by Susan Wade; Bobby Bennett; Photos by Ron Lewis, Burghardt Photography, Chris Haverly, Nicole Clark
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – THE FORCE TRIBUTE CAR SHINES LIKE NO OTHER AS BRITTANY GRABS MORE SPEED ACCOLADES
1 – BECKMAN WAXES NOSTALGIC – Jack Beckman drove the “Brute Force” tribute Funny Car to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, posting a 3.865-second run at 332 mph at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.
If the pass holds, it will mark Beckman’s fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 33rd of his career. The performance carried extra meaning as Beckman piloted a car honoring John Force’s 1976 “Brute Force” machine.
“We did the unveiling of the Brute Force body at Graham Rahal’s [Thursday], and a lot of media showed up,” Beckman said. “I told them, ‘I’m trying to do a better job about living in the moment.’ I don’t know if that run will hold, but I know it was the best of Friday night. Pretty cool.”
Beckman said the tie-in with the 50th anniversary of Force’s car made the lap especially significant. “It couldn’t match this car any better if I had tried,” he said. “So cool, because as a little kid, you get it. … And John Force then wasn’t the John Force that the next 35 years saw.”
The run also gave Beckman perspective on the sport’s history. “Pat Foster, Don Schumacher and [Don] Prudhomme were top of their game back then, and John Force was just getting his footing,” he said. “When you’re strapped in that car towing up in the staging lanes, last pair at Indy with Austin Prock in the other lane [and you’re] driving a John Force Brute Force tribute car, that’s about as good as it gets.”
Beckman said longtime mentor Frank Hawley visited him before the run.
“When I was 18, stationed in Aurora, Colorado, in Air Force Tech School and went to the Mile High Nationals, I pointed out to my roommate, ‘That car right there, the Chi-Town Hustler, they’re the two-time defending world champions, and the guy that drives it is Frank Hawley,’” Beckman said. “Would I have thought that 41 years later he’d come over to my pits, and we’d be sitting down at just two guys talking about race cars and life?”
Beckman also tied the run to a late ESPN cameraman known as Stumpy.
“Somebody asked me, ‘Would you be willing to do something for his son?’ So, on that run in the pocket of my fire suit, [some of Stumpy’s ashes] rode with me to low ET on Friday night,” Beckman said. “That is the coolest thing, but icing on the cake is we had to stay up there for a while because we clinched the Countdown. The gentleman that drove us back said, ‘I’m tearing up, man.’ That’s pretty damn cool.”
Beckman said his focus is on balance. “I’m getting pretty good at taking this incrementally,” he said. “I’m pretty cool with, ‘It’s Friday night at Indy and our car just went low ET.’ And it’s a tribute to 50 years of Brute Force.”
2 – HE’S A BRUTE FORCE ALRIGHT – John Force’s iconic “Brute Force” paint scheme returned to the NHRA stage Friday, when Jack Beckman rolled the tribute Funny Car out of the hauler ahead of the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
The blue Chevrolet SS, carrying the original “Brute Force” lettering and closed-fist insignia, will be driven by Beckman during the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals. The 16-time Funny Car champion admitted the design looked even sharper under sunlight than when it was unveiled Thursday at Graham Rahal’s shop.
“No, this was [the idea of PEAK’s Brian Bohlander], and they did a great job, T-shirts, and they designed the car,” Force said. “Just to see this goes back a lot of years, to the beginning, and I’m really proud of it.”
Force first campaigned the “Brute Force” look in the mid-1970s, a period he admitted was more about grit and determination than polish. The tribute coincides with NHRA’s 75th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of Force’s “Brute Force” Funny Cars.
“This blue paint scheme is where you got the “Brute Force” lettering and the iron gauntlet insignia and it really ties in well with the PEAK squad colors,” Beckman said. “This is the one that really made the big statement that, ‘I’m John Force and I’m going to be racing nitro funny cars.’”
