John Force boasts an unparalleled career spanning over 850 races, with an impressive tally of over 2,100 competitive laps under his belt. Renowned for his mastery behind the wheel, Force holds the distinction of having logged more runs in a nitro-burning Funny Car than anyone.
Remarkably, at the age of 74, Force continues to set new benchmarks by clocking the quickest lap of his illustrious drag racing career Friday.
Force obliterated the track record at zMAX Dragway with one of the 10 quickest passes in Funny Car history behind the wheel of his PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car. He posted o a 3.820-second lap at 330.96 mph during the second round of qualifying to easily claim the provisional top spot at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
“It ran an 88 before and they said they were going to lean on it because the conditions were getting better,” Force said. Crew chief “Daniel Hood, my son-in-law, has teamed up with (Chris) Cunningham and (Tim) Fabrisi. They leaned on it and said, ‘Hang on.’ That’s what I did, and they were right.
“It ran quicker than they thought, but luck’s a big part of it. It was right in the spot where it moved on me and I thought I was going to lose it, but it hung on. I feel really good about it, and we will come back tomorrow and see what we can do.”
Bob Tasca III, the winner of the four-wide race in the Funny Car category two weeks ago in Las Vegas, slotted in second behind Force with a 3.849 at 335.32 mph. Alexis DeJoria was third with a 3.859 at 331.69 mph, followed by Ron Capps (3.877) and Paul Lee (3.909).
“That was fast,” Force said. “The way it left, it’s just a feeling. It’s the seat of your pants. It felt like it was going to be good and it was. They said the blower belt came off at the other end, which shut the car off early and it might have run a little bit quicker.”
Friday’s run was a pivotal moment for Force as he continues to battle the murmur of those around him about when he will finally walk away from the sport. But after a lap like the one he experienced on Friday, Force wonders if he will ever be able to truly say goodbye to the sport he loves so dearly.
“You sit there sometimes in the staging lanes wondering, ‘What am I doing here?’” Force said. “And then you run like that, and you understand why. I’m proud for me mentally because every time something goes wrong, it’s just the way people look at you for your age. And then we pull that out of a hat.
“I’m not the future. I’ve done my time, but I’m still loving it and I’m going to do some more. I’m very blessed that I can still do this. When I’m done, I’ll jump the fence and that’ll be the end of it.”
If his time holds Saturday, it will be the 167th time Force has been a No. 1 qualifier.
