John Force isn't tangling with Tony Pedregon anymore.
 
He has taken on ESPN analyst Mike Dunn.
 
Their verbal sparring during Sunday morning's "NHRA Race Day" broadcast had an element of comedy to it. But Force clearly was irked by Dunn's "Do-or-Done Line" ("Do-or-Dunn Line?")  graphic that separates drivers performing well from those who are in danger of dropping out of championship contention.
 

John Force isn't tangling with Tony Pedregon anymore.
 
He has taken on ESPN analyst Mike Dunn.
 
Their verbal sparring during Sunday morning's "NHRA Race Day" broadcast had an element of comedy to it. But Force clearly was irked by Dunn's "Do-or-Done Line" ("Do-or-Dunn Line?")  graphic that separates drivers performing well from those who are in danger of dropping out of championship contention.
 
Force is below the line -- "that bull-jivin' line . . .that chicken---- line," he called it -- and told Dunn, "My whole life, Mike, because of you, is trying to get above that line that tells my sponsors that I'm already dead."
 
Fired back Dunn, who said the information certainly isn't cast in stone, "That's what you've got to do -- prove it to me and get back above that line."
 
Said Force, "I'm going to prove it to you or sure in the hell crash trying."
 
Dunn's line caught the eye also of Pro Stock Motorcycle contender Matt Smith.
 
The Don Schumacher Racing rider of the NitroFish Suzuki briefly moved up to third place in the Countdown standings, only to slip back to fourth when Michael Phillips won the Memphis race Monday.
 
"We've had a great last two races in this Nitro Fish Suzuki," said Smith, a semifinalist at the previous race, near Dallas. "We just can't seem to get past the semifinals and get over that little hump. We just need to get that lucky break. That's what it takes. One time if we get past it, I think we'll be in good shape.
 
"We're very excited. We're very happy. Probably Mike Dunn can count us out now. With two races to go, we're 'below the line,' " Smith said. "We're going to go for second or third place in the championship. All in all, we're all right."
 
Tim Wilkerson, owner/driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang, remains in eighth place, 127 points behind leader Ashley Force Hood. That represents slightly more than six rounds of racing, with only 12 rounds left to run.
 
But he isn't so much worried about Dunn's infamous 'line' as he is a little asterisk.
 
"We're in a tough spot if you want to talk about teams that are really in contention, but until they put that little asterisk next to your name, that one that means you're officially out of it, we'll go about our business and try to run the table," Wilkerson said. "We're not eliminated mathematically yet, so we're still in it."

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