Just before the U.S. Nationals two years ago, John Force threw open the doors to his Brownsburg, Ind., racing shop to the public for a free tour. Well, he was getting ready to do that, fretting that an early-afternoon invitation might be embarrassing, might not draw more than a couple hundred people because folks were working.
But the crowd of several hundred already had assembled on his doorstep an hour or so before the appointed time. Temperatures were approaching 90 degrees, and the line of fans snaked around the side of his massive Midwest headquarters, across the front, and down the entire length of the building on the other side. They all carried bags of non-perishable foods for the John Force Racing food drive.
Force uses Indianapolis 500 to preach drag-racing gospel
Just before the U.S. Nationals two years ago, John Force threw open the doors to his Brownsburg, Ind., racing shop to the public for a free tour. Well, he was getting ready to do that, fretting that an early-afternoon invitation might be embarrassing, might not draw more than a couple hundred people because folks were working.
But the crowd of several hundred already had assembled on his doorstep an hour or so before the appointed time. Temperatures were approaching 90 degrees, and the line of fans snaked around the side of his massive Midwest headquarters, across the front, and down the entire length of the building on the other side. They all carried bags of non-perishable foods for the John Force Racing food drive.
Inside, Force was in a bit of a panic. Every display was in place. Every member of the organization was ready with smiles. But Force was genuinely concerned.
“These people are going to be mad! It’s going to get ugly,” he kept saying. “They’re standing out there in this heat and they’re thirsty. They’re not going to be happy.”
But he swung open the doors, greeted the throng, and everybody was happy and laughing. Not one person complained about heat or thirst or the wait.
Force was stunned, saying that he had expected an angry mob but instead realized just how much people in Indianapolis and Indiana truly love racing.
Then he wisecracked, “Don’t you people in Indiana have anything else to do? Don’t you have any entertainment here?”
One woman in the crowd shot back, “We do now that you’re here!”
No telling what might happen Saturday at 498 Southpoint Circle in Brownsburg with thunderstorms forecast and fans always flocking to Force’s shop every time they’re invited. But JFR is joining Tony Pedregon Racing, Don Schumacher Racing, Morgan Lucas Racing, and several other shops in the Indianapolis suburb in offering free open houses from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
This fifth annual tour comes on the eve of the centennial Indianapolis 500, and it includes Monty Bailey’s Freedom Racing Engines, Impact Racing, and PR Fitness.
At John Force Racing fans will be able to tour the 150,000-square-foot shop and see a number of Ford Mustang Funny Cars, trailers, and shop machines. Also open will be the Eric Medlen Tribute Room and the John Force Racing museum.
Signing autographs starting at 11 a.m. will be the 15-time Funny Car champion Force; Robert Hight, last week’s Summer Nationals winner at Topeka and 2009 Funny Car champion; tuner-driver Mike Neff, the Funny car points leader, Gatornationals winner, and four-time finalist in seven races this year so far; and Courtney Force, rising star in the Funny Car ranks.
“I’ll be coming into Brownsburg to go to the Indy 500, and I want to spend some time with my fans, too,” Force said. “This will be my first trip to the 500, so I am excited. I know it is unbelievable. I can’t wait to get to The Speedway and check it out.”
He won’t be wandering through the gates at 16th and Georgetown by himself and unheralded. He’ll have his own P.T. Barnum-like “John Force Road Show” right at that spot, stirring up excitement across from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Administration building.
The “Greatest Spectacle In Racing” will meet “The Greatest Spectacle In Drag Racing.”
Said Force, “We’ll have our John Force Road Show right beside the race track, talking about all kinds of motorsports. People want and need to be entertained in these tough economic times, and there isn’t anything more entertaining than two race cars racing down a drag strip or going three-wide into turn four.” (The latter indeed would be impressive in the IMS’ north chute.)
“The John Force Road Show is about educating people about all forms of racing. I know drag racing, of course, and we are reaching out to all our friends in NASCAR and Indy Car to have them provide us with photos, videos and interviews so when we go to malls, airports, state fairs or wherever, people see all sort of information about racing,” drag-racing’s most flamboyant ambassador said. “I want people to walk away from the John Force Road Show excited about going to a race the next time they see a commercial on TV or ad in the newspaper.”
The John Force Road Show, ironically, will set up its “big tops” just about 60 miles south of Peru, Ind., which has served as winter headquarters for several famous circuses and is home to the International Circus Hall of Fame. Force’s show is composed of two 18-wheelers with dual side awnings. Inside will be a variety of John Force Racing Funny Cars, along with video screens showing race footage.
Plans are to add representative race cars from NASCAR and Indy Car.
“But I am also excited about the Brownsburg Open House event,” Force said. “There is a great network of businesses in Brownsburg growing the motorsports community, and we get a lot of help from the city. We want to keep growing that relationship.”
“I can’t wait for the fans to see our shop. I love showing it off and having fans see all our cool hot rods, the machine shops, The Eric Medlen Project and Eric’s Tribute Room. My race cars are running good and Robert just got us our 200th Funny Car win in Topeka this past weekend. Now we are on to the Indy 500 and then to Englishtown to celebrate with Castrol in their backyard,” Force said.
Sponsor Castrol is based in Wayne, N.J.
But the action Saturday for fans is on the West Side of Indianapolis and in Brownsburg. Drag-racing fans who want to dash back and forth from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — just minutes away from Brownsburg — to gather autographs Saturday have several opportunities to add to their collections.
From 9-10 a.m. Saturday, at the IMS, former Indianapolis 500 winners and this year’s starting field will be available in the Pagoda Plaza. More than 100 retired 500 veterans will sign from noon-4 p.m. there. Joining them will be 96-year-old Dick Harroun, whose father, Ray Harroun, won the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt will sign in an exclusive autograph session from 11:55 a.m.-12:25 p.m. in the Pagoda Plaza. One-hundred wristbands will be distributed for the autograph session at 9 a.m. in the Pagoda Plaza, with one per person.
No wristbands are required for the other two autograph sessions.
The Brownsburg Motorsports Network has four stated goals as part of its mission statement. Building community awareness, building motorsports industry awareness, building motorsports industry networking, and attracting motorsports businesses to Brownsburg. The John Force Racing shop is located at 498 Southpoint Circle, Brownsburg, Indiana 46112-2203. Fans can find more information online about the Saturday event by clicking on www.brownsburgmotorsports.com
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