“Should I even keep doing this?”

That lingering question echoed in the mind of NHRA legend John Force amid a prolonged drought in race victories spanning nearly two years.

With wins becoming scarcer -- a stark contrast to his illustrious career boasting 16 championships and triple-digit race triumphs in his prime, followed by a mere 17 victories over the past decade -- doubt seeped into the 74-year-old’s mind.

As more voices questioned when his next win would arrive, Force found himself grappling with uncertainty. However, when he surged past defending NHRA champion Matt Hagan on Saturday to complete the rain-delayed Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals from two weeks ago, it ignited a spark.

The long-awaited win infused Force, the winningest driver in NHRA history, with a renewed fervor and passion for the sport.

“This morning I said, ‘Maybe this is it. Maybe I should walk out that gate,’” Force said. “And then all of a sudden you win and your personality changes. I am just facing the truth in life. Time is running out and I am trying to hang on. At my age, I can’t remember the first win. You get this (win) and all of a sudden your life is back. I’ve done it a million times and boy it gets old, but then this fixes you. To have a day like this -- I can’t believe I am still doing this -- but, man, I love it so much.”

Force had to wait nearly two weeks to collect that win after advancing to the finals of the Winternationals in Pomona, California. After rain washed out the finale of that event, the final rounds were moved to Firebird Motorsports Park during qualifying for the NHRA Arizona Nationals.

On Saturday, Force drove his PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to a rousing victory over Hagan with a 4.033-second pass at 318.24 mph during the final round of qualifying. Hagan actually held the lead early in the matchup, but lost power and limped across the line with a 4.048 at 283.61 mph in his Direct Connection Dodge/SRT Hellcat Funny Car.

In addition to collecting the 156th Wally of his career and his first since Charlotte in 2022, it was also the 16th Winternationals win for Force.

“Who doesn’t love racing the Hulk,” Force said of his final round opponent. “Driving for Tony Stewart and all the things those guys have done, he is an animal out there. (Meanwhile) I’ve been struggling. I’ve been mad. Mad at myself. I started saying, ‘You are too old for this stuff. You need to get out of the seat or you need to get out there and fight the fight.’ I did and things went right.

“It is the Pomona race. That is where my family grew up so it means a lot. Now, I have to go and get ready for (Sunday).”

Force reached his 267th career final round two weeks ago at Pomona with a strong showing against a trio of opponents as he and the rest of the competitors with the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series raced the rain as well as their opponents.

Force recorded easy wins over Jim Campbell and Bobby Bode in the opening rounds of the Winternationals as both of his opponents hazed their tires and Force cruised with passes of 3.959 and 4.016. In the semifinal round, Force notched a win over Ron Capps at 3.922, 327.74 mph, while Capps had his issues with an 8.390 at 95.83 mph.

Hagan reached his first final round of the year with wins over Buddy Hull, Jeff Diehl and J.R. Todd.

Prior to that final round matchup Saturday, Force shared a special moment with his grandsons Jacob and Noah in a tradition that might just find its way into his starting-line routine.

“They have a little rubber duck and we kiss it before every round,” Force said with a laugh. “Hagan was sitting in his car laughing at me, but (my grandsons) put their arms out and handed me the duck out of the car before I got in. It is just a little thing we do together and we got that win.”

While just one of so many wins over a historic career, Force said that this one will stand out for some time as he continues to question just which race will be his last.

“I am just trying to keep my mind right,” Force shared. “I am sick to my stomach all of the time. Why am I stressed? Because I dream that I won’t have a sponsor or that I won’t be driving. You still want that carrot, you want that win. But once I am in that race car, I am home. That is where I go to get right, until you lose again.

“I’ve got a great team right now. Daniel Hood and (Chris) Cunningham and (Tim) Fabrisi, I have three crew chiefs, three young kids, that still believe in me. The hard part is thinking I have to give it up. I am going to have to sooner or later.”

Force entered the Arizona Nationals with the potential to collect three trophies this weekend with the completion of the race from Pomona, the Arizona Nationals, and the special race-within-a-race in the #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car Challenge. Unfortunately, Force began the weekend with a loss to Todd in the final of the speciality race earlier in the day, 3.974 to a 4.007. But he rebounded in a big way with the national-event win over Hagan.

Now Force shifts his focus to the Arizona Nationals, where he will enter fourth on the ladder following a weekend-best lap of 3.901 seconds at 325.37 mph. Teammate Austin Prock qualified first with a 3.840 at 334.40 mph, followed by Bob Tasca (3.876) and Paul Lee (3.889).

Force will face Jim Campbell in Round One on Sunday.