CONCORD, N.C. -- John Force won yet again at age 72, topping the Funny Car field Sunday in the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals for his record 152nd event victory.
Force beat J.R. Todd, Cruz Pedregon and Alexis DeJoria in the final with a 3.916-second run at 328.78 mph in a Chevrolet Camaro.
“Timing is everything,” Force said. “I won the inaugural (four-wide race) here (in 2010), and this makes me so proud. Don’t take the job you love for granted.
“I wanted to win for (track owner) Bruton (Smith), (crew chief) Daniel (Hood), but these kids are tough out here. Some days, things go right, and our car was ready and prepared, and I halfway did my job. I’m excited and I get to send this (Wally trophy) to Bruton, a guy I really love.”
Force had qualified first for the 161st time. The 16-time NHRA champion won for the first time since 2019 outside Seattle. His John Force Racing team sat out most of the 2020 season after the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the schedule and sponsorships.
“I had it for 40-something years, and I took it for granted,” Force said in March before the season opener. “When it was gone, I’m sitting over there, and nobody cares to talk to me and then you get sick looking at all the championships and trophies. I needed to get back in the car.”
Other divisional winners Sunday at Concord were Steve Torrence won in Top Fuel, Dallas Glenn in Pro Stock and Steve Johnson in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Torrence powered his way to his fourth four-wide win in a row at zMAX Dragway with a 3.716 at 329.10. First-time winner Glenn had a 6.540 pass at 209.88 in a Camaro, and Johnson a 6.729 at 198.03 on a Suzuki.
Force dedicated his trophy to Smith, the executive chairman of Speedway Motorsports and founder of zMAX Dragway, who later was delivered the winning prize by his son Marcus.
Special delivery! Thank you @JohnForce_FC for all you do for @NHRA and for this incredibly special and generous gift! https://t.co/qLxBS7V8q1 pic.twitter.com/3utOhOjmCl
— Marcus Smith (@MarcusSMI) May 16, 2021
“I love Bruton and I ran my big mouth this weekend. I told him, ‘I can do this, I’m going to win this race for you,’ “ Force said in a track release. “I love this guy and everything he’s done for this sport. … This just makes me so proud.
“You never tell Bruton Smith you’re doing to do something and then you don’t do it. I tried to backpedal. These kids out here are so competitive and you never know how good you’ll be, but I’m excited I get to send this (trophy) home to somebody I love, a guy who built our sport.”
