NHRA Story » Hot start has legendary Force back in championship hunt

NHRA 101: Your Guide to NHRA Drag Racing

In basic terms, a drag race is an acceleration contest between two vehicles over a measured distance, but what is a holeshot? Or a breakout? Welcome to NHRA 101, your complete guide to the world of NHRA Drag Racing, from the terminology of the sport to what you need to enjoy a day at the races to info on the many different vehicles that take to the track during a race weekend.
NHRA.com Features and Columns

There's more to drag racing than just two cars streaking down the strip. NHRA.com has a wide assortment of regular columns, including the DRAGSTER Insider -- in which ND Editor Phil Burgess treats you to "the stories behind the stories" from yesterday and today -- exclusive Driver Blogs that take you into the homes and trailers of the sport's top stars, and the NHRA.com Notebook. From this area, you also can access previous Special Sections, including special-edition websites and blogs as well as memorial pages.
Meet the Stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series

Want more information on your favorite NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series drivers? NHRA.com has full bios on all the series regulars, including major accomplishments, best runs, hobbies, and more, plus team and driver website addresses and contact information in the fan-club sections.
- Quarter Mile Club 3-day package
- Pomona Suite and Skybox
Watch NHRA Drag Racing on TV

All 22 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events feature same-day television coverage on ESPN2 of the Professional-class action with play-by-play from motor racing veteran Paul Page and expert color commentary by former Top Fuel and Funny Car racer Mike Dunn. ESPN2 also offers coverage of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. NHRA Drag Racing also is aired in Canada on TSN.
The Sights and Sounds of NHRA Drag Racing

NHRA.com offers a wide array of multimedia features for you to enjoy the sights and sounds of NHRA Drag Racing. With video clips and photos from the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, the popular National DRAGSTER Photo of the Week, and a gallery of .wav files for your computer, there's lots to see and hear in NHRA Multimedia.
Get Your Official NHRA Apparel and Merchandise

A wide range of NHRA-themed items is available for purchase online. The NitroMall is your one-stop spot for official NHRA merchandise, products from some of the teams of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, and more. The NHRA Store is the place to join NHRA and purchase specialty items and DVDs, and the NHRA Museum Store has items to satisfy history buffs, from vintage T-shirts to historical books.

NHRA Story

Home

NHRA Stories

Hot start has legendary Force back in championship hunt

Friday, April 09, 2010

For all those so-called drag racing experts who officially wrote John Force off as an NHRA dominator in the Funny Car class and said his world-championship total is finished at 14 titles, it’s time to eat a little crow.

Who could blame Force if he feels just a bit of sweet satisfaction right about now?

After enduring a tough stretch of seasons marred by tragedy, turmoil, crashes, and mediocrity, NHRA legend Force has finally emerged from all the chaos and regained his swagger.

He got it back through hard work, sweat, dedication, and an incredible desire. It is the same desire that led him from a middle-of-the-pack performer in the late 1980s to the bigger-than-life world champ throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

However, this time around, he needs to show the world that last season’s dismal performance – his worst on record since 1984 – was not the true Force. He wants to prove that he still has what it takes to overcome incredible odds and win races and championships again in the 7,000-horsepower world of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

“I have always been the kind of guy when somebody tears me down, it builds my strength,” Force said last week during a teleconference with national media. “If a driver gets after me, it makes me work harder. I was like that as a kid playing Pop Warner football. I never had a lot of talent, but I stayed after it, and I lived it.”

The 60-year-old Force, who has won twice in three final-round appearances at the first four races of the 23-event 2010 season, will try to keep his hot start going as the tour heads to Texas for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car), Ron Krisher (Pro Stock), and Craig Treble (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, which will be televised on ESPN2HD.

“I’m on a real big high right now and just excited,” said Force, who opened the season with an emotional win at the 50th Anniversary Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winernationals presented by Valvoline in Southern California and made history by winning the much-anticipated inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in the racing hotbed of Charlotte.

Entering the event in Houston, Force holds an 89-point advantage over a strong group of rivals, including second-place driver Ron Capps, talented Jack Beckman, defending world champ Robert Hight, and daughter Force Hood. Sure, a lot of races are left in the season before the official talk of championship contenders can begin, but Force certainly likes his current situation. And he has proven that he’s ready to work even harder to get back what he has lost over the years.

“It feels real good because I’m not getting any younger, but I do live in the gym,” Force said. “And as long as I can do the game and react at the starting line like Robert Hight, Ashley, or Bob Tasca or any of them, a lot of great young drivers out there, I will do it.”

Seven of Force’s NHRA-record 128 victories have been at HRP, his last in 2002. The track’s near-sea-level elevation makes it an ideal place for NHRA teams to produce jaw-dropping performances. No doubt his newly aligned crew chief tandem of Mike Neff and Austin Coil will be eager to put a quick tune-up on Force’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang.

“I like Texas,” Force said. “It’s fun to go there, and you can really run good if the conditions are right. I think I got my 100th win there. We’ve been pretty consistent there over the years … and we’re just looking forward to getting back there.”

In Top Fuel, seven-time world champ Schumacher, winner of the last six season titles, is again in the championship mix in his U.S. Army dragster. This season, he is getting tough competition from teammate and veteran driver Cory McClenathan, a two-time winner this season who is chasing his long-overdue first world championship and leads the points standings. Schumacher’s longtime rival Larry Dixon, driver of the Al-Anabi Racing dragster and a two-time winner at HRP, and biker-turned-nitro-driver Antron Brown, who has been solid in his Matco Tools dragster since leaving the Pro Stock Motorcycle class in 2007, are also in the championship hunt. A resurgent Doug Kalitta, driver of the Technicoat dragster, has advanced to three final rounds and is a win waiting to happen.

Defending world champ Mike Edwards is again leading the Pro Stock contingent in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP. A three-time HRP winner, the Oklahoma native has recorded three victories this season and one runner-up finish in four races and holds a commanding 181-point lead over second-place Jason Line, who has one win and one runner-up finish this season in his Summit Racing GXP. Team Mopar’s Allen Johnson and three-time world champ Greg Anderson also are among the pre-race favorites, along with Greg Stanfield and Phoenix runner-up Bob Yonke.

Past world champions Eddie Krawiec and Matt Smith have each earned victories this season in Pro Stock Motorcycle competition, but defending series titlist Hector Arana sits atop the points standings on his Lucas Oil Buell. Shawn Gann, Steve Johnson, Andrew Hines, and two-time HRP winners Karen Stoffer and Craig Treble will be working hard at this event to improve their standing in the Full Throttle Series top 10.

• ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday, April 10. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day presented by Lucas Oil, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, April 11. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, April 11.

• LUCAS OIL SERIES: The O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series earn their racing stripes. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. April 9. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. April 10.

• GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES: NHRA’s newest touring series will make its second start of the season at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil. The series features some of the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars, with an eclectic mix of vintage and late-model body styles, in quarter-mile competition.

Send Print