John Force’s mood matched the sunny February afternoon at Chandler, Ariz.

The Funny Car superstar already had competed in the NHRA offseason, at the PRO-sanctioned tune-up for the start of the 2024 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at Bradenton, Fla. And in the background he could hear the throaty roar of sportsman-grade engines a few yards away at the Division 7 opener at Firebird Motorsports Park. So he was fresh off his nitro fix, hearing that seductive sound of race cars again, ready to begin his 48th season.

Fellow Funny Car driver Ron Capps walked by, and Force called out to him, “I'll be back fighting you, kid.”

It was almost Showtime, just 17 days away from the season-kickoff Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla. And Force, at nearly 75 years old, clearly still was smitten with the sport – and confident he still can add to his 155 trophies and contend for a 17th championship. And that’s all despite a fleeting notion this winter that maybe he should step aside.

His moment of decision – the decision to stay in the sport and compete – came after key marketing partner Frank Tiegs (who passed away Feb. 8) respectfully withdrew his sponsorship from John Force Racing in December, leaving Austin Prock’s Top Fuel dragster without funding (and daughter Brittany Force’s dragster without significant sponsorship, as well). A stunning turn of events prevented Force’s retirement plan: Teammate and John Force Racing President Robert Hight announced he was taking a medical leave of absence for an undisclosed issue.

“We parked [Prock’s dragster], and then I didn't have a ride for Prock. And I'll be honest,” Force said. “I thought right then about retiring to put him in the seat. And I don't want to give up the seat. But in the middle of it, with Robert's health deal, needing some time to get some stuff straightened around, he said, ‘Don't you retire. I’m going to go do this. And that'll get Prock in the seat.’ And it's working good.”

Prock won the Funny Car race at Bradenton, his first in the class, defeating Force along the way and four-time and newly crowned champion Hagan in the final round. Prock’s presence in Funny Car only whets Force’s appetite for fresh competition. Force is planning at some point to make the young hot shoe just another notch in his blower belt. He still is driven.

Force hadn’t won in 37 events, not since the 2022 Charlotte four-wide race. But that didn’t seem to matter to the man who owns drag racing’s most elimination round-wins (1,442) and No. 1 qualifiers (166, almost twice as many as second-best active driver Tony Schumacher and his 88 in Top Fuel).

“I always won championships, but that ain't just why I come. It's not just to win races,” Force said. “I love racing. I love NHRA drag racing. I love being part of it.”

Force ruled the NHRA Funny Car class from 1990 through 2002, with 12 championships in 13 years, then added four more titles, in 2004, 2006, 2010, and 2013. He even had a car in the late 1990s emblazoned with “Untouchables,” with a nod to the TV crime drama of a bygone era.  Today he no longer has one of the 10 quickest passes – Robert Hight, Matt Hagan, and Force’s retired daughter Courtney Force Rahal have claimed those. None of the 10 fastest speeds is his anymore – Hight, Capps, Hagan, Force Rahal, and Bob Tasca III share them.

But Force still possesses so many NHRA and Funny Car class standards for the most this and the most that that someone might think his mother wrote the record book and made him the hero.

He leads all Funny Car drivers in single-event consecutive victories (five, Gainesville), finals (nine, Atlanta), and No. 1 qualifiers (tied with legend Don “The Snake” Prudhomme). He’s tops in victories at a single event (11, Brainerd), victories in a single season (13, 1996), finals in a single season (16, 1996), No. 1 starts in a season (13, 1996) and at a single event (12, Indianapolis), and finals at a single event (15, Brainerd and the NHRA Finals).

He also is the oldest pro champion, Funny Car champion, Funny Car winner, and Funny Car competitor. It’s not a distinction he avoids mentioning. 

“I'm going to turn 75 this year in May. And a lot of people say, ‘Why do you talk about it?’ Well, why hide it? It's what I am, but I'm taking a look at what I'm going to do, and I'm looking at all that very seriously. But I never want to hurt the sport. I don't want to leave the sport and cause anything. I want to help grow it. And that's what I'm trying to do right now.”

Winning “Wally” statues and series crowns, he said, “is the ultimate thing, what you want. You want to win.” However, he acknowledged that “you're up against” the best collective talent the sport ever has seen. And he said he’s doing what he can to stay relative and competitive.

“I'm still trying to keep myself fit and getting all my medical stuff done. And I'm going to get into this fight, because it's what I love to do. I love racing,” Force said. “Ron Capps, he's my hero. He calls me his hero. I love these kids. Still love Don Prudhomme and Shirley [Muldowney]. That never changes with me. And Hagan’s got a fight out there. I want to get Robert [Hight back on track]. He's got some stuff he's cleaning up right now, but he'll be back.”

Force was at the suburban Phoenix racetrack that was saved from demolition since last spring’s Arizona Nationals, rebranded a retro-sounding Firebird Motorsports Park, and placed back on the Mission Drag Racing Series calendar. He was there, along with Capps and Brittany Force, promoting this third race of the upcoming season. And he was nostalgic about the multipurpose facility that has a sizeable lake for drag-boat racing.

“I love coming back here to Firebird. Forty years ago I came here with [former promoter] Charlie Allen and ran here when my kids were little-tiny. I don't even know if they were born yet, but it's things that I love. And I love being here. I love the big lake out there. I stand for hours looking over it. And then to see the Firebird name back, that means a lot,” Force said. “I hope it goes on forever.”

And what about him – will he go on forever?

“Got nowhere go,” he said. “I don't drag race to win championships. I don't drag race to win races – maybe to do long burnouts. I still like that stuff, but you can't do that stuff anymore. But I do it because I love racing. And I'm going to have to retire sooner or later. But when it happens, then I'm going to get whatever kind of car my grandchildren Autumn's driving or Jacob or Noah's driving, and I'm going to build one of those. And I'm going to go race with them, because racing's what I do. I don't know how to golf. I don't know to fish.”

He's telling the truth. Once he was planning to go fishing and dashed back into the house to grab a beer. On the way out, as he reached for his pole, he pierced his hand with the hook: “My hand slid up, and it was hooked on the hoop up there. Went right through my hand, and I passed out.” Another time, when his daughters were little, he took them fishing, hoping to spend a peaceful afternoon with them. They didn’t particularly enjoy the exercise, and they sat and waited while he ended up gabbing on the phone with business associates. Somehow they ended up catching three little fish. They took them home, where mom Laurie said she didn’t know how to dress fish. So they ended up going out to dinner and never went fishing again.

“No. I stick with racing,” Force said.

“I enjoy racing. I can still win races,” he said.

“I've been struggling. Last year was a struggle for me, but I'm going to recover from that,” Force vowed. “I've built up my group. I've been training Daniel Hood for years, and he's ready. And he's been the lead for the last couple of years with me, and we struggled. Last year. [Chris] Cunningham joined our group along with [Tim] Fabrisi. So I got three crew chiefs in there. Danny's the lead crew chief, but we got a lot of work cut out for us.”
He said, “My time's coming.” It wasn’t clear if he meant his time to get back to the winners circle is coming or if his time is coming to retire. 

Either way, maybe John Force’s current status is living lyrics of the popular Toby Keith song: “I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.”

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