COMMERCE, GA (May 4, 2013) --- Rain forced the NHRA to postpone the 33rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals to Friday, May10 and Saturday, May 11. