2/12/07

We’re racing again! How great is THAT?

No true fan of John Force Racing is going to be satisfied with how the Winternationals ended on Sunday, but there are a lot of positives to take away from the first national event of 2007. Ashley’s long-awaited debut in a nitro Mustang alongside her dad, Robert and Eric was the unrivaled story of the race with a constant stream of media people—including the production crew from “Driving Force”—coming and going from Team Castrol’s pit.

I spent a fair amount of time down there over the weekend and I’m still unable to explain how John and his family somehow cope with the never-ending demands for their time and attention they’re confronted with. Through it all, John, Laurie, Ashley, Brittany and Courtney graciously attend to their media responsibilities, promotional obligations, and the hospitality afforded to the guests and VIP’s which come to visit them throughout the weekend with charm, humor, and warmth.

How many families anywhere in the world could do all that while competing in the frenetically fast world of NHRA drag racing?

The series of events which took place during Funny Car qualifying was as dramatic as qualifying ever gets. On Saturday evening, after qualifying had ended, I ran into John Jodauga, one of the excellent staff writers for National Dragster, and we both commented that Saturday’s action may have been the best qualifying show we had seen in a very long time. John’s late-inning miracle that put him solidly into the field, which bumped out Ashley, only to have her move back into the program on her last pass was drag racing theater at its best. And John’s tearful interview on ESPN2 moments after Ashley had qualified was classic Force. You HAD to love it!

And Robert’s outrageous 4.646 e.t in the semi-finals had the crowd jumping to its feet. It was in November that Jack Beckman ran what was then the quickest e.t in Funny Car history with his 4.662, but Robert didn’t waste any time bringing that distinction back to JFR with a run that looked as if it would lead to his successful defense of his 2006 event title. It wasn’t to be, however, when Robert had the misfortune of crossing the centerline in the final against Gary Scelzi and suffering a disappointing DQ.

Of course, by then, John had already lost to Cruz Pedregon in the first round, Ashley had lost to Robert in the opening round, despite Robert tossing the blower belt, while Eric’s weekend wasn’t as productive as he would have liked as he fell to Scelzi in Round 2. Brittany and Courtney couldn’t quite go the distance in Super Comp in their first outing of 2007, but the overall mood around the JFR pit area was upbeat, since everyone knows that the victories will come as the season races ahead.

I’ll be offering my own observations and candid opinions in the weeks ahead as always as In the Groove moves into its fourth year. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of JFR’s outstanding website and I hope you’ll make it a habit to stop by here often. 2007 will be an exciting year for me as I’ve just been hired by a number of the NHRA’s best-known professional teams to provide media training to their drivers to help them feel and look more at ease before the cameras and make the most of their media opportunities (No, John is definitely NOT one of my students!).

With a role on Discovery HD Theater’s “Appraise My Car”, a new series soon to debut on ESPN2 called “Bidding Wars”, occasional appearances on “Inside Drag Racing” on the Outdoor Channel, serving as a pit reporter for the entire Champ Car World Series in 2007 on NBC, CBS, ABC, and ESPN, some voice-over assignments on John’s reality show “Driving Force” on A&E, and several upcoming appearances on ESPN Classic which has been televising some of the NHRA national events first aired between 1995 and 1999, it seems almost inconceivable that this year I’ll be on the air on at least nine different broadcast and/or cable networks. So much for spending more time at home…….!

All of those duties won’t interfere with me tapping out the next “In the Groove” and that you’ll be able to find in two weeks following the CSK Nationals at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix.

Until then, buckle up and drive safely.