"I don't go around curves, but I've been on fire sideways."

By Dwight Drum

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series presented a teleconference for the media with 11-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force. With his recent milestone 100th victory, Force became only the third driver in a major auto racing series to post 100 victories or more, joining NASCAR legends Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105)

Many elements over time must be in place to accumulate so many wins in the competitive motorsports world. Components like talent, money, drive, luck and team effort fill the need list of a champion's quest. I believe Force keeps that list full because he also inspires and communicates. He explains his winning ways in many ways…

"Maybe it was the dedication. That's the key. There's other people who have money and didn't win. There's other people who had the talent but didn't win."

I've interviewed Force in person a few times and know to just let him speak. Gary Larsen was connected to the NHRA's teleconference and asked Force a few of my questions.

"Ninety-nine (laughs). I sat in the car before the race with Coil and they joked that I was sick. We are motivated to fight the fight. You have to go in with butterflies. You always feel sick going to a final. It's kind of the way we have learned to race. My daughter told me she was so nervous for her first big race in Las Vegas that she couldn't hold on to the brake handle. I told her it was normal, that if you have that fear, then you have the respect and that means you want it so bad that it frightens you. If you can learn to control that fear then you will be good. Always carry that fear with you. I believe every fighter that goes into the ring has those butterflies. If you don't go into a fight confident but with the fear of losing, that is the adrenaline that God gives us to fight the fight. If a saber-tooth tiger is chasing me, the body can run a lot faster than if it wasn't chasing me. You have to learn to control that and that will give you the energy to win. That's how we fought it for years. Coil always says, control the fear, blank it out of your mind and go in there and beat your opponent."

"I have friends in NASCAR, but I don't get real close to people. I probably get closer to the fans than to my own kids. It's sad to say. My kids and I have really been talking lately and you find that sometimes you start treating your really close friends like family. Like with Austin Coil, I love him like a brother. When you run into a Dale Earnhardt and he takes a few minutes to acknowledge you like he did to me that year at the Driver of the Year, I stood for a moment and thought that you couldn't have a greater individual give you a pat on the back. Not meaning that you are a super-star. Just because of his accomplishments. That's an individual who dedicated his whole life to something, just like Richard Petty. His whole life. He gave up everything to be the greatest person he could be in that sport. Not just because they won. I base them on their fan following, not how many races they won. I look at Richard Petty, years after he retires and he still has this big fan following around him. Are they there because of 200 wins, or are they there because they know he will take the time to sign an autograph. I listened to Darrell Waltrip, I think he is one of the best speakers I've ever met. I loved John F. Kennedy when I was young, the way he could capture you in the conversation and totally make you want to listen to things that you didn't understand about the world. If I can be a friend and say that I had a few friends in my life that accomplished something, that's what it's all about. Like (NHRA president) Tom Compton, I've never been to dinner with him, but I consider him a friend because of what he's doing for the sport. I pick my friends a little differently, not from what they've done, but what they are trying to accomplish and what they're getting done."