When traffic snarls and grinds to a crawl in Sonoma County at the intersection of Highways 37 and 121 this weekend, the cause will be, oddly enough, cars traveling at speeds in excess of 300 mph inside Sonoma Raceway. That's where the 32nd annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals will be taking place.
Among the competitors will be drag racing legend John Force, the patriarch of a legendary racing family that includes three drivers in daughters Courtney Force Rahal, Ashley Force, and Brittany Force. Courtney and Ashley are retired from the sport while Brittany sits in second place currently in Top Fuel. Then there are his son in law and IndyCar star Graham Rahal, who's married to Courtney, and daughter Adria Hight, who is the CFO of Force Racing and married to Robert Hight the president of John Force Racing, and a two-time NHRA champion himself.
As much as winning and championships will be a part of the legacy of the 70-year-old Force, his family and the success they too have enjoyed as drivers will be a huge part of his story, “Hell, I never thought they’d do it in the very beginning, but now my grandkids are racing junior dragsters. It’s just what we do, we love NHRA drag racing.”
Force has done it all in what has been one of the most dominant careers in drag racing. He is a 16-time Funny Car champion driver, and 20-time champion car owner. He has starred in his own reality TV show “Driving Force,” and he has won at Sonoma Racewaya record eight times, the most of any driver.
So the question becomes, if there is nothing left to prove, why, again at 70 years of age, is he risking life and limb, by strapping himself to a gigantic engine with wheels, and propelling himself down a quarter mile track as fast as automotive engineering will allow.
“I always joke ‘I want to keep eating,’” he quipped, before getting a bit contemplative, “I love racing. I didn’t come for records, I didn’t come just to win championships, I really love driving these funny cars. A lot of the day to day stuff gets painful, what you have to go through to keep the ship afloat, but racing against the competition, be it a guy or a gal, I love it.”
Force sits at 149 career wins. It's been more than a year since his last win, which was in Denver. Although he downplays it, it probably does play into his motivations to keep going week after week
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“You’re right, I don’t have anything to prove. I’m going after [win> 150, and I’m sure I’ll get it someday, and if I don’t, I don’t. Somebody else will get it. I do it because I fell in love with these funny cars 45 years ago and it never changes,' said Force. "I’m excited to get to Sonoma and the first qualifying run so we can put on a show for the fans.”
The time between wins for Force isn’t at the top of his mind heading into Sonoma, he’s focused on the process more than anything else
“I don’t want to think about it, I’ve got to build a team. I’ve got new crew chiefs in Brian Corradi and Dan Hood. I got a win in Denver last year, I couldn’t get it done this year. I’ve had years where I’ve won nine or 10 races, and I’ve had years where I’ve only won once, but I have managed to win every year. But the idea is to make ‘The Countdown,' he said, referring to format, similar to playoffs, that determines a champion. “In the end, a championship is what it’s all about.”
Force currently sits at third in the Funny Car standings, two spots behind son-in-law Robert Hight, the leader. The qualifying at Sonoma Raceway, which is celebrating its 50th year in 2019, begins Friday afternoon, and will run through the weekend. The finals, on Sunday at 2 p.m., will be broadcast live on Fox.