MORRISON, CO – JULY 14: NHRA Funny Car driver John Force watches a race from the return road after … [+]
John Force isn’t ready to call it quits. Not yet, anyway. The 75-year-old NHRA legend – a man who’s built a career on defying expectations, the laws of physics, and, on occasion, basic common sense – is still not done. This is a 16-time Funny Car champion, mind you, whose latest chapter reads like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster, complete with fire, fury, and a miraculous escape.
Last June, Force found himself in a situation that even he might describe as “a bit hairy.” During a run, his Funny Car, a machine designed to hurl itself down the quarter-mile at speeds that make your internal organs reconsider their career choices, decided it had had enough. After clocking a blistering 302.62 mph, the engine gave up the ghost in spectacular fashion. The car erupted into flames, careened across the track like a meteor on a particularly bad day, and came to rest against the wall as little more than a smoldering wreck.
Force, ever the showman, emerged from the smoking ruins of his chariot with a look that said, “Well, that sucked.” He was alert, talking to the trackside safety team, and, for a moment, it seemed like just another chapter in the ‘John Force defies mortality’ saga. But it wasn’t. Beneath the bravado, all was not well. Later that day, he was transported to a local hospital where doctors confirmed what many had feared: a traumatic brain injury.
A stint in the ICU followed, as did weeks of rehabilitation. The man who had stared down infernos and high-speed crashes for decades was now battling a foe he couldn’t simply outdrive. By August, his team made the call to bring in Jack Beckman, a two-time NHRA champion who had been enjoying retirement. Beckman climbed into Force’s Funny Car and immediately proved that he hadn’t lost his touch, picking up two wins and finishing the season second in the championship standings. For John Force Racing, it was a bittersweet result. Austin Prock, driving the team’s other car, claimed the championship, but questions lingered about the future—not just for Beckman, but for the team’s iconic leader.
Then, in November, Force reappeared at the track, sparking a frenzy of speculation. Speaking to reporters, he dropped the kind of bombshell that only John Force could: his primary sponsor had just signed a four-year extension. That, of course, begged the question: Who would drive the car in 2025? The answer arrived Friday, when John Force Racing confirmed that Old World Industries, through its PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant brand, would remain the primary sponsor—with Jack Beckman as the full-time driver.
Brian Bohlander, director of sports marketing for OWI, was effusive in his praise for the new arrangement. “The last eight races showed us that the NHRA is definitely better with Jack Beckman in the driver’s seat,” Bohlander said. “We’re thrilled to have John, Jack, and the entire JFR organization representing the PEAK and BlueDEF brands for years to come. Jack has done a tremendous job, both on and off the track, and has earned this opportunity to race full-time for the championship.”
For Beckman, the return to a full-time schedule marks his first since 2020. With 37 NHRA national event wins under his belt—35 of them in Funny Car—he’s more than up to the task. He’s now the 11th different driver to win a tour event for John Force Racing, and the 10th to do so in a Funny Car. If there were ever a torch to be passed, Beckman seems the ideal candidate to carry it.
But what about the man himself? Is this the final chapter in John Force’s storied career? Don’t bet on it. While Force continues his recovery under the watchful eyes of TBI specialists, he’s already plotting his next move.
John Force returned to the track in November at Las Vegas.
“Beckman’s doing the job for PEAK and BlueDEF,” Force said in a recent interview. “I’m still going to therapy every week, working as hard as I can to get back out there with the sponsors and the fans. This is a sport I love, and I miss it.”
If you think you’ve seen the last of John Force behind the wheel, think again. The man is practically synonymous with the NHRA and seems as likely to hang up his racing suit as he is to take up knitting. “I’ve still got a lot of things I want to do,” he said. “So I don’t want anybody thinking they’ve seen the last of John Force. We’ll have a lot more to talk about after the holidays.”
So, we now have the answer: John Force, the eternal showman, the unrelenting competitor, isn’t done. And really, should we expect anything less? This is a man who’s made a career of defying the odds, rewriting the script, and doing it all with a wink and a grin. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that John Force will decide his own finish line. Until then, we’ll all be waiting, watching, and hoping for just one more run.
