Robert Hight handicaps the NHRA Funny Car field

Even though Robert Hight drives for the powerful John Force Racing team in the NHRA Funny Car division, he puts the Pedregon brothers, Tony and Cruz, at the top of the field as teams prepare for the season opener at Auto Club raceway in Pomona next month.

"You have to start with the Pedregons (Tony and Cruz), who have won the championship the last two years and they will always be tough," said Hight, who finished fourth in the Funny Car standings last year. "The new combination of Tim Wilkerson and Bob Tasca joining together and they will both be driving Ford Mustangs, so they will be tough. Tim honestly should have won the championship last, without the Countdown to 1, he would have."

Wilkerson built a huge lead before the Countdown began, but fell short of winning the Funny Car championship. Cruz Pedregon came out on top. His brother Tony won the Funny Car championship in 2007.
The Funny Car division will again be the most competitive in NHRA. The Pedregons, Force's four-car team, Don Schumacher Racing and the Tasca Racing duo will all bring top cars to every race.

"All the Schumacher cars will be tough, and then there are my own teammates," Hight said."I still think Funny Car will be the class to watch for competition. I think there will be a lot of different winners and even with the tough economic times I think Funny Car will be the strongest class because there should be 18 to 20 good cars every week and that means there will be a good car sitting out on Sunday."