Courtney Force has had a whirlwind few weeks, spending time in Nashville as a presenter at the CMT Music Awards, watching husband Graham Rahal finish 10th at the Indianapolis 500 and squeezing in sponsor events from Chicago to Florida.
And that's on top of putting together the most dominant stretch of her racing career.
Force, 29, has won three of the past four races in the NHRA's Funny Car division, building a sizable lead in the standings over second-place Jack Beckman and third-place Robert Hight, who is Force's teammate and last year's division champion. She will go for her fifth win of the season this weekend at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee.
"It's my team, it's the guys who are working on my race car," Force said. "They've all jelled together really well, and they have their routine. They're putting together that car exactly the same every weekend, and you need consistency on our race car on all ends."
Her quest to become the first woman to win the division title is even more impressive because of her prodigious off-the-track schedule. Force and Rahal, who is sixth in the IndyCar standings, almost always spend any breaks in their schedules at each other's races.
Force was there for the Indy 500 at the end of May. Rahal will be in the Volunteer State this weekend.
"We're kind of used to it," Force said. "We see each other way more than people imagine. We make it work because we're traveling constantly for racing but also to see each other. Even if it's just a day to stop over in Indiana, it's great to see him."
The couple knew what they were getting into nearly three years ago when they got married because both grew up in racing. Courtney's dad is 16-time Funny Car champion John Force; Rahal's dad is Bobby Rahal, who won the 1986 Indianapolis 500.
Rahal said he spends about 270 days a year on the road.
"It's a full-time job," Rahal said. "We travel an insane amount. We spend our lives completely on the road. But we've come to get used to that, we've come to expect that that's what it is for us."
Rahal said it's been rewarding watching his wife have such a good season. Force finished third in the Funny Car standings last year and has 12 career wins, but she has never had a stretch like the past month.
"They've always had the speed, but clearly they've got the consistency figured out," Rahal said. "What's cool about it for me is seeing her confidence really grow with the group she's got."
Rahal was also in Nashville when Force was at the CMT Awards, where she introduced singer Sam Hunt. Force said it was a "huge moment for me" and acknowledged the butterflies were more than she expected.
"I was way more nervous getting up and being on live TV for the CMT Awards compared to running a 330 mile-per-hour car," Force said with a laugh.
Though cautiously optimistic, she's serious about not letting the good results lead to laziness.
"We're all trying to keep our heads straight," she said. "We've had a lot of success at the start of the season, but we know it can change in an instant. So we're just trying to be careful and keep our focus each and every race."