Brittany Force is set to return to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona just three months after winning her first Top Fuel world championship, and the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series star says she “still so many things left to accomplish” in the new season.

Force claimed the world title in Pomona last November, winning the race to put a thrilling conclusion on her magical 2017 season. Now, Force is set to open 2018 in her 10,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster at this weekend’s annual iconic opener, the 58th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force, who became the first female Top Fuel world champion since 1982, expects a number of memories from that race to come flooding back when she arrives, hoping to use it as motivation to start her 2018 campaign on a high note.

“I’m excited to get back there and after what we accomplished, I know our energy is going to be there,” said Force, who has seven career wins. “I know our team is going to feel it. The last time we were there, we won the championship, won the race and we got our first Top Fuel championship. That’s only going to push us and motivate us more in Pomona.”

Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) were last year’s winners of a race that will be televised on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including live finals coverage beginning at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 11. It is the first of 24 events during the 2018 NHRA season and the world title is only pushing Force, the daughter of iconic driver John Force, to do more.

She put together an incredible run in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, winning three of the six playoff races and advancing to four finals, to slip past Steve Torrence, who ended 2017 with a class-best eight wins. Getting off to a quick start in 2018 is the goal for Force, who didn’t win her first race last year until the ninth race of the season. But Force has other big goals she hopes to accomplish and she doesn’t mind everyone gunning for her as the reigning champ.

“I’m OK with that because it just pushes you and motivates you,” Force said. “Our plan is we want to win more races and we want to go after a championship again. I would love to double-up with my dad and Courtney. It would be great to share the winner’s circle with my sister. There’s still so many things left to accomplish and try to achieve. That’s just motivation and what pushes me.”

To grab another win in Pomona and her first victory at the Winternationals, Force will be pushed by the likes of Torrence, defending event winner Pritchett, three-time world champion Antron Brown, veteran Doug Kalitta, Clay Millican and Terry McMillen, who both won their first career Top Fuel race in 2017, and Tony Schumacher, whose six wins at Pomona are tied for the most in Top Fuel history. But competing against such a talented field is part of the thrill for Force and her team.

“It feels good getting back in the car,” Force said. “It’s a new car and we’re trying to figure this thing to be ready (for Pomona). I’m always going to be learning and for me, I’m going to come out and start our season with a handful of goals in mind. I want to improve as a driver and there’s still things I need to work on. I want to better myself as a driver and always try to do that.”