4/16/07

The team really needed that!

If ever there was a race in which one of the JFR team Mustangs absolutely NEEDED to be in the winner’s circle at the end of the day, the SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas this past weekend was it.  Robert’s win was dramatic, emotional, and another inescapable reminder that the memory of Eric Medlen continues to influence the sentiments of the entire drag racing community.

It was a very challenging week for John and the team in Las Vegas heading up to the race. The cooperation of the NHRA with JFR to conduct testing at the Strip after the roll cage changes had been made to John’s car on Tuesday was unprecedented and productive.  A lot was learned during those tests and it’s my guess that the modifications that John’s Castrol Mustang underwent to better protect the driver during extreme tire shake will at some point find their way into the NHRA rulebook. 

John’s unfortunate DNQ has been a major topic of conversation all over the motorsports world. In fact, I couldn’t attend the SummitRacing.com Nationals because I was covering the Champ Car World Series Long Beach Grand Prix for NBC this weekend and there were many people there who constantly asked me my opinion of John’s broken qualifying streak. The entire racing world is aware of John and his amazing accomplishments and news of John’s failure to make the Las Vegas field had everyone wondering how that could have happened.

John got off to a great start on Friday and was actually No.1 with his 4.88 opening lap. But John was unable to keep shaving that 4.88 down over the next two sessions and the 14-time champ found himself on the bump heading into his final attempt. As we know now, Jack Beckman bumped John out and ended one of the most phenomenal qualifying streaks in the history of automobile racing—395 consecutive starts dating back to 1987.

I think the way that John expressed his feelings following the DNQ when asked about it is yet another reason why I’m privileged to call him a friend. He pointed out that failing to qualify is surely a disappointment to him and his team, but after what he and everyone at John Force Racing have had to cope with over the past several weeks, a DNQ is far from a disaster. That’s the kind of lesson we all have to be reminded of and I think it’s especially valuable for kids to hear that kind of insight coming from a superstar who they look up to and admire.

Make no mistake, John hated to see his incredible 20-year qualifying streak come to an end, but he can put that DNQ into perspective in a way that we can all learn from. We should all be proud that we’re John Force fans.

Robert’s final round victory over Ron Capps sets the stage for what will unquestionably be a season-long rivalry. Take this to the bank: There will be numerous Hight-Capps head-to-heads this season and how that high-powered turf battle can only intensify over the next 18 races. The Countdown to the Championship may allow more drivers to remain alive in the title chase as the season winds down, but Robert and Ron will be two of the biggest dogs in this fight and John is going to have to reverse the mysteriously slow start he’s begun the 2007 season with.

But despite the tearful winner’s circle ceremonies in which Eric was mentioned and remembered, everyone agreed it was great to have John Force Racing back in action after missing the race in Houston two weeks ago and for the sport to move the healing process forward one step at a time.

After a two-week respite, the tour rolls into Atlanta for the Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. I’ll be hanging out in the JFR pits during that weekend and I’m hoping John, Ashley, Robert and the team will have more to celebrate on Sunday.

I’ll have more from “In the Groove” right after the race, so come back then!

Thanks a lot, and drive safely