Driver, Legend, Icon: John Force

Driver, Legend, Icon: John Force Sets Another Record

There is no doubt why John Force is an all-time NHRA fan favorite. Take a look for yourself and you’ll see – combine his NHRA records and his extravagant personality, and it is a no brainer.

John set yet another world record in NHRA history Saturday, July 30, 2011, in Sonoma, California, when he became the number one Funny Car qualifier at an NHRA event for the 139^th time, passing Pro Stock driver, Warren Johnson.  Unfortunately, John lost to Tim Wilkerson in the semi-finals, taking away his chance to sweep the “Western Swing” again. John is still the only Funny Car driver to accomplish that.

It seems like almost every weekend John Force and his John Force Racing Team are setting new NHRA records.

Force has the most wins in drag racing history, with over 133 career Wally’s (tour victories).  He also has a record 15 Funny Car series championships, with ten consecutive championships between 1993 and 2002, and has also been in the Top 10 for 26 consecutive seasons!

John is ranked number two on the NHRA Top 50 Drivers – just behind the legendary Don Garlits.  He has won at every NHRA track with the exception of Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, which just began hosting events in 2007. John even finished seventh in points after being seriously injured in an accident in Dallas on September 23, 2007.

John is also the only driver to have won over 1,000 racing rounds in NHRA. His team, John Force Racing, earned their 200^th win this year in Topeka, when Robert Hight took down teammate Mike Neff in the finals.

John Force Racing has been a leader in the NHRA community for innovations in driver and vehicle safety.  JFR also introduced their Road Show this year, bringing more fans to the NHRA by travelling to various events such as NASCAR and the Oshkosh Air Show. 

At 62 years young, John is a man of many accomplishments and achievements. It should not be left out that he is husband to Laurie and father to Ashley, Brittany, Courtney, and Adriana.  Ashley, Brittany and Courtney all race with JFR, and Laurie is at all the races with her family!  The one daughter who doesn’t race, Adriana, is married to Robert Hight, who is not only president of JFR, but is a Funny Car champion himself. John and his family were even featured in their own reality television series, Driving Force, which aired in 2007.

All in all, John Force is a NHRA icon.

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