‘Greatest show on earth’: PEAK driver John Force
excited about Four-Wide Nationals
CONCORD, N.C. (April 25) – There is no other drag race like the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, held this weekend at zMAX Dragway.
And there is no other drag racer like John Force, the 16-time Funny Car champion and winner of a record 148 NHRA races.
So it should come as no surprise that the PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil driver is excited about the Four-Wide Nationals.
“The fans love it,” Force said. “They can come there, and it’s a change: Four cars, 40,000 horsepower, side-by-side-by-side-by-side. Greatest show on earth. I love two-lane, but I love four-lane. I wish they’d build more of them. I don’t know if everybody would agree with me.
“Crew chiefs don’t have a lot of time to do a lot of thinking. It’s not like there’s eight pairs – there’s only four, and it goes so fast. It’s a three-round race.
“I like change, I like anything that’s different. No. 1, it packs the house.”
Force was the winner of the inaugural Four-Wide Nationals held in 2010 and has been to the final quad two times since. Unlike a normal NHRA race, drivers utilize all four lanes of zMax Dragway in each quad of eliminations. Two drivers advance from each quad to the next round, with the winner coming from the final four-wide quad.
“I like change,” Force said. “It’s a fast race, great for TV. You can put it in a schedule, and TV’s our lifeline. FOX’s group with NHRA building the shows is doing a great job. I like it when you put four cars against each other. The key is to figure out that Christmas Tree because that Tree will screw up the best. I’ve won it, Robert Hight’s won it, Brittany’s won it – let’s see what Courtney can do with that Advance Auto Parts car. She’s fast right now.”
Force has been fast, too, winning at Gainesville and qualifying in the top half of the field in four of the five races to date, including a No. 1 in Gainesville and No. 3 last weekend in Houston.
“Just trying to get faster,” Force said. “We’ve been pretty fast, and I don’t know where that’s going to take us, when we designed this team, we have crew chiefs going different directions, and that’s how we find ourselves. That’s what (past crew chief Austin) Coil told me I was missing: ‘Everybody can’t keep doing the same thing because even if you stay consistent, they’ll go around you.’ We’ve caught up now and are in the hunt.
“(Matt) Hagan was hot and won two races, and Tommy Johnson and (Ron) Capps won, and we’ve got one win. But it’s time for John Force Racing. We’re starting to turn the corner; I’ve been saying that. I think we’re going to be OK.”
Two rounds of qualifying are slated for Friday and Saturday, with final eliminations 12 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. Fox Sports 1 will provide qualifying coverage at 7 p.m. Friday, midnight Saturday, with elimination coverage Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
4-Second Reads:
John Force has competed in all seven Four-Wide Nationals races at zMAX Dragway, since 2010.
Overall, Force has competed in 15 NHRA Funny Car races at zMAX Dragway.
Force has advanced to the final round of the Four-Wide Nationals three times. He won the inaugural race in 2010. His last finals appearance was in 2014, when he defeated Alexis DeJoria and Tim Wilkerson but finished second to teammate Robert Hight.
Overall, Force has five finals appearances at zMAX Dragway and two victories. He won the most recent Funny Car race last September, defeating Tommy Johnson Jr. in the finals.
Force has a record of 10-6 in elimination rounds in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals and a 20-13 record at the track.
Force has qualified No. 1 for the Four-Wide Nationals once – in 2011. That marks his only No. 1 at zMAX Dragway.
Force has a 6-1 record in the first round of the Four-Wide Nationals. Or to put it another way, he has advanced to the second round, or defeated at least two of three opponents, six times in seven first-round attempts.
Overall, Force has a 11-4 record in the first round at zMAX Dragway. He has advanced out of the first round at the track for seven straight races.
In his career, Force has a record 148 victories, 1,272 round wins, and 155 No. 1 qualifying spots.
Force is currently third in Funny Car points, where he has been for two consecutive races.
Force’s best time/speed at Charlotte – 3.881 seconds (2016 2 Q2); 331.04 mph (2016 2 Q1)
Force’s best time/speed in Four-Wide – 3.946 seconds (2016 Q1); 323.50 mph (2016 Q1)
Force’s best time/speed of career – 3.832 seconds (2017 Gainesville); 335.15 mph (2017 Pomona 1)
Force will be part of a general Q&A session in the media center at 12:15 p.m. Friday.