Two weeks ago John Force was over drag racing.

Then he met Jeremy, a young boy from Montreal with a short time left to live. Force, the 16-time champion from Yorba Linda, Calif., is the most experienced professional Funny Car driver in the NHRA, but over the course of the weekend at a special event Jeremy taught the self-proclaimed old dog a few tricks.

Mired in a sea of negativity related to a challenging sponsorship economy and the frustration of replacing soon departing sponsors Castrol GTX and Ford Racing, the seasoned veteran pulled up a chair alongside the kid and took notes.

Two weeks ago John Force was over drag racing.

Then he met Jeremy, a young boy from Montreal with a short time left to live. Force, the 16-time champion from Yorba Linda, Calif., is the most experienced professional Funny Car driver in the NHRA, but over the course of the weekend at a special event Jeremy taught the self-proclaimed old dog a few tricks.

Mired in a sea of negativity related to a challenging sponsorship economy and the frustration of replacing soon departing sponsors Castrol GTX and Ford Racing, the seasoned veteran pulled up a chair alongside the kid and took notes.

“I've never seen someone so positive as him,” Force said. “His dream was to ride with me down the drag strip in a race car. The promoter provided him with a firesuit, me a sports car and down the strip we went.”

Force was the Grand Marshal at a special race at the same facility where he won his first national event drag race more than 24 years ago. This same drag strip, Sanair International Raceway, is where his meeting with Jeremy and the emotion of his uncertain future converged like a perfect storm.

“Never signed so many autographs in my life,” Force said, adding he asked Jeremy to join him in the autograph session, “and to see him light up when I asked him to sign autographs with me was priceless. For two days, the kid never left my side. He just wanted to be with me.”

The more time he spent with his fan, the more Force remembered the kind of fighter that took him from rags to riches, loser to decorated champion.

“Here you have this kid and he's ready to take on the world with the odds clearly stacked against him, and we as adults can't?” Force asked. “You mean to tell me we can't handle losing a sponsor, or God knows we lose a race? Why can't we realize those are the stepping stones of life? I guess I'm turning into a philosopher now. I found more magic in that little kid. And, on the plane going home, I realized what a whiner I had become lately.”

Then Force drew a line in the sand.

On one side is what Force has earned since the monumental first win in Montreal — 16 series championships, 141 race wins and, since 1979, a total of 1,186 career round wins. On the other side remain 24 available round wins, six potential event victories and an unprecedented 17th series championship.

The other side begins this weekend at zMax Dragway during the Pep Boys NHRA Carolinas Nationals.

“It's time to go back to what I love,” Force said. “The fans make you a superstar whether you win or not. They carry you when you fall down. But when you look at it, I don't have any issues. I have a good life. There comes a point when you have to look away from the negatives and make them all positive.”

Force admits the subtle reminder of where he'd come from as a check-bouncing penniless professional wannabe to the benchmark of drag racing success came at a perfect time. As he stood on the starting line in Montreal and glanced over at Jeremy, life came into full focus.

“To see how far it has all come, and not just me, the sport and everything, including this beautiful zMax Dragway track Bruton Smith has built here in Charlotte, just takes your breath away,” Force said. “Back when I won my first race, it was rain-delayed until Monday, and there were no television cameras or trophy girls. There was just me and a couple of French-Canadian guys wearing Speedos and holding fire extinguishers. The winning experience is much better now.”

Despite the positive outlook, Force knows a dark cloud looms on the horizon if he cannot procure enough funding to run a full tour for his unsponsored two cars. The four-car John Force Racing team has two of its cars, the Traxxas Ford Mustang of Courtney Force and Auto Club of Southern California Mustang driven by son-in-law Robert Hight, sponsored for five more seasons. Force's Funny Car and the Top Fuel dragster driven by daughter Brittany Force are unsponsored.

Force understands this weekend's event could be the last time he races at the track outside of Charlotte unless Corporate America steps up for at least three more seasons. He won't race out of his pocket.

“I cannot financially do that to my company,” said Force. “My daughter will race before me. That's a fact. My marketing team, JMI, is aggressively out there doing what they need to do. My daughters are my priority. I'm still good. I can still win. I still have the fire and drive to win a championship and win races.

“But I have invested too much into the future of John Force Racing that if anyone is going to sit out, it will be me. My kids will move forward because they are the future. Right now we are cutting deals, and I have to re-evaluate my company. Everyone knows layoffs are coming, but I am holding out for the last minute to see if the money comes through. If not, I am not waiting until Christmas to tell my people.”

The hyperactive 65-year-old Force isn't sure how he'll handle life without driving if he falls short.

“I don't know if I can handle it, but I will still be at the race track,” he said. “I don't want to get out of the seat, let's make that clear. But I know whatever happens I can go into it with my mind right. It just took that trip to Montreal to open my eyes in a new way. I've gotten my wake up call. I just had to go back to where I won my first race.”

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