As far as John Force is concerned, Father Time had better get another set of running shoes.

“I ain’t trying to bull-jive nobody,” Force, 64, said just moments after winning race No. 183 to become a 16-time Funny Car champion at the NHRA Toyota Nationals. “Old Father Time is chasing me but that sum-beech better keep running if he’s gonna catch me.”

As far as John Force is concerned, Father Time had better get another set of running shoes.

“I ain’t trying to bull-jive nobody,” Force, 64, said just moments after winning race No. 183 to become a 16-time Funny Car champion at the NHRA Toyota Nationals. “Old Father Time is chasing me but that sum-beech better keep running if he’s gonna catch me.”

Father Time wasn’t the only one chasing drag racing’s iconic driver.

Force was the quickest Funny Car in the first two rounds and when he wasn’t, he was the more masterful in the art of the pedalfest.  Credit tuner Jimmy Prock for keeping his driver focused on a day when he needed to be.

Prock kept Force glued to his practice tree repeating practice launch after launch.

“I had to stay focused,” Force admitted. “I was beating that tree because Jimmy kept telling me to do it. I was stressed. I won a couple of rounds and asked him if I could go get something to eat. He told me, ‘don’t eat because you know it screws you up.”

Prock and Force have only been together since July but the veterans have learned each other’sintricacies.

“He told me to get over there and it kept me focused because those thoughts of can I win itstart coming in,” said Force. “As soon asHagan, and I love the kid, he went out, there’s Beckman and Hight, all with the same attitude. If you don’t fight the fight all day long you lose, and we are going to Pomona with the same fight and continue to win.”

Force defeated friendly rival Gary Densham, Del Worsham and then survived a pedalfest with Alexis DeJoria. In the final round, he saved his best, a 4.062, for the final to end his winless streak against his daughters by beating Courtney Force.

“My luck just turned around in a year when I needed to win,” said Force. “At the end of the day and [Dale] Earnhart always said, ‘I’ll do the winning, and you guys do the selling. I never had the guts to say that because luck is a big part of it. That guy was a winner and he could do it. I had luck on my side the last few races. That kind of sums it up.”

The better Force was over the course of the weekend, the luckier he got. More focused,too.

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