Absence Leaves NHRA with John Force-Sized Hole at U.S. Nationals

John Force, along with Ed “The Ace” McCulloch, has the most Funny Car victories at the U.S. Nationals, with five.

And Force has made 43 appearances at the NHRA’s premier event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, calling it a “busy weekend, always is, as it should be: biggest race of the year, biggest drag race in the world.”

His PEAK Chevy Camaro will be prominent at this weekend at the Toyota-sponsored race—with driver and 2012 Funny Car champion Jack Beckman at the wheel for a second straight event. This final race before the Countdown begins will mark a rare absence by the 16-time series champion.

After winning the most recent of his five Indianapolis trophies in 2019, Force and his team sat out all four Indianapolis races, including the U.S. Nationals. In his first trip to “The Big Go,” in 1979, he failed to qualify. He skipped the 1982 edition. This time around, he’s out of the car, still recovering from a traumatic brain injury diagnosis following a high-speed racing accident near Richmond, Va.

The John Force Racing camp, the Force family, and Force himself have remained silent about his progress, his plans to return or retire, and what to expect as the season winds down with this event and six Countdown races.

Funny Car veteran Ron Capps said this week, “Already we’re getting a glimpse of NHRA without John Force. Throughout history, we’ve had these heroes/icons of the sport that have pretty much carried the sport through certain periods of its time, going way back. And certainly, when you look back years from now, you’re going to see that Snake and The Mongoose and Don Garlits and ‘The Greek’ [Chris Karamesines] and ‘The Ace,’ you’re just talking about all the people that have had a stamp on NHRA’s history.

“It’s hard to top what John Force has done, and it’s very strange not having him around at the racetrack, for me, especially, as tight as we’ve been and how much he’s meant to me as a person on and off the racetrack. But [he’s] a foe, as well. It’s been some unbelievable match-ups. Every time we come up, it’s interesting to hear the people on TV talk about how many times we’ve met before, whether it’s a final round or for championships or just head-to-head. It's a lot,” he said.

“So we hope to have him back. Everybody’s on pins and needles, just wondering when he’ll get back out,” Capps said. “Obviously, his health’s more important than anything. But for me, it’s going to be a great sight the first time we have him back at the racetrack, whether it’s just hanging out or riding around on the scooter and coming up and talking to me on a Friday before our first qualifying run.”

For Beckman, the opportunity is rejuvenation. He said, “The last year that I raced (2020), the world was falling apart. There were four national events at Indy but only one U.S. Nationals, and I left with the trophy. Fast Forward four years, and now I am strapped into a Chevy Camaro that I think is the baddest race car in the pits, driving for the coolest car owner, at the biggest race of the year. We have a realistic shot at winning ‘The Big Go’ for PEAK.”

Force won the U.S. Nationals in in 1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, and 2019.