source in the drag racing industry.

Harvick, the 2007 Daytona 500 winner, placed 19th Saturday in the Cup race in Avondale, Ariz.

• GOING FULL THROTTLE — When the NHRA pro tour competes near Atlanta this month, an announcement could be made that it will be renamed the NHRA Full Throttle Series.

Energy drink Full Throttle and sports drink Powerade are owned by Coca-Cola.