Bristol Dragway became the Father's Day destination for drag racing starved fans, as well as the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series in 2010.
 
Many of those who run in the professional ranks pay homage to their fathers on this weekend.
 
Probably one of the more famous fathers racing this weekend at the NHRA Thunder Valley is a drag racer who coveted sons and ended up with daughters. And for John Force, the 16-time champion, the gender deficiency has worked well in his favor.
 
For many years, Force wasn’t able to enjoy Father’s Day with his kids.
 
Now, thanks to the career paths chosen by two of his daughters, Brittany and Courtney, he gets to spend plenty of time with them, and at his favorite place - the drag strip.
 
“In my early days, I spent a lot of Father’s Days on the road,” John Force said. “Couldn’t get home to them, and I didn’t have the money – I was driving the 18-wheeler. To be with kids that I’ve missed so much and to race with them, life’s good for me.”
 
"Being able to race against my dad on Father’s Day weekend is something that I really look forward to,” Courtney added. “Hopefully, we can give him Sunday off – that’s always the goal coming out to Bristol, to give dad the day off for Father’s Day. We’ll see what we can do.”
 
For Jeg Coughlin, Sr., there's strength in numbers. He's got two sons and a grandson racing in Bristol on Sunday.
 
“It’s been extremely exciting for me,” Coughlin said. “Drag racing has been the piece of equipment that we’ve used all of our life to keep our family excited with each other and working together, and it’s been an absolute thrill for me to see how it has developed over the years. When Father’s Day rolls around the family has been so close, and it’s been fabulous.”
 
Two-time Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon uses the Father's Day weekend to pay homage to his father, the late "Flaming" Frank Pedregon, killed in a 1981 in an airplane crash.
 
"My brother Tony and I are keeping the family business going with Tony in the booth for FOX and me behind the wheel of a Funny Car," Pedregon said. "Drag racing is something we grew up with and a life and a sport we love sharing with all the great NHRA fans. I'm hoping lots of dads will make it a memorable Father's Day by coming out to the track and enjoying the race or getting together with family at home to watch the broadcast on TV. It's a great sport to share with your kids, and I'm sure glad my Dad shared it with me."
 
Erica Enders, also a two-time champion, uses the weekend's special nature to honor her father, a man she describes as a driving force to make her the champion she is today.
 
“My dad means everything to me and winning those two races on Father's Day weekend and being able to share that with him was awesome,” Enders said. “He's the reason I race. He's the reason I've been able to make a career out of this crazy world out here. The older I get, the more I realize the sacrifices he's made for me."