C. Force wins Funny Car final
Dad John Force OK after fiery crash in Chandler
Two weeks ago, it was John Force offering words of comfort to his daughter, Brittany, as she was placed in an ambulance following a seismic drag racing crash in Southern California.
Sunday, it was the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Series Funny Car champion who survived a fireball and two major impacts with the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park retaining walls. But his words spoken from another ambulance to another daughter, Courtney, were anything but comforting.
“Go out there and kick ass,” he ordered.
In a heroic display of determination to win, in front of the first NHRA race day sellout crowd in the 34-year history of the Arizona Nationals, Courtney Force did what her legendary racing family does best:
She won.
Ending an 0-for-43 winless streak dating to May 2016, Force defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. in the Funny Car final, her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet
Camaro rocketing to 3.834 seconds, 337.16 mph, faster than her No. 1 qualifying run Saturday. In a nod of sportsmanship, Johnson’s Make-A-Wish Dodge team allowed Force’s crew a few extra minutes to prepare their car for the run.
“It’s a little overwhelming,” said Force 29, married to IndyCar driver Graham Rahal. “Coming from Pomona we were trying to get our heads on straight. We were trying to put that (Brittany’s crash) behind us and then dad has a huge explosion.”
John Force, 68, was released from Chandler Regional Hospital Sudnay night after reportedly undergoing tests and exams typical after such a massive accident. He told a friend he expected to be at the track Monday to watch teammate Robert Hight test.
John Force’s crash looked to be one of the most violent, and bizarre, in recent history. Perhaps since his own near Dallas in 2007, which left him with multiple fractures.
Force’s Peak Camaro had a cylinder go out as he hit the throttle in a quarterfinal match against Sweden’s Jonnie Lindberg. Force was ahead in the left lane but had more cylinders begin to spew raw fuel as he was about to cross the finish line at 1,000 feet. His speed was almost 280 mph.
His engine exploded violently. The car’s bodywork flew off toward the back, into the other lane, and the energy lifted the chassis off the track and pushed it into the right lane in front of Lindberg. Force hit the right retaining wall hard and rode along it with the car tipping to the right. Lindberg had nowhere to go and hit Force. Their parachute tethers appeared to tangle and tie the cars together and momentum pushed Lindberg ahead.
Force then impacted Lindberg’s Toyota Camry, which veered right into the wall, shedding its body. Both traveled back across the track and stopped after hitting the left wall. Lindberg walked away. Rescue and clean-up efforts took about 40 minutes.
Next up: Courtney Force, against Matt Hagan, a two-time class champion. First, though, Hagan approached her.
“You’re a great driver,” Hagan told her. “You know how to do this. Just clear your head.”
She did and, with her father scheduled as her semifinal opponent, Courtney had a clear path to the finals.
“It’s out of your control,” is how she explained the ability to compartmentalize her tasks. “You have to switch your focus. My dad and crews chiefs are the ones who gave me the confidence to battle it out.
“These cars are unpredictable. We know that as drivers. (John) would have told me to sit it out if he thought the car wasn’t safe. My team told me I didn’t have to. You start to question things a little bit (but) I told them, ‘No. I’m fine.’ ”
She was more than fine.
She was a Force.
Other winners
Steve Torrence won Top Fuel in the car funded by his father, Billy, a parttime racer. They ran each other hard in the semifinals and then Steve defeated his friend, Scott Palmer, in the finals.
Chris McGaha won Pro Stock over Jason Line.
Almost Cinderella
Glendale’s Greg Carrillo pulled the day’s biggest upset when he beat Top Fuel’s No. 1 qualifier, Tony Schumacher, in the first round. The eight-time class champion’s U.S. Army dragster lost traction in what was his 1,200th career round. It was only Carrillo’s second round ever and then he won in the quarterfinals against a tire-smoking Antron Brown.
Carrillo’s fantasy ended with a loss to Palmer in the semifinals.
Pit stops
David Kiesel, of Desert Hills, won the Lucas Oil sportsman Super Street class.
Leah Pritchett, Top Fuel winner the last two years, lost traction and was beaten by Palmer.
The Force accidents again raised the issue of installing energy-absorbing SAFER walls at drag strips. New NHRA President Glen Cromwell said the sanction continues talks with its teams and track operators. One obstacle is the differing needs of vehicles raced in NHRA, ranging from motorcycles to the 11,000 horsepower nitro cars.