Beckman, a two-time U.S. Nationals Funny Car champion, noted the tribute’s personal twist. “Ironically, the paint-scheme design on the helmet I’ve been wearing all year is a tribute to John,” he said. “The helmet looks like it was painted to match the ‘Brute Force’ car but, when I had it painted, I didn’t know we would be doing the tribute car.”
Bohlander said the time was right to revisit the iconic design. “The fans have been asking for this particular car for years, and the perfect place to run it is at the biggest race of the year,” he said.
Force recalled how the ‘Brute Force ‘name came about, crediting his uncle, drag racing figure Gene “Uncle Beavs” Beaver, for the inspiration. “It was my original logo in the early days, and it was created by my Uncle Beavs,” Force said. “Years later I asked, ‘Where did you find that?’ ‘Brute Force,’ because he was trying to put Brut Force, and then they said it was one of those [porno] movies.”
The name stuck, and Force raced under the ‘Brute Force’ banner for years. The paint scheme became a marker of his early climb, long before 155 career victories and 16 championships made him the most prolific driver in Funny Car history.
Force, now 76, said he never imagined his career reaching these heights.
“If I came up to you right after you burned the original car to the ground in 1976 at Pomona, and said, ‘John Force, one day you’re going to be the most prolific drag racer in the world,’ you would’ve said what?” A reporter asked.
Force responded. “I would’ve laughed at you. I would’ve said, ‘You must be on drugs.’ No, I did this not for the money. I sent my kids to school, but I did it for the love of this sport.”
Force said the ‘Brute Force’ tribute reflects both history and continuity.
“I’m very honored and proud to have the ‘Brute Force’ paint scheme back out on the track,” he said. “It’s got the big fist on the side with the lightning bolts … I think it’s pretty awesome.”
3 – A SHOW OF FORCE – Brittany Force opened Top Fuel qualifying at the U.S. Nationals with a run of 3.666 seconds at track-record 339.79 mph Friday, putting her in the provisional No. 1 spot at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. If it holds, it would mark her fourth No. 1 of the season and the 56th of her career.
Force said the opening pass set the tone for a pivotal weekend.
“Yes, that’s an ideal way to take our race car down the track, Q1,” Force said. “Climb out of the car and our team clinched into the Countdown, so that’s pretty exciting to come off a run like that. Indy, this weekend, when the points reset, and now it’s game on for this Countdown. It was an exciting way to do that, put a 3.66 on the board. Killer run for David Grubnic and all these guys in Cornwell colors.”
The track record run adds to Force’s career accomplishments, but she said her focus remains on winning Indy for the first time.
“An Indy win is huge, it’s what every driver wants,” Force said. “It’s definitely been on my bucket list for a long time. We’ve accomplished a lot, but one thing we haven’t done is won here in Indy. I was runner-up twice a few years ago, so we’ve been successful here, but we’ve never been able to take it to the winner’s circle, and we’d love to do that.”
The two-time Top Fuel champion reflected on her qualifying ledger, which now includes 56 No. 1 starts since her rookie year in 2013.
“Just to hear that number, it’s very much a ‘wow’ moment to look at,” Force said. “My career, I came out in 2013, it was my rookie season, and my first win was years later at the Winternationals. We’ve done so much since then, so much that I’m so proud of. Alongside different crew chiefs, different sponsors, different crew guys – it’s been just incredible, what we’ve done. But to hear 56, that’s where it’s, ‘Wow.’ That number seems huge and it’s something I’m very proud of, but again, we always want more than that. It’s never enough.”
Force said her drive to keep improving has not changed, even with records and championships already on her résumé.
“You always want to excel, you want to improve, and you want to just keep on growing in the right direction,” she said. “This team, this weekend, we’re looking for a win.”
4 – ANDERSON VISITS THE 6.40S – Greg Anderson opened Pro Stock qualifying at the U.S. Nationals with a record-setting performance, running 6.491 seconds at 210 mph Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. If it holds, it will be his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season.
Anderson said the conditions were ideal.
