FORCE: I'D HAD ENOUGH OF IT
Tue, 2009-09-08 08:00
John Force has had enough of the murmurings and innuendos.
The 14-time NHRA Funny Car world champion described his shutdown area confrontation with former employee and driver Tony Pedregon as a matter of flared tempers.
“I’ve always tried to do what [publicists] Elon and Densmore have instructed me to do,” Force said. “I’ve listened to it for years … things that were just blatantly wrong. I’m not talking about what happened here today but over the last years. It’s over [Don] Schumacher, over Tony [Pedregon] and I had just had enough.”
Force said comments were directed towards him following his semi-final loss to teammate Robert Hight, a race that inevitably eliminated Pedregon’s brother Cruz Pedregon from championship contention.
“When someone walks by you and says something … his own brother at least shook my hand. He went by me and said it again and I asked him, ‘what did you say?’
“Then he said it and I couldn’t believe it. But, when they called me a cripple down there, that set me off! It just flared up.”
When Force called Pedregon out, telling him to say what he had to say loud enough so he could hear it, Force says Pedregon said, 'Just like old times. Nothing changes. I know the game I worked for you'.
The drivers had to be physically restrained from fisticuffs by shutdown personnel.
“If you’re going to say, say it to my face kid. I’ve always loved you, man. There’s just been things that are wrong. And, they need to come out.”
Force said he went over and confronted Schumacher.
“I told him how I felt,” Force explained. “I’m not living in this gray area where you say things behind me and think I am so stupid that I sit here and go along with it. A lot of s*** went down that you’re going to hear about in the next few days.
“I’ve had enough and I have my rights. You play the media and try to be a good guy and not get into that stuff. Tonight I’d had enough. My kid finally beats Tony, finally, and I want to enjoy it and then it goes to crap.”
Force admits there has been bad blood between himself and Pedregon since the two split, but that has never stopped Force from doing what is right for his competitors, including Tony, and for the sport.
“Two years ago when I raced Tony he blew up,” said Force. “They loaded him into the ambulance. I ran over to the ambulance and he was crying. I've never told this to anybody, except the NHRA. He yelled out to me, 'John, do something. You are the only one they'll listen to. Make them shorten the racetrack or slow these cars down.' I'd gone to the NHRA at that time. I went to PRO and PRO said 'we've got so many other problems we can't address it right now; we'll come back to it.' And, we went on down the road. Kalitta was killed, six months later, NHRA made the rule.”
Then Force broached the controversy of his four-car team.
“Those guys drove for me … they didn’t complain when they drove for me,” he said. “Then when they leave they want to complain. A while back they [NHRA] couldn’t even fill the field if I didn’t have my cars here. There were times I didn’t want more cars.”
Force explained that is was the insistence of Ford Racing that inspired his expanded team.
“Ford Motor Company said to me that General Motors has the field covered with Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Chevrolets … 20 of them. ‘We’ve got you and Tony Pedregon. If you don’t want any more cars, we will give it to someone else.”
Force explained he took on Gary Densham as a third car with funding that largely came out of his pocket.
“He had a couple of bucks with Auto Club … I am talking $250,000. They weren’t national about that time and not really spread around the country. I paid it out of my pocket. My endorsements fed that so I wouldn’t lose that … the team that I was trying to grow and put together.”
Force said the same issue came up with the fourth car and that Dan Davis approached Don Prudhomme about a fourth car.
“I took it,” Force said. “Now I get beat up for having too many cars.”
The 14-time NHRA Funny Car world champion described his shutdown area confrontation with former employee and driver Tony Pedregon as a matter of flared tempers.
“I’ve always tried to do what [publicists] Elon and Densmore have instructed me to do,” Force said. “I’ve listened to it for years … things that were just blatantly wrong. I’m not talking about what happened here today but over the last years. It’s over [Don] Schumacher, over Tony [Pedregon] and I had just had enough.”
Force said comments were directed towards him following his semi-final loss to teammate Robert Hight, a race that inevitably eliminated Pedregon’s brother Cruz Pedregon from championship contention.
“When someone walks by you and says something … his own brother at least shook my hand. He went by me and said it again and I asked him, ‘what did you say?’
John Force has had enough of the murmurings and innuendos.
John Force celebrates after daughter Ashley wins the NHRA U.S. Nationals Funny Car crown. (Richards)
The 14-time NHRA Funny Car world champion described his shutdown area confrontation with former employee and driver Tony Pedregon as a matter of flared tempers.
“I’ve always tried to do what [publicists] Elon and Densmore have instructed me to do,” Force said. “I’ve listened to it for years … things that were just blatantly wrong. I’m not talking about what happened here today but over the last years. It’s over [Don] Schumacher, over Tony [Pedregon] and I had just had enough.”
Force said comments were directed towards him following his semi-final loss to teammate Robert Hight, a race that inevitably eliminated Pedregon’s brother Cruz Pedregon from championship contention.
“When someone walks by you and says something … his own brother at least shook my hand. He went by me and said it again and I asked him, ‘what did you say?’
“Then he said it and I couldn’t believe it. But, when they called me a cripple down there, that set me off! It just flared up.”
When Force called Pedregon out, telling him to say what he had to say loud enough so he could hear it, Force says Pedregon said, 'Just like old times. Nothing changes. I know the game I worked for you'.
The drivers had to be physically restrained from fisticuffs by shutdown personnel.
“If you’re going to say, say it to my face kid. I’ve always loved you, man. There’s just been things that are wrong. And, they need to come out.”
Force said he went over and confronted Schumacher.
“I told him how I felt,” Force explained. “I’m not living in this gray area where you say things behind me and think I am so stupid that I sit here and go along with it. A lot of s*** went down that you’re going to hear about in the next few days.
“I’ve had enough and I have my rights. You play the media and try to be a good guy and not get into that stuff. Tonight I’d had enough. My kid finally beats Tony, finally, and I want to enjoy it and then it goes to crap.”
Force admits there has been bad blood between himself and Pedregon since the two split, but that has never stopped Force from doing what is right for his competitors, including Tony, and for the sport.
“Two years ago when I raced Tony he blew up,” said Force. “They loaded him into the ambulance. I ran over to the ambulance and he was crying. I've never told this to anybody, except the NHRA. He yelled out to me, 'John, do something. You are the only one they'll listen to. Make them shorten the racetrack or slow these cars down.' I'd gone to the NHRA at that time. I went to PRO and PRO said 'we've got so many other problems we can't address it right now; we'll come back to it.' And, we went on down the road. Kalitta was killed, six months later, NHRA made the rule.”
Then Force broached the controversy of his four-car team.
“Those guys drove for me … they didn’t complain when they drove for me,” he said. “Then when they leave they want to complain. A while back they [NHRA] couldn’t even fill the field if I didn’t have my cars here. There were times I didn’t want more cars.”
Force explained that is was the insistence of Ford Racing that inspired his expanded team.
“Ford Motor Company said to me that General Motors has the field covered with Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Chevrolets … 20 of them. ‘We’ve got you and Tony Pedregon. If you don’t want any more cars, we will give it to someone else.”
Force explained he took on Gary Densham as a third car with funding that largely came out of his pocket.
“He had a couple of bucks with Auto Club … I am talking $250,000. They weren’t national about that time and not really spread around the country. I paid it out of my pocket. My endorsements fed that so I wouldn’t lose that … the team that I was trying to grow and put together.”
Force said the same issue came up with the fourth car and that Dan Davis approached Don Prudhomme about a fourth car.
“I took it,” Force said. “Now I get beat up for having too many cars.”
Advertisement
Categories:
