John Force had a chance to race daughter Ashley and make it an all Force family final round but his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang was vanquished by Worsham in the semi-final round.

“Worsham is a hell of a racer. He was way overdue and hungry. He had a car that was just fast. A lot of these cars have been carrying this weight since last year. They have more runs on them tan us but we’ll learn,” said winningest driver in Funny Car history.

“For Ashley to get to another final is great. I went a lot of rounds before I finally won. It is a learning curve and she is driving the heck out of her Mustang. “I think our Ford team held its own this weekend. We are going to test here tomorrow at least on the early parts of the race track.”

This was the second semifinal round appearance for the elder Force in 2008 and moved him up to the sixth position in the Funny Car standings. Considering how much he has overcome in the last five months; a career threatening crash in Dallas last September, a vigorous and brutal rehab schedule, and major adjustments to his Ford Mustang, Force has expanded his already legendary status in a sport where many would consider him the king.

“Every round is a learning experience for me because of my body healing but I am coming around as a driver. I am doing my job and feeling my car again. It is just taking a little longer.”