“It is rare air for Indy in August. We don’t usually get this, so when we saw the weather forecast, it’s just a Pro Stock racer’s dream,” Anderson said. “Low ETs and great weather. And when you get in that race car and you don’t wilt, and sweat and drip sweat in your eyes, it’s a pretty cool feeling.”
The four-time U.S. Nationals winner said the race carries added meaning following the death of longtime team owner Ken Black earlier this week.
“Obviously we all know why. … It’s a sad, sad deal,” Anderson explained. “But we’re going to celebrate it. He wants us to be here racing, and he wants us to go there and kick everybody’s ass. And that’s what I want to try and do this weekend.”
Anderson said the fast start helped set the tone.
“That’s a great start here, and I feel like I’ve got a great attitude this weekend,” he said. “So we’ll see how far that attitude can take me.”
The qualifying battle also carries championship implications. Anderson trails leader Dallas Glenn by only nine points heading into the final race of the regular season. A sizable bonus is also on the line for the leader at the end of the weekend.
“It does,” Anderson said when asked if the bonus adds motivation. “I definitely came here to try and get that carrot, no doubt. And as I said … the good news is it’s going back to KB Titan. But don’t think for one minute that Dallas doesn’t want it just as bad as I do.”
Anderson said the battle with Glenn will be decided on the racetrack.
“The racers, and it doesn’t really matter who’s in the other lane, you want that piece of cheese,” Anderson said. “And he’s after my piece of cheese, and I’m after his piece of cheese. And we’ll see who can get it.”
4B – HERRERA SETS TRACK RECORD – Gaige Herrera opened qualifying at the U.S. Nationals with a track record, riding to the provisional No. 1 spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Herrera clocked a 6.739-second run at 198 mph to lead the field after the first of five sessions.
Herrera, who has consistently set the pace this season, said even he was surprised by the lap.
“I was really shocked we ran what we did,” Herrera said. “That was a picture-perfect run. I didn’t have to make any adjustments, hit all my shift points. Going the 6.739 at 200, that’s basically all she got.”
The U.S. Nationals format provides one qualifying session Friday, followed by two each on Saturday and Sunday. Herrera said the extended schedule allows teams to test different combinations.
“It’s hard to prepare. With different weather and track conditions, we could try a few different things,” he said. “Luckily, we just hit it on the head there. I don’t see us going any faster, but anything’s possible.”
Cooler conditions in Indianapolis gave teams a boost. Herrera said past notes offered little guidance.
“We can’t even look at last year or the last couple years’ notes,” Herrera said. “We got to go back to Seattle, Sonoma notes. That’s one thing about Indiana, you never know what you’re going to get. But it looks like the weather’s going to be nice all weekend.”
Despite holding low-elapsed time at most events this season, Herrera said the 6.739 exceeded his expectations.
“We figured a 75, 76,” Herrera said. “So to get a 73, I feel like it was honestly just because it was a picture-perfect run. I didn’t move the bike probably a quarter inch left to right all the way down the track, and that doesn’t happen too often.”
5 – LINE WINS HEMI CHALLENGE – Jason Line added another achievement to his career Friday, winning the prestigious Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Line powered his Fish Stick ’68 Barracuda to an 8.280-second pass at 160.92 mph, defeating multi-time event champion Jimmy Daniels, who clocked an 8.334 in the final.
For Line, the victory carried personal meaning. Just days after the passing of Ken Black, longtime NHRA Pro Stock team owner and supporter, Line said the timing felt like fate. “This one ranks right up there, especially from a timing standpoint,” Line said. “Losing Ken a couple of days ago was, he suffered a lot the last 16 years, but he was a great man. He did a lot for us. And to be able to win it right now, I feel like the winner was determined before we got here, so just very cool. For sure.”
Line’s path to the final included wins over David Bogner, Charlie Westcott, and Anthony Rhodes. Daniels advanced with victories over Rich Johnson, Eric Bell, and defending champion Steve Comella.
