JOHN FORCE'S MIND WAS RACING FASTER THAN HIS CAR BEFORE THE FIRST RUN

by Bobby Bennett    Thu, 2021-03-11 23:08

 

It was just another day for John Force. The iconic drag racer of over five decades had a lot of noise going through his mind prior to his first run in 54 weeks. To know Force, the 16-time champion, is to know there's always noise in the front, the back, and both sides of his mind at any given time.

In all honesty, Friday at the PRO Winter Warm-up test session was not just another day.

The event at Palm Beach International Raceway marked the first time he'd been in a race car since the 2020 NHRA Arizona Nationals. 

There's a lot of energy to be contained in the mind of the 70-something year old drag racer.

"When I got in that car and they strapped me in, I started talking to myself, 'Okay. Are you John Force, or are you just a guy that, because of the great crew chiefs like Austin Coil, and all the money from sponsors all these years, is that what made you great?

"You fought back from being broke. You fought back, arms and legs broke, head injuries. They said you shouldn't go back. And on top of that, you fought back from a pandemic."

Still, the voices in his head kept rolling.

"And now the only thing you're worried about is a little bit of money? Force conveyed. "You got money, spend it." And that's what I'm doing. And I have to do it different than I did it before, but it hurt seeing only three teams."

Because of pandemic economics, Force had to park the dragster of up-and-coming star Austin Prock If there's one thing Force is better at than driving a race car and talking fast, it's in overanalyzing a situation. In the midst of dissecting economics, Force had to remain focused on the task at hand.

"Once I get back in that seat of the car, I know who I am," Force admitted, directing his thoughts back to driving. "That's pathetic, but that's the way the world works. "Your number one job is to get it down the lane, A to B. Number two, do everything right in the cockpit, turning on the switches, the fuel shut-offs, keeping the clutch in, doing all the stuff right. And then trying to react to a tree, had a pretty decent light. You don't forget when you get out of the seat; you don't forget. You pick it right up. "

Once you step on that gas on the burnout, yeah, your imagination runs away. But I'm like a Tiger Woods; I go into the zone. He went into the zone going over that cliff so much; God bless him that he's safe. But he went in the zone so much; he forgot he was driving."

In the meantime, daughter Brittany and Robert Hight popped in to make sure the cagey veteran was doing okay.

"Brittany was over three times, 'Are you okay, dad? Are you okay? You can do this!" "I know honey," Force recalled. "But just know what I mean? And Robert, same thing." Then Force's attention went to his cockpit, and of all the gadgets, it was the one new piece that quickly got his attention.

"It's what I do without thinking about it, but I made sure they didn't change anything in the cockpit," Force explained. "They got one new switch I keep looking over at trying to figure out what it does. They told me, but I don't ever have to touch it. But your own mind still thinks about it." Then Force's mind refocuses on the task at hand, and he returns to the topic. "I'm a pro at [overthinking]," Force said. "When I go up there, and I get a guy that just kills me on the Christmas tree if you think about that, you're dead when you're going to stage. I've learned how to turn it off like I've learned how to turn off pain. "When I got my first COVID shot, she put it in my arm and goes, 'You didn't even flinch." "I said, 'Lady, I live with pain, every day, of stress, emotion, how not to fail."

Force's crew fired the engine, and the iconic drag racer made a strong half-track pull out of the gates. He then made several planned half-track passes. Then when turned loose to go to the finish line, the ol' race car driver lit up the scoreboards with the quickest run of testing - a 3.860, 329.02 pass.

Outside of the car in his lounge, Force was focused on the season with the first run out of the way.

I can't guarantee I'm going to be a champion, but I'm going to fight like hell," Force said. "I promised Peak. I'm going to fight with everything I got."

 

 

 
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