Capitalizing on the National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) plan to celebrate 2027 as the Year of Force, award winning motorsports PR professional and former John Force Racing Media Services Director, Elon Werner, has collected first-person accounts from over 50 NHRA drivers and significant personalities recounting their first time racing the 16-time Funny Car world champion. Over 50 years of racing Force transformed himself from a menace on the drag strip to the undisputed greatest drag racer of all time. Racing John Force: Stories from the Racers Who Knew Drag Racing’s Greatest Champion delivers personal insights from drivers who faced Force at every level of his career.
Werner, who served as the John Force Racing team PR representative from 2006-2019, has been involved in NHRA drag racing for over 30 years. His unique insight and access to NHRA drivers gives Racing John Force an unvarnished and personal look that has not been revealed before. The inspiration for the book is the combination of Werner’s experience reading Stephen Brunt’s excellent book Facing Ali and a conversation with Funny Car driver Dave Richards following his first race with Force at the inaugural NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire in 2013. Werner realized the tapestry of drivers’ experiences racing Force spanned a complete spectrum of emotions.
“I can’t thank all the drivers and drag racing personalities who took some time and told me their memories and experiences of racing John Force for the first time,” said Werner. “John’s career and accomplishments are his story to tell but hearing the stories of his legendary rise to drag racing superstardom from so many perspectives throughout his career was amazing. Every driver had a unique perspective, and their stories will be perfect for Force fans or anyone who wants to see how someone can rise from nothing to be the best in the world through sheer determination, grit and a passion for following their dream against all odds.”Personal stories from other drivers including Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme, Whit Bazemore, Ashley Force Hood, Courtney Force, Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, Cruz Pedregon, Gary Scelzi, Robert Hight, Austin Prock, Frank Hawley, Jim Dunn, Al Segrini, Jack Beckman, Gary Densham, Dean Skuza, KC Spurlock, Mike Neff, Billy Meyer, Del Worsham, Mike Dunn and more fill the pages. In addition to Funny Car drivers, Werner spoke with Top Fuel competitors Bob Vandergriff Jr. and Doug Kalitta who battled Force during the infamous Funny Car versus Top Fuel 1999 Winston No Bull Showdown. Force’s longtime crew chief Austin Coil, wife Laurie Force, legendary Orange County starter Larry Sutton, and track operators John Bandimere Jr. and Bill Bader Jr. share their personal accounts of Force rising to world-wide popularity from humble beginnings as a truck driver from California.
The dramatic and sometimes hilarious stories will be supplemented with amazing photography from award winning photographer Richard Shute and Auto Imagery. Shute captured every Force winner’s circle and significant achievement and will provide never-before published photographs. Plans also include a companion podcast featuring the audio recordings of all the interviews to deliver the emotional experience of hearing unfiltered Force stories straight from the people who knew him the best.
The book will highlight each interviewee and how they fit into the incredible universe of drivers, personalities and track operators who interacted with John Force over his 50-year career. When necessary, statistics, historical notes and backstory will be added to the introductions, but the stories will be 100 percent their personal recollections for Racing John Force: Stories from the Racers Who Knew Drag Racing’s Greatest Champion. The book is scheduled for release in 2027 and a publisher and release date will be announced before the end of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series 2026 season.
The post Racing John Force: Stories From the Racers Who Knew Drag Racing’s Greatest Champion Set for 2027 Release first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