The event, featuring Super Stock/A Hemi cars, has long been one of the most distinctive specialty races during the NHRA U.S. Nationals. For Line, the types of cars make the win even more rewarding. “They’re unique and they’re super hard to build,” Line said. “It’s a really tough car. It really is. And the Charlie Westcotts and the Bartons, all those people that have done all this for years, I mean, listen, they’re chock-full of talent. It’s not easy to do. It takes a lot of effort, for sure.”
Line’s victory marked his first in the Mopar specialty event, which has been dominated in recent years by Daniels and Comella. But on this day, with added motivation, the outcome seemed inevitable. “When you’re racing inspired as Line was, it looks effortless,” one official remarked as Line celebrated.
The Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge, held annually as part of the U.S. Nationals, honors the legacy of the famed Sox & Martin team and showcases the history and craftsmanship of the Super Stock/A Hemi class. With his victory, Line added his name to the short list of winners in one of drag racing’s most unique and respected events.
For Line, the moment was more than just a race win. It was a tribute. “To be able to win it right now,” Line repeated, “I feel like the winner was determined before we got here.”
WHAT GOES UP – Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge racer Anthony Rhodes shows off what happens when a Barracuda comes crashing down to earth. (Mighty Mack Photo)
6 – SOUTHERN COMFORT – The NHRA will return to Georgia in 2026 with the revival of the Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park, the sanctioning body’s first new national-event track in more than a decade.
The announcement came Thursday during the unveiling of NHRA’s 20-race schedule for its 75th anniversary season. On Friday at the U.S. Nationals, the news became even more real for track owners Raul and Jennifer Torres, who purchased the Adel, Georgia, facility in 2023. The event will be contested May 1-3, 2026.
“This is a dream come true,” Raul Torres said. “When my wife, Jennifer, and I bought the track two years ago, we wanted to build a community for drag racers and fans to enjoy quality family entertainment. We have put in a lot of blood, sweat and some tears to get to this point. We are dedicated to hosting premiere events at every level and adding the NHRA Southern Nationals next season will be a great opportunity and challenge. We are up to the task, and we can’t wait to roll out the red carpet for thousands of fans from across the country.”
The NHRA last staged a Mission Foods Drag Racing Series event in Georgia in 2021, when the Southern Nationals closed out Atlanta Dragway’s existence. The return marks the first time since 2013 a new venue has been added to the NHRA tour.
NHRA President Glen Cromwell said the move represents both tradition and growth.
“For us to grow, we have to go to new markets. We need to take our athletes and our superstars to new fans, new eyeballs, and this is just the beginning of what I see the future of NHRA,” Cromwell said. “It starts with Raul, Jennifer, a great team, and of course, a great market. I’m excited to bring the superstars of the NHRA to a great racetrack and a great track owner.”
RauL Torres said the track, which has hosted bracket races, divisional events and specialty promotions, will be upgraded before 2026.
“We’re not going to sell 40,000 tickets,” he said. “We want everyone to have an experience, not just watch a race. We’re bringing in more grandstands, we’re going to extend our campsites, and we’re confident we can fit a race of this size.”
The economic impact is expected to be significant, drawing fans from Georgia, Florida, and beyond. “Hosting an NHRA national event will raise awareness for the area and bring in new dollars to the surrounding community,” Torres said.
To support improvements, the track launched its “Legacy Lane Wall” campaign, selling personalized bricks and tiles to fund new grandstands and suites. “The Legacy Lane Wall is a way for all parts of our support system to play a role in our success,” Torres said.
Cromwell said bringing NHRA back to Georgia was a priority.
“Commerce [Atlanta Dragway] was a big event for us for many, many years, and that was a difficult decision for us coming out of COVID,” he said. “But we knew when we did it, we wanted to be back there and now we’re back there and we’re in a great place with a great track owner that’s going to take us to new heights.”
The Southern Nationals’ return also coincides with NHRA’s 75th anniversary. Torres called it an honor. “It’s huge for us to be able to represent Wally Parks and his family and his legacy. That isn’t taken lightly. We want to make sure we make him and his family proud and we’re going to do that,” he said.
