NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

FUNNY CAR

John Force
Castrol / Mac Tools / Ford

©Rich Barry

"I'm going after Garlits' record. He won the first 50 years. I'm going to win the next 50 years!"

Questions and story by Dwight Drum
Photos and Web work by Gary Larsen

"EYE OF THE TIGER."

John Force moves down the track with legendary speed, but Force also moves around his pit area with speed. Share his moves with us as we waited for a privileged interview. Wait with us while Force conducts a TV interview, a masked engine start of the Castrol Ford Mustang Funny Car along side crew chief Austin Coil. Wait longer as Force joins Tony Pedregon in a behind-the-ropes under-the-canopy autograph and chat session with a selected (winning) fan family. Wait still while Force and Pedregon complete a separate filmed interview.

Take a break with us as we had to move next door to not miss an exciting scheduled noon interview with Brandon Bernstein, Budweiser Top Fuel dragster pilot. Fifteen minutes later we go back next door.

Return with us through the back ropes as we wait again for Force as he has assembled his chiefs for a staff meeting. When Force zoomed toward us from that meeting I was now fumbling with tape and battery changes. Gulp with me as Force said..."You're not ready yet." Wait more as Force joins Pedregon in a still photo shoot for Castrol. Whew!

And then it was our turn and this time I was ready for Force. Waiting for him is no chore…for us it's privileged anticipation, always a worthy wait. For you…wait no more for Force up-close.

"Yeah, sometimes from under the hood when Coil and Fedderly's tune ups pay off, (Laughs) like it did last night when I ran that 85 at a thousand foot. I just love what I do. You've got people that pay you like Castrol, Mac Tools and Ford, but it isn't just for the money. I do it because I really love it and the fans motivate me. That's it."

"Yeah. Oh I have to slow down at my age a little bit, but in the heat of battle you know a race car doesn't run it for you. It makes you young."

"You've got to love what you do. When you're 24 years old like I was when I started, you don't think you're going to be a champion or make any money. You do it because you love it and that's really what it's all about...a dream…chasing a dream."

A great crew chief…Austin Coil. He's a great teacher along with Bernie Fedderly and the abilities I've learned driving a car. They put a control on it over the years and that really is the truth. I don't have any magic. I'm just a guy with good people that work with you. You learn. The biggest thing is focus...eye of the tiger."

"I saw the movie with John Wayne,"True Grit". I think my true grit is never giving up. No matter how they slug me, I just slug back harder."

"I never see a wall. I have a game plan. I have three cars. Tony Pedregon and Gary Densham are running excellent with Jimmy Brock and John Medlen. Coil and Bernie and I are struggling...but the bottom line is I always believed I could be a champion. I always believed I could be a Bernstein or a Prudhomme. With that...why would I change now? Now I'm educated and I've learned how to win and I know how to win again. It proves one thing, championships are really hard to earn so twelve is quite an accomplishment. Ten in a row was quite an accomplishment. I have two cars that are out here killing them and I can't hit my butt. This shows you these things are temperamental...just like triplet sisters. They've all got their own personalities."

"The dedication, the love and the focus. A good friend of mind Robert Goodwin back when he and Joe Amato were winning all the championships came to me and said...'You know what's wrong with you? You don't have the eye of the tiger.' I said, what do you mean? He said, 'You're passing out resumes on the burn out. You're pitching sponsors five minutes before you get it the car. Look at Joe Amato, he's focused.' Goodwin was totally correct. I got my mind right and the next year I won the championship. I always think of Robert Goodwin saying it's all about focus. There's an old song by M & M, "My palms are sweaty". You're in that moment. You have one chance to be the best. We take that chance every run of our life out there. You have to be the best if you're going to win a championship."

"My kids."

"That I have a pet peeve that's evolved in the last couple years and that's these new exotic cameras. I'm not sponsored by Kodak, but just give me a good ole Kodak Instamatic. They can get your picture right now. To have a guy stand there ten minutes trying to find me in that picture on the screen while I'm standing there hugging his wife…which isn't so bad sometimes. (Laughs) He's trying to get it the way he wants it. There's no spontaneity. If you're going to get Elvis, you better click it. If you want that Kodak moment, click it. Don't stand there. Elvis would be gone and so will John Force. I've walked away. I just can't stand there while someone's trying to figure out a camera made in Japan."

©Rich Barry

"I like the summer because it burns pounds off. You get in the fight mode. You get up in the morning, get coffeed-up and then it's POWERade in the afternoon. It's better for me to keep my strength and stay away from eating. The heat burns pounds off so I can fit in my fire suit. If you notice, I don't exactly have a belly like Tom Cruise (Laughs)".

Sometimes when you ask John Force a question, he doesn't answer it directly but continues on his stellar path and adds what he wants to say. Usually what he says is a better response than what a reporter expected. We included this comment from Force, not just because he said it. We include it here because it's a paragraph in long Force story. If we omit comments like this one, we wouldn't be bringing you the real John Force.

"Don Prudhomme said to me…'You may think you look good in that fire suit of yours, but take a look at yourself in a mirror in your underwear.' I told him…Prudhomme…There are no mirrors in my house!"

"Yeah...the meeting of Austin Coil."

"I've tried vitamins. I don't take vitamins because they give me stomach burn. Not winning is like a vitamin to me. That gives me stomach burn!"

"Yeah...a fine aged one. If Clint Eastwood can look the way he does and perform at what he does at his age, then I've got fifteen years ahead of me. I can do it too. I plan on driving for a long time. Just get up in the morning, get out of bed...and run!"

"Patience is a virtue. You've got to lose before you can win. There are no uppers without downers, so to speak. It's a balance in life, good and evil, highs and lows. You've got to be patient."

"Sometimes it's in your pants…when you're on fire! (Laughs) It's fifty-fifty...You've got to have a good hot rod. It has to do what it does A to B. Then you've got to be on your game."

"Because in every field and every valley there's a fan, and every fan will buy a T-shirt. With that 22 bucks he gives me, I'm able to do another burnout (Laughs). "

"Let's be honest. It's what drag racing has done for me. I'm proud to be a part of it. The next fifty years in drag racing I'm going after Garlits' record. He won the first fifty. I'm going to win the next fifty! I'm going to live to 100. That's my goal in life."

"I enjoy working with you two fellows. I think you give a lot of variety to the sport. I believe you always speak the truth. You even know how to weed out my bull. (Laughs) I just want to thank you for that and for giving all racers good representation and speaking the truth...good or bad."

I've never added a final comment to my Additional Comments area because that is driver, owner, crew chief turf. I'm commenting now because John Force recently gave us an obvious compliment as an additional comment. We have since placed Force's statement about the speaking the truth on our front page as a fixed feature quote. We are of course elated that Force would extend us his kind words, and his national popularity enhances every syllable, but that's not the only reason his words are highlighted on our front page. His words are featured there because whenever we go on our site we are reminded first to…always be truthful and next to…never be timid…priceless words to us. We hope you share these thoughts.