There have been two constants in my life: Keith Richards playing guitar for the Stones and John Force racing Funny Cars.
And now, we’re down to Keef.
I’ve spent 20 or so years working in various forms of motorsports, but drag racing has always been my favorite. And Force was one of my favorites within the favorite. Hearing he’s finally stepping away at 76 due to injuries sustained during a vicious crash last year in Richmond made me think of my first meeting with 16x.
It was 2003 and I was co-hosting a racing radio show in St. Louis. My knowledge was limited to mostly NASCAR and local dirt racing, despite Gateway International Raceway (now World Wide Technology Raceway) having a legendary drag-racing facility.
An area newspaper reached out, asking if I’d be interested in covering that year’s NHRA Midwest Nationals on their behalf. A local high schooler had earned a scholarship from Force’s then-title sponsor Castrol and they wanted to highlight him. I said sure and asked about compensation.
“Why, we’ll give you a byline and all the exposure that goes along with it!”
Yes, fellow freelancers, you can groan along with me. That said, I was young in my motorsports career, so it wasn’t a terrible deal. Plus, I was going to cover my first NHRA National. The paper asked me to follow the young man around, get some pics of him touring the Castrol pits and then chat with the man who would become a 16-time Funny Car champion and 157-time National event winner. I’d talked to a ton of drivers, this Force guy couldn’t be any different.
Heh.
At the time, Gateway also hosted IRL (now IndyCar) events, with Sam Hornish being the top dog of the series. Here’s an interesting thing about Sam: his team was sponsored by a company called Pennzoil. I liked me some Sam and as such, bought me some merch. Being an inexperienced racing reporter, it didn’t occur to me that it’s unprofessional to interview a world-class race car driver looking like a fanboy. Another fact lost on me was the concept of competing sponsorships.
You might see where this is headed.
I had time to kill so I walked around and experienced nitro for the first time. Along with CH3NO2 sinus drainage, I also began my love affair with tinnitus, the gift that keeps on giving (hearing protection is important, folks!). Former track PR man Pete Wickham (race in peace, brother) showed me around and led me to the John Force Racing pit. Knowing Pete, I’m pretty sure he saw my hat and knew what was coming. Friends are awesome.
At the time, Tony Pedregon was piloting the other ride in the two-car team, winning the title that year and breaking John’s streak of ten straight class championships. I saw him first and chatted him up, busting his chops about missing a scheduled interview with me that week to promote the race. Tony, in full race mode, didn’t care for having his chops busted by some local rube he’d never met and wandered off after talking about the Castrol program with the young award winner. (NOTE: Tony’s brother and fellow Funny Car champ, Cruz, called my show at the last minute and a good time was had by all.)
After a moment of head-swiveling awe in the JFR pit, The Man arrived. If you think John is a force of nature now (pun mostly intended), seeing him in his racing prime was an experience. Since he hit his stride in the early ‘90s, there’s never been a time he wasn’t a drag racing icon, including now. But man, he was the ish at that moment.
And the first thing the ish noticed was my hat.
Without a word, without even saying hi, he snatched the offending yellow headpiece from my noggin and tossed it in the trash. He grabbed a Castrol cap from a nearby table and plopped it on my head.
“Alright, now we can talk!”
John being John, he’s used to people being taken aback by their first experience of the Force being with them (pun absolutely intended) so he stood smiling waiting for me to regain my composure. I did and we had a great conversation. He also talked to the high schooler and, as he’s treated fans for as long as I’ve known him, acted like he’d known the kid his entire life.
I’d eventually become the PR director at Gateway and had several interactions with him. I was with PEAK when they began their sponsorship with JFR and was able to continue that relationship. Through my now-defunct Nitro Notespodcast and my long-time affiliation with Drag Illustrated, my chats with him have been cherished moments in my career.
The Yorba Linda, Calif. native always talked about how he’d only quit racing when he was dead. He joked with his legendary PR reps Dave Densmore and Elon Werner that, even after he passed, they could take his Funny Car on tour with him still strapped to it. But the last wreck was the last wreck. He had priorities.
Daughters and NHRA Nationals winners Ashley Force-Hood and Courtney Force both stepped away from the sport to start families. This past summer, Top Fuel champion Brittany Force announced she was doing the same after the 2025 season. In his retirement announcement, John talked about wanting to spend time with his growing horde of grandchildren.
I don’t know a world without John Force racing a Funny Car. Going to the track and not seeing him in a firesuit zipping around on a scooter or blasting down the strip at 330 mph is hard to picture. But to the man who began my journey into drag racing and showed me that being the GOAT also means treating fans and media with kindness and respect, I say thank you for being you.
Even if it did cost me a ballcap.
This story was originally published on November 15, 2025. 
The post Op-Ed: The Day I Met John Force first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
