JOHN FORCE
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72 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
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A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN
Force is unrivaled when it comes to a variety of career statistics, leading the active drivers list of event
victories by over 50 at 149 wins. Force’s win at the 2017 Gatornationals marked the 2,500th round win for
John Force Racing drivers, though well over 1,200 of those round wins belong to Force alone.
woman. You’ve got to be a special breed, and
we have that with the Steve Torrences, the Ron
Cappses, the Tim Wilkersons of the world. The
personalities are coming, and now they’re coming
out of the woodwork. The guy who won the last
race in Top Fuel (Blake Alexander), I still can’t
even remember his name. I didn’t even know he
was in the race and he wins it. He’s in the shut-
down area dancing. The personalities are coming.
The new personalities are starting to evolve,
and it’s not just in Funny Car. We have a ton of
‘em, but they’re coming in Top Fuel, too. The
cars are starting to have personalities, too. It
used to be the “Snake” and the “Mongoose”.
Now, I look out and see a big, giant alligator
painted on the side of Terry McMillen’s car.
People say, “I know that guy! It’s the alligator
car! It’s the guy with the sunglasses and the
mustache!” Watching Ron Capps go through
his routine before he climbs in that race car.
And Matt Hagan, a mountain of muscles. It’s
amazing what we’re starting to see. So much of
this is evolving. We’re not going to fail like P.T.
Barnum – this movie ends different. Our sport
is going to be OK, and it’s these personalities
that will carry us forward.
WB: Beyond the personalities, what is it
going to take to take NHRA drag racing to the
next level?
JF: Being willing to make changes. That’s why
our sport is going to be OK – because NHRA is
making changes. (Tom) Compton did things to
make the sport better. So did Wally (Parks), so
did Dallas (Gardner), and now Peter Clifford and
he just passed the baton to Cromwell. And I will
tell you that Cromwell has had more meetings
with racers to learn about what they think than
maybe anyone ever before, and I really like that.
But he’s grown up in the field, on the racetrack.
He knows where we come from. He comes from
stadium racing, motorcycles and off-road. He
gets it, and he knows the show.
WB: That’s been something I’ve heard a lot
about Glen Cromwell – just a unique willing-
ness to listen. That’s long since been the char-
acteristic of a good leader.
JF: A lot of the people that have ran our sport
were bankers. They were money people, and they
did a great job – you need those people. But I
think we’re going to see a lot of change mov-
ing forward.
You put on a stadium show. You have so many
square feet to put the show on. You have to enter-
tain them from the minute they walk in the door
until they leave. That is the key, and that’s what
Cromwell brings to the party. I watched him set
up a winner’s circle. “You’re the top guy! What
are you doing out here messing with aluminum
scaffolding and banners?” He understands the
show, the timing, the lights, the explosions. He’s
always learning and getting a real education on
drag racing. He thought he knew it. In another
two years, he’ll really know it.
WB: We’ve talked a lot about the circus this
morning, and the way I see it – you’ve always
been the center beam, holding up the big tent
that is professional drag racing. You do all
the interviews, you yell and you scream, you
go out on the track and you’re spectacular
– in victory and defeat, and everything in
between. I know it’s been the love of your life,
but I cannot imagine this has not weighed
Issue 135
doing it for the money – I don’t need the mon-
ey. I’m spending my own money at this point,
financing my cars. We had over a million
dollars in explosions and crashes this year.
Counting my daughter’s car, we lost maybe
four cars. That’s over a million dollars – that’s
a fact. Where’s that come from? That don’t
come from sponsors. That comes right out of
my savings. They don’t pay me to crash, they
pay me to win.
So, I have to evaluate all that and hear the
things I’m hearing behind my back, but it’s all
part of the game. They’ll learn because they’ll
go through it. They’ll get snake-bit and they’ll
wonder why everything that could go wrong went
wrong. It’s only because of my age that they ques-
tion me, the other drivers, so to speak.
I just try to make a positive out of it, and that
I was given the opportunity to race through Peak,
Auto Club and Chevrolet. Advanc