Torres said he hopes to one day be compared to the sport’s most respected track-owning families. “We can’t be compared to those families. Those are legacies. We hope to one day be able to be compared to them,” he said. “We certainly share their vision, but we want to prove ourselves in this industry. We’ve just begun, but we are going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
7 – IF AUSTIN COIL SAID IT – Dickie Venables has built a career as one of drag racing’s most aggressive tuners, a crew chief known for swinging hard at racetracks with championship results. But in his first season with Kalitta Motorsports and J.R. Todd’s DHL Toyota Funny Car, Venables has leaned on a different virtue – patience.
Venables, who previously guided Matt Hagan to multiple Funny Car titles, has been tasked with steering Todd’s program into contention. The transition, he admitted, has tested his instincts as a tuner who often pushed combinations to the limit.
That adjustment came with advice from one of the sport’s most accomplished minds, legendary tuner Austin Coil.
“He said if he was ever in that situation that he would tell the owner that he needs a hundred runs to get it sorted out,” Venables said. “And I’ve always remembered that, but now I’m living that. So that’s kind of where we’re at in the season, and that’s a pretty accurate statement.”
For Venables, reaching that point comes at the right time of the year. The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is heading into its Countdown to the Championship stretch, when teams aim to peak. “You always want to be running good come ending the Countdown,” he said. “So we’re not where we need to be yet, but the car will make some good runs and we got something to work with. I think we will be a contender for winning some races, starting here and throughout the rest of the year.”
The contrast between his former reputation and his current approach hasn’t gone unnoticed. Venables admitted the patience-first method can be frustrating.
“It’s easier now because I’ve got more experience doing it,” he said. “It’s just you cannot force these things to run good. You have to get everything in place. You got to get the engine where it’s happy, get the clutch where it’s working. Because if you don’t get the engine happy and you step on the clutch, it’s going to blow the thing up. It’ll just blow up in your face. So knowing that, just wait till you get everything sorted out, and when it’s time to run quick, try and do that.”
That measured philosophy has Todd and the DHL team gradually building consistency. Still, Venables admitted he is eager to shift from cautious steps to bold swings. “It’s kind of to the point I’m tired of creeping,” he said. “I’m ready to get after it. So we’ll see how it goes.”
Venables, who cut his teeth under Coil’s leadership at John Force Racing before establishing himself as one of the top crew chiefs in the category, has seen both the value of restraint and the rewards of aggression. As the 2025 season heads into its defining months, he said the timing may finally be right to merge the two.
8 – NO FENCE-CLIMBING IN THE PLAN – Twenty years ago this month, Tony Stewart won NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and climbed the fence in celebration. If Stewart wins the Top Fuel trophy here Monday, about seven miles down the road at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, he really has no fence to climb and interact with the fans.
And he indicated that’s a fortunate thing. Stewart, 54, said he’s “too old to be climbing fences. We don’t have to climb a fence anymore.”
Besides, he said, “Let’s just win the race first and we’ll figure out that s—.”
Stewart has a lot more pressing things to figure out. He’s second in the standings and eager to overtake Shawn Langdon to earn the $150,000 regular-season champion’s prize awarded at the conclusion of this race.
And thoughts of driving a Pro Stock car might have been dancing in his head a bit, depending on the future plans of his wife, Leah Pruett.
“Right now, we’re just trying to figure out what Leah’s going to do and then after that we’ll figure out what we’re going to do. So, we just got to wait and see,” he said. “My wife’s got to figure out what she wants to do before I do anything, but obviously at the point that she decides that she wants her car back, I’m going to have to figure out what I’m going to do. We all know I can spectate for a little bit, but I’m not very good at standing around when there’s race cars around. So we’ll just wait and see what happens. We’ve got to see what her stuff’s going to be first.”
