NHRA Shocker: Robert Hight Quits as President of John Force Racing

Hight, who was previously married to Force’s oldest daughter, Adria, and is the father of the former couple’s daughter and aspiring drag racer, Autumn Hight, had served as president of the team since January 2011.

“Family is everything,” John Force said in a media release. “So as much as I’ll miss Robert, I understand that he has some other things he wants to do. He was a big part of the success of John Force Racing for more than 25 years. I love him and I wish him well in whatever he decides to do.”

Thursday’s announcement is all the more surprising as the 2025 JFR Media Guide had previously stated Hight would be returning to full duties as president of the organization after missing most of last year with the still-undisclosed medical condition.

However, a posting in TrapShooters.com earlier this week indicated what will be the next chapter of Hight’s career, as he has reportedly purchased a firearms company, Durham Gun Works in Oxford, NC.

“I would like to announce my retirement and the transfer of my business to Robert Hight,” Durham Gun Works owner Tom Wilkinson wrote in a post. “Robert has recently retired from racing and will be conducting the business full time going forward.

“I have been training Robert and he will have all the identical machines and all of my proprietary equipment used in my business. He is very committed and skilled in the type of machining experience and knowledge needed to carry the business forward with great success.”

While some may wonder about Hight’s transition from racing to weaponry, it’s not a far stretch: he’s long been a competitive trap shooter.

It’s unclear if Hight will keep his newly purchased business in North Carolina or move it closer to his Utah-based home. Hight grew up in Spanish Fork, Utah before relocating to Southern California more than three decades ago. He moved back to Utah a few years ago.

Hight’s NHRA career includes three Funny Car championships (2009, 2017 and 2019), 65 national event wins, 102 career final rounds and career-best marks in elapsed time (3.793 seconds) and speed (339.87 mph).

In his most recent season of competition, 2023, Hight finished second in the Funny Car class.

Hight spent 10 years as a JFR crew member before debuting as a driver on the NHRA Funny Car circuit in 2005, earning Rookie of the Year honors with two wins and six No. 1 qualifiers.

The soon-to-be 76-year-old Force, who himself will likely not return to active competition as a driver after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a nasty crash last June near Richmond, Va., has not named a successor to replace Hight as team president.