John Force promised last November that his new Funny Cars would continue to be American-made. He delivered Thursday, announcing his return to General Motors and its Chevrolet brand for 2015 and beyond in National Hot Rod Association competition.

"We're back in business. I'm ready to go drag racing," Force said in a teleconference that included JFR President Robert Hight, NHRA President Tom Compton, and Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice-president for performance vehicles and motorsports.

Campbell said the agreement includes all three John Force Racing Chevrolet SS Camaro Funny Cars (that Force, Hight, and Courtney Force drive), as well as the team's Top Fuel dragster that Brittany Force drives.

John Force said the deal was finalized just before Christmas. He said he understood that fans were asking, "Where's he going with the manufacturer. Where's John Force, this ol' truck driver, where's he going to end up?" He said, "GM is where I wanted to land. My heart is in Detroit.

Regarding Chevrolet's place in NHRA drag racing . . .

JIM CAMPBELL: We never left the sport. What we see is a really enthusiastic fan base. They love cars. They love trucks. They love racing, for sure. We see it as an opportunity to interact with those customers and fans, keeping enthusiasm high for our Chevrolets that race on the track and also what we sell in the showroom. What we know about NHRA is the average fan buys more cars and trucks than the average customer out in the market. We also know that, that categories like full-size pick-up, are very popular. We've got a three-truck strategy, something the other manufacturers don’t have. We're the only ones that have a heavy-duty, light-duty, and mid-size pick-up. Obviously, there's so much TV coverage and social-media coverage around the Funny Car and Top Fuel. That will augment our efforts in Pro Stock and the sportsman classes. Chevrolet's been there [in the midway]. We've been activating, and we're going to continue to do just that: interact with all the race fans, all our Chevy customers, and all the people who don't own Chevrolets. We want to say hello and show them our whole line-up.

Regarding possible safety initiatives in cooperation with John Force Racing and the Eric Medlen Project, as well as potential public-relations programs with Courtney and/or Brittany Force:

JIM CAMPBELL: We’re at the beginning here. There's so much we're going to do together. Safety's something that's very important to Chevrolet, no doubt. We run in five major series in North America. We have programs that run in Germany and Australia. And in all those programs, safety is a critical aspect of what we do. We work closely with sanctioning bodies and with our teams to focus on safety. And we'll do that, not only with John Force Racing but with Tom [Compton] and Graham [Light] and the whole crew at NHRA.

Regarding coming back in a major position of strength:

JOHN FORCE: I just thought, "Hey, I'm John Force. I've got this big machine. And money was just going to fall out of the sky." Let me tell you, it didn't. Basically, we had to re-invent JFR. I went to my accountant. I said, "What do I need to do to be competitive?" Budgets that were already sold [set]. Without money, you can't compete. You can compete, but it’s tough. GM put us over the top. Now we're OK, and we're ready to go.

 I don’t question life. Nobody owed me anything or my daughters or Robert Hight. You have to earn. We fight every day, and I pray along the road. And we made it. And that's what's most important. Now we go to work and start preaching the gospel for Peak and Lucas and Auto Club, Traxxas, Mac Tools. That's what I do best. That's what Robert does best. And my girls are learning the trade.

I always have an A, B, and C plan. We have the young kids we were training to come up the ladder if anybody left us. Some did. They’re already replaced. The proof's in the pudding. It'll start at testing in Phoenix.

Regarding the nuts-and-bolts logistics of switching from Ford to GM:

 ROBERT HIGHT: We're looking for a fresh start. I don’t believe it will be a challenge, I'm looking forward to working with new engineers. I don't think this is going to be a road bump at all. It's going to be business as usual.

Regarding what John Force Racing expects to bring to Chevrolet . . .

JOHN FORCE: You know me – I'm a car salesman. If you look at our video . . . I'm already pitching: "See us at the NHRA races!" . . . "See us at the car dealerships!" . . . "See the trucks! See our whole line of cars!" That's what I do best. We'll be on the stages with General Motors with all the races, and I'm sure we'll be over at NASCAR and anywhere they want us. We're like P.T. Barnum at 300 miles an hour. We entertain the fans, on and off the racetrack . . . [and] educate the youth about all of our brands we have and the cars that they'll drive when they grow up. It's a great opportunity, but it’s a lot of work. It's seven days a week. With our traveling road shows, we'll be going places inside NHRA, outside NHRA. Every town we can work the dealers, and we're going to. That's how we'll prove ourselves . . . selling all the brands of General Motors *** Robert Hight: Auto Club, they didn’t sign a five-year deal with John Force Racing if they didn’t believe in NHRA drag racing. The same is with General Motors. They didn't just sign up and cover our biggest race, the U.S. Nationals, [and become] the official truck [of the NHRA]. They see a value in John Force Racing and NHRA, and that makes me proud.

Regarding NHRA's reaction . . .

Tom Compton: On behalf of everyone at NHRA, I want to lend my personal congratulations to you, John and Robert and everyone at John Force Racing. It's a big day for the sport. Congrats to everyone, our friends at GM, Chevrolet, Jim Campbell, Mark Kent [GM Director of Racing], Mark Reuss [president, GM North America], Craig Shantz [General Motors Performance manager of product promotion activities and specialty show vehicle builds], Roger Allen [General Motors Drag Racing Program Manager], Terry Dolan [Manager, Chevrolet Racing], and many more who made this day possible. It's really great for the sport. It all started with the entitlement of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Indy. Last year we made the announcement that Chevrolet is the official truck of the NHRA. And now the announcement with John Force Racing. Welcome back, GM. We'e really proud to work with you. This is a big day for the sport.

Regarding John Medlen . . .

JOHN FORCE: John Medlen has moved on to Schumacher [Racing]. I want to make that clear: John Medlen's a great man. If anybody put a hiccup in this program – maybe I am just deadly honest – I told my people, 'I'm in trouble here.' We got people out here who have children to raise and college tuition and they've got houses [and] they're trying to grow their families. And I went to 'em the day this took place over a year ago. I told 'em, 'I'll keep you up quarterly on what's coming, what's new.' It was tougher than I thought. I did lose a few people. God bless . . . John Medlen was part of the project because of his son. But the project will go on. And we just want to wish our best to John Medlen and Jimmy Prock who went over to Don Schumacher. That's a great racing facility. And we need competition. We need all of these guys back on the racetrack to keep NHRA strong. Competition is what it’s all about. Wouldn’t be any good if we didn’t have anybody to race. But we got plenty.

Regarding Ford:

JOHN FORCE: I always want to be respectful to my old partners, because they were good to me. And they're rooting for me right now to move ahead. I wish all of them well. But my focus now is where we're going. [In his museums at Brownsburg, Ind., and Yorba Linda, Calif.] I've got GM cars everywhere. This is an easy transition for us. -SUSAN WADEJohn Force promised last November that his new Funny Cars would continue to be American-made. He delivered Thursday, announcing his return to General Motors and its Chevrolet brand for 2015 and beyond in National Hot Rod Association competition.

"We're back in business. I'm ready to go drag racing," Force said in a teleconference that included JFR President Robert Hight, NHRA President Tom Compton, and Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice-president for performance vehicles and motorsports.

Campbell said the agreement includes all three John Force Racing Chevrolet SS Camaro Funny Cars (that Force, Hight, and Courtney Force drive), as well as the team's Top Fuel dragster that Brittany Force drives.

John Force said the deal was finalized just before Christmas. He said he understood that fans were asking, "Where's he going with the manufacturer. Where's John Force, this ol' truck driver, where's he going to end up?" He said, "GM is where I wanted to land. My heart is in Detroit.

"To have an opportunity to go back to my roots is personal to me. I got my first win in a Chevrolet, my first championship with NHRA, six overall with General Motors," said the 16-time driving champion who has two extra titles as a car owner. "And in the early days, Robert helped build 10 or 12 of our Chevrolet cars. Everybody wanted me to stay with Detroit. Everybody wants me in a Detroit car.

"I'll drive the hell out of that Chevrolet. You have my word on that," he said. "I never guarantee a championship, but I guarantee you I'll be in the hunt and I'll be setting records with this new Camaro. I'm going to make them proud of Robert and my girls, and we are funded. You'll see it when you see the paint at Pomona.

"It looks good. A lot of work went into it. It's NHRA-approved. It's a Camaro. That's all we need to know, and we're moving on," Force said.
He said he has reached a deal with another sponsor that will he'll reveal possibly as soon as the Feb. 20-22 Carquest Nationals at Phoenix but more likely in March at the Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla. He indicated that marketing partner will be for the dragster, but it’s unclear whether he has settled on a specific company.

"She'll be on the track at Pomona. I've got all my supporters that are supporting her. She's got financial backing. We have a major sponsor we want to announce. [Until then] she'll be running the Brittany Force name and all the brands," Force said. "We've got three or four that we're talking with, but we'll get there. They're all wanting to be part of JFR. They love the girls, and they want to be part of NHRA. It's going to happen."

Addressing a question he either sidestepped deliberately or simply forgot in his scattershot style of conversation, Force said he can plug any sponsorship gaps with existing deals.

"Right now my money is in a pool and we're financed to run all the NHRA, 24 events. We'll have some match races with Bill Bader at Norwalk, Ohio. I'm going back to Canada."

As for how his Camaro will be branded at the events that Peak does not sponsor the team, Force was non-commital.

"I do have other offers. We're dealing with some banking companies right now, some loan institutions," he said. "Where we're short, we got Mac Tools paying into our programs and people whose names I haven't mentioned. We are strong, but we're up against strong competition. Schumacher, Kalitta, the Pedregons, they'll beat you up on just an average budget. So we've got our work cut out for us. I've got a number of groups that are interested. But right now it’s about getting the season kicked off."
It will begin with Dean "Guido" Antonelli in his new role as General Manager of John Force Racing.

"We've got to stay within a budget, and nobody knows that better than Dean Antonelli, to watch each car, every penny. He's a crew chief. He can run any one of these cars. But right now I needed a guy that could overlook and make sure that my teams stay within a budget," Force said.