Pruett stepped away from her Top Fuel dragster after the 2023 season to focus on starting a family, and has been busy since last November with their baby son, Dominic. Stewart has maintained that the dragster he’s driving is hers and she can take it back anytime she chooses to make a return to competition with it.
He said the notion of driving in the Pro Stock class started with Elite Motorsports owner Richard Freeman. Stewart said, “Richard Freeman and I are really good friends and very close, and he has been wearing me out for a year now to just go drive one. So we finally found a time in the schedule that worked out for both of us, and were able to go do it and didn’t even run. We were there two days, but we only ran in the afternoon the first day and two runs in the morning the second day.
“It was nice to try something different. I think that’s kind of been my M.O. in my racing careers, always not being afraid to try something new and just see what it’s about,” Stewart said.
“There’s a lot more things to do in the car than you have to do in a fuel car, just learning procedures and just learning a new car. I mean, Erica Enders sent me a four-page list of what it took to do one run and all the steps that it took to do it, do it correctly,” he said. “So to me that was a lot to digest. And I can’t even remember what I had for lunch the day before. So trying to figure out and remember four pages of notes of how to do a run correctly was definitely the hardest part.”
9 – DANGER FOR BOND, JUSTIN BOND – Canadian Pro Modified racer Justin Bond, of Mission, British Columbia, walked away seemingly uninjured from a high-speed accident during qualifying. After he crossed the left-lane finish line, his ’69 Camaro made a hard right, crossed into the opposite lane, and nosed into the wall. The car flipped and skidded to a halt on its roof. Bond exited the car on his own power, and was examined by NHRA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Phil Surface before being sent to a local hospital for further evaluation.
10 – AFRONTI WINS COMP CLASH AS SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING WINDS DOWN – Frank Affronti captured the DeeCell Comp Clash on Friday, defeating Ryan Priddy in the final round. Affronti ran 8.357 at 159.31 to Priddy’s 6.421 at 217.81. His path to the win included victories over Bruno Massel, Pete D’Agnolo and Rodger Brogdon.
In Top Alcohol Dragster, Matthew Cummings led after two sessions with a 5.196 at 273.00. Shawn Cowie followed at 5.215, 277.77, and Will Smith was third at 5.218, 275.00. Shaunda Blinzler (5.240, 278.06) and Jackie Fricke (5.262, 276.46) rounded out the top five. Jon Bradford, Anthony Troyer, Brandon Greco, Melanie Johnson and Taylor Januik completed the top 10.
Annie Whiteley set the pace in Top Alcohol Funny Car with a 5.455 at 269.83. Phil Esz was second at 5.467, 264.08, and Madison Gordon third at 5.474, 268.60. Christine Foster’s 5.484 at 261.22 held fourth, with Stan Sipos close behind at 5.500, 268.17. Jim Whiteley (5.544), Brian Hough (5.558), Steve Macklyn (5.600), Chip Beverett (5.646) and Shane Westerfield (5.652) rounded out the first 10.
Factory Stock Showdown qualifying saw Lenny Lottig take the provisional No. 1 spot with a 7.707 at 177.32 in his 2023 Camaro. Veteran Mark Pawuk was second with a 7.733 at 178.12 in his Challenger. Jesse Alexandra posted a 7.764 at 177.42 for third. Jonathan Allegrucci (7.780, 177.42) and Lee Hartman (7.782, 176.84) completed the top five. Ricky Hord, David Janac, Tony Scott Jr., Anthony Berge and Raymond Nash slotted into positions six through 10.
In Competition Eliminator, Don Thomas held the top spot in C/D with a 6.753, .727 under his index. Priddy’s A/A Camaro followed at 6.405, .675 under, and Jason Coan was third in G/EA at 8.069, .671 under. Doug Engels (7.264, .666 under) and Chase Williams (6.805, .665 under) completed the top five. Brogdon’s ’34 Chevrolet, Mike Farrell’s B/SR entry, Taylor Chomiski’s E/SM, Jeremy Bailey’s C/DA and D’Agnolo’s E/SMA filled out the top 10.
