The NHRA announced Saturday morning that it had fined John Force Racing $5,000 for a pit incident that took place on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

The fine, which is payable immediately and not eligible for appeal, was issued after one of the Force Racing teams improperly operated their car in the pit area. NHRA rules specify that Funny Cars must be in a raised position, fully situated in its assigned space and utilize cradles and jackstand devices that attach to the frame when servicing or starting the car’s engine while in the pit area. The team must pay the fine in full before it can continue to compete in any future NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events.
Force did pay the fine Saturday morning at the U.S. Nationals and said why NHRA imposed the fine.

“Let me clarify first of all, I’m trying to teach my youngest daughter Courtney and for two months we have been towing her in the Funny Car around at the shop at home, just so she can learn the visuals,” Force said. “We finally started her in the car and all went really well because she drove Super Comp and A-Fuel. All I did, this wasn’t a race, this wasn’t a test session, there was nobody here in the parking lot except my crew and there was a few people out here because they dug the track up. I just didn’t think anything about it, putting it on the ground, to let her back it up and come forward to teach her how to stage it and lift the body and the process. So, when we do take her out there, she knew it.”

The NHRA announced Saturday morning that it had fined John Force Racing $5,000 for a pit incident that took place on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

The fine, which is payable immediately and not eligible for appeal, was issued after one of the Force Racing teams improperly operated their car in the pit area. NHRA rules specify that Funny Cars must be in a raised position, fully situated in its assigned space and utilize cradles and jackstand devices that attach to the frame when servicing or starting the car’s engine while in the pit area. The team must pay the fine in full before it can continue to compete in any future NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events.
Force did pay the fine Saturday morning at the U.S. Nationals and said why NHRA imposed the fine.

“Let me clarify first of all, I’m trying to teach my youngest daughter Courtney and for two months we have been towing her in the Funny Car around at the shop at home, just so she can learn the visuals,” Force said. “We finally started her in the car and all went really well because she drove Super Comp and A-Fuel. All I did, this wasn’t a race, this wasn’t a test session, there was nobody here in the parking lot except my crew and there was a few people out here because they dug the track up. I just didn’t think anything about it, putting it on the ground, to let her back it up and come forward to teach her how to stage it and lift the body and the process. So, when we do take her out there, she knew it.”

Graham Light, NHRA’s senior vice president, racing operations, wasn’t thrilled when he received word of what Force did, and he met with Force on Friday at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

"When Graham came over he was very excited and he wanted to hear it from me,” Force said. “He said, 'John you’re the leader in safety and you’re one of the guys who preaches safety and you would do something like that.' I told him, Graham I knew it, I just made a mistake. I have already written a check for the fine. I can’t break the rules. I’m not beyond the rules and I just wasn’t thinking out here by myself. I told Graham I know the rulebook, but I haven’t seen that rule in over 20 years. That’s an old rule. I just never thought about it. I wasn’t at a race, there was nobody here and I put it on the ground. But, it is for the safety of the driver, too. You put a car on the ground, you have to take the drive shaft out of it and if you run it, it has to be on the jack stand. It was a bad mistake by me.”

Force says he’s going to give himself a refresher course on the rulebook following the U.S. Nationals on Monday.

“I told Graham I was going home after this race and I’m going to the rulebook to see if there’s anything else. I have to keep my mind up,” Force said. “That’s why they have us retake our test at the DMV every five years. To keep up with the rules. That’s an old rule and a John Force mistake. I want to apologize because I do not want anybody else doing that.”

Force said when Courtney was at Indy Aug. 24, she was practicing in her own Funny Car.

“We built her, her own Top Fuel Funny Car,” Force said. “It (the car) was in Indy so I flew her in here. In the old days, 30 years ago, we went down to the local Wal-Mart or Kmart and did burnouts and I was so excited with her (Courtney) and she was learning so fast and I was just loving every minute of it. I was like put her on the ground and let’s see what will happen. The minute I put her on the ground, the NHRA guy was over here and asking what am I doing? You can’t do that. He said, it’s our race track, we have the liability. They were more concerned about Courtney. They weren’t concerned about me running into somebody because there was nobody here. They were concerned about my kid. I was embarrassed. I want to apologize to everybody, I know better. I didn’t do it because I thought I could get away with something. It never crossed my mind. It was like I was in my own shop at home, but hell we do not start there either. We always take them to the race track.”

{source}
<div style="float:left; padding:5px;"><script type="text/javascript">
google_ad_client = "pub-8044869477733334";
/* 300x250, created 4/3/09 */
google_ad_slot = "2028912167";
google_ad_width = 300;
google_ad_height = 250;
</script>
<script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</div><div style="padding:5px;">

<script type="text/javascript">
sr_adspace_id = 2000000613807;
sr_adspace_width = 300;
sr_adspace_height = 250;
sr_ad_new_window = true;
sr_adspace_type = "graphic";
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.afy11.net/srad.js?azId=2000000613807">
</script></div>
{/source}