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Well, John won his 1,000th round driving a funny car today.... Ain't nobody ever going to come close to that one!!!!! 14 Championships and 1,000 wins, man, that is phenomenal!!!!!!!!!!!!
Neff got his first round win, then went to the finals where he lost to Tim Wilkerson, heck of a good drag race!!!!
off course:LOL:**) **) **) **) :whacked:
And on his b-day too.
Not a Force fan at all. But I can respect his driving ability.
I do find it kind of funny how he always goes up in smoke when ever he is up against a team member looking for a first win.
Not a huge force fan either. Ther are alot of drivers that could do the smae if they had an endless budget and a 4 car team to gather info on to tune thier cars at the last second before thier passes aslo. But still gongrats to John!
I dont know a whole lot about racing, but it seems everyone likes too throw stuff out like he is the richest guy in nhra, there has been other drivers and teams that have been doing it as long as team force, like snake racing, and kallita motorsports. Why do they not have the same chances? I think they do, but john has just been that much better. The guy is unstoppable, he has a drive that no other driver except maybe garlits has. JMO
Hey, John started with absolutely nothing.... I doubt any of the other teams spend much less.... It's not a cheap sport, never has been, never will be... Money alone won't win 14 championships or keep 4 teams all at a competive level, it also takes a ton of talent and some luck....but then the harder you work, the luckier you get!!!!! Perhaps Team Force does outspend the rest, but perhaps they outwork them to get the big bucks it takes too stay competive...
As for throwing a round to a teamate, I'd really like to be there when someone went up to the rope at a national event and told John that........
He knows how to work the crowd:LOL: I dont think any ones ever said he started with everything, every one has given him props for what he has done. IMO its just turned into a big money machine . Its not even interesting to me any more and I grew up in drag racing TF. To say Team Force outworks the others is just ignorant...:rolleyes::DQuote:
Originally Posted by Dave Severson
I was told a story by a guy who is buddies with john, he claims when john was starting out his only sponser was a church who gave him 200 dollars a week, and he raced for ten years before he ever won a round. If thats not determination i dont know what is! The guy is a machine, and has earned everything he has! Now ashley is a different story, i doubt she will ever have the determination her dad has, but thats not saying she will not be a great competitor.
Ignorant???? Don't think so... You don't win 14 championships without being willing to work harder then the others... 14 times is a little beyond lucky, I believe. On second thought, maybe they don't work harder, maybe they work smarter????? Must be one or the other to account for that kind of success....Quote:
Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver
As I said earlier, doubt anyone will ever come close to the records he has set.
John is a top notch racer AND a top notch business man. His enthusiasm and personality has brought a lot of fans and exposure to NHRA drag racing. Whether you like what NHRA has become or not, without someone like John it would not be where it is. I have heard it siad that John is Drag Racing's Dale Earnhart and I think that is a pretty apt comparison. John cares about the fans, the sport and competition. The way he promotes his sponsors is a model for anyone who wants to succceed in that way. He is always looking for an edge whether it is in competition, safety or business. Whether you like him personally or not you have to admit he is very good at what he does. Personally I get a kick out of him wondering what the heck he is going to do next.
Pat
I finally had a chance to watch some drag racing Sunday for the first time this year.
First of all, John Force - is a Force. You don't have to like him to admire what he has done for the sport/industry of drag racing with 14 titles, and ten of them in a row and a 1000 round wins. Yes, he is a self promoter. But with that said, take a look around at the very successful people from your local and national politicians, church, business and sports. Every one of them is a self promoter and is usually able to put himself in a position to entice sponsor money so he can grow his niche in that corner of the world. Take a look at NA$CAR - Michael Waltrip - a weekly accident waiting to happen plus, IMHO, a total idiot. But he has been able to promote himself into ownership of one of the big Toyota teams and with what appears to be solid sponsorship. Not sure he'll last unless his drivers do better. Tiger Woods - golf - sponsored by Buick and a lot of other big names. John Force has been able to do this self promoting - just listen to his enthusiasm when the talking heads interview him. Totally dedicated. His daughter, Ashley - listening to her last Sunday - it sounded like she really didn't care. Did he start with nothing - sure did, but he was able to get the sponsor dollars and build an empire in his sport.
(A note on Waltrip, a total jerk - an interview on Victory Lane on Speed last night he thought it was funny to be set down during last weeks race because he blatantly full throttle pushed a wrecked Casey Mears down the track after getting together )
I like watching the drags to see what certain drivers are going to accomplish. That would include John and Ashley Force and a lot of other drivers like Tony Shumacher, Kenny and Brandon Bernstein, Hillary Will, Anton Brown, and Coughlin and Anderson, and others.
John like several others have worked very hard to get to their levels of accomplishment. This type of racing requires mucho big bucks to field just one car, let alone 3 or 4. I don't know how big or how well funded the Wilkerson organization is, but they certainly have put together a winning competition this year. Sometimes it takes just a little more than money.
As for Ashley, I suspect that unlike John, she will be out of the business in 20 years. She will continue to do well, but I think her interest will change in the future. Still enjoy watching her race.:D
Here's an amusing tidbit. I just did a search on the NHRA using the MSN search engine in Internet Explorer, and the results were in the Related Subjects listing is:
NHRA Schedule
NHRA Drag Racing
NHRA Drag Racing Schedule
John Force
NHRA Tickets
I guess MSN thinks that John Force and the NHRA are one in the same.:LOL: :LOL: :cool:
He sure puts on a great car show event around Christmas and several'Criuse nights at his place for anyone who wants to show up.
It is a fact that john is a very talented driver, and has worked hard to build his empire. But he has an advantage that most the other teams do not have. Being a driver with the championship stattus he has, he gets to choose when his car runs. If you watch closely he always runs last, after all his team mates run. They gather valuable car and track track performance information from his previous running team mates all the way until it is his turn to run. And 9 times out of 10 they make a final adjustment to the car just seconds before they fire up the car for his pass. To me that is an advantage,Quote:
Originally Posted by hotroddaddy
That is how schumacher runs all thier cars as well, Tony runs last. You bet if Anton Brown keeps running so good he will be looking for another job about mid season, Like Melanie Troxel was found mid season. not to mention most teams buy most of thier parts. Team Force hand makes all thier own blocks, heads, blowers and injectors in thier shop to thier standards, who can afford to do that. I just find it very well script written anymore to watch it on TV anymore, Force, Shoemaucer, Anderson.
Absolutely true.... And all the big, well financed teams have done the things necessary to create all these advantages. Just some of the perks you get for being good... It's done in many ways at all levels, Rog won Super Gas at the local track last year, now that car gets in free every week which frees up a few bucks we can use to improve the car.... An unfair advantage???? Nope, just one of the many, many methods you use to improve your program!!!!! It also was a good bargaining chip last winter when making the sponsor visits to come up with more $$$$$. Even have one considering a proposal we sent him for next year's new car and new driver....Quote:
Originally Posted by mooneye777
Another interesting comparison is the way the majority of the Motorsports team conduct themselves with their fans.... To me it seems the stick and ball guys are for the most part aloof, and at times just total snobs when it comes to spending time with fans.... Autograph sessions usually cost money, and most of them won't autograph any merchandise that you didn't buy from their marketing people.... Then go to an NHRA event.... in the top 3 classes, the only thing separating a fan from their favorite drive is some little rope. The "stars" are much more approachable and always let you know that the fans are what makes the sport great......