Said Hight, "We've got some new teams. John's got a brand-new team. My team is intact. Courtney's team's intact. We've just got to get John's car up to speed, and I believe with Mike Neff's help and all three teams working together that we're going to be fine. We've hired a new guy [Ronnie Thompson, whose most recent assignment was assistant crew chief at Al-Anabi Racing and before that with Alan Johnson at Don Schumacher Racing] to work with Todd Smith on the dragster. That car went to some finals last year. I believe that Brittany's going to win some races this year and that all three of our Funny Cars will be in contention for the championship, and hopefully that dragster will be, too."

The pressure, for the most part, is off Force to find enough money to maintain the status quo. Now a new type of pressure will start, one to reinforce the wisdom of the investment to General Motors.

Force said he had been "dancin' like a madman," trying to secure a replacement for Ford. He said he considered other manufacturers while making such wild statements such as "I'm going to drag race. I don’t care if I have to ride a motorcycle. I don’t care if I have to go to Top Fuel." He said, "General Motors stepped up and put me back on the map. General Motors is the one that put me over the top. I was in trouble."

He said he "did approach others in the industry. I never had a conversation with Dodge. My conversation with Toyota – we did have a brief conversation but nothing in writing, nothing on the table."

Hight said he also knew the gravity of partnering with an automaker.

"It is impossible to win in the NHRA championship series without a manufacturer. You need the backing of a major auto manufacturer to give you new technology. We're excited to work with their engineers to make our cars faster," the 2009 NHRA Funny Car champion said, applauding Chevrolet.

"If you look at their track record, they win in everything they do – Indy Car, NASCAR," Hight said. "In 2014, the Pro Stock series came down to two Chevrolet Camaros for the title. That was very exciting. It's exciting to become partners with some the NHRA Pro Stock teams: Greg Anderson, Jason Line, Erica Enders-Stevens, the Gray family. Now we can call them our teammates. That's exciting.

"When I started with John Force Racing, we were with Chevrolet, winning championships. I'm proud and honored to say I hope I can get out there and put Chevrolet back in the winners circle with Funny Car. They picked the right group, John Force Racing. We know how to win, and with Chevrolet we're going to be winning in the years to come."

Force emphasized that although "the ups and downs I've faced off the racetrack in the past year have really been tough," he wasn't poor.

"John Force isn’t broke. I'm financially strong. I've got my endorsements from Main Gate and Lionel, and Freightliner came on board with us. I'm strong," he said. "I can fund a car – don’t want to. But when it comes to my baby girl, I always said I would if I have to. And now I don’t have to. I've got a handshake. I pretty much know where I'm going with the Top Fuel car.

He said he had hoped he could make announcements regarding the dragster at the Feb. 5-8 Circle K Winternationals that will open the season at Pomona, Calif. "But I don’t think so," Force said Thursday. "I'll be in business [with the new dragster sponsor] by Gainesville. But she'll be there with a full budget."

He said he told Campbell, "We have to be competitive, but we have to have safety. It’s got to go hand in hand."
JFR was the headliner when it fielded Fords, although Ford dealer and well-connected Dearborn-management liaison Bob Tasca III and later Tim Wilkerson joined the fold. Gary Densham, Terry Haddock, and occasionally Bob Bode race with Chevy bodies. But Force, once again, will have a virtual exclusive on the brand in the Funny Car class, and he said that is significant.

"The key was we've got an exclusive. Robert Hight negotiated that. Robert has really worked with Mark Kent [GM Director of Racing] and Terry Dolan [Manager, Chevrolet Racing] and Roger Allen [General Motors Drag Racing Program Manager] and Jim [Campbell]. Robert's president, he's learned from me, and he's very good, the way he puts things together," Force said.

Force said that positioning, although the deal is so fresh he hasn't taken advantage of that yet, will be tremendous because of access to GM's wind tunnels and engineering processes.

"We not trying to kid nobody— we’re just getting started," he said. "You don't do all this change overnight. We'll hit the racetrack running. We've rented the track in Phoenix. We're heading there Monday morning. We'll be OK. I have great financial backing from GM. I've got a long-range program. The conversation is of growth, and we're going to build their brand and build JFR's brand. We're in a tough economy, but we know how to do it."

Hight said, "We're going to be fine. We have smart people who have worked on these bodies and made these styling changes. And they're no dummies – they know that the changes we made are not going to hurt us aerodynamically."
Force had the latter portion of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 season to find both a new automaker and primary sponsor following the announced exits of his longtime corporate partners Ford and Castrol.

Force said Tom McKernan, board chairman of the rock-solid Force-backer Auto Club of Southern California, is "a big Chevy guy. He's a Chevrolet guy in and out. He always wanted me with Chevrolet. And the opportunity has become available."

He said he plans to make the most of that chance.

"In the early days I knew Dale Earnhardt. He was like Don Prudhomme in drag racing. Dale Earnhardt, I watched his style. He was a legend, driving for General Motors with Chevrolet. It was just awesome to watch him. I have this opportunity. Nobody's ever going to replace Dale Earnhardt. But I've got an opportunity in drag racing. And I want to do a job like Dale Earnhardt did. I don’t want to fail them. That is my word - I will not fail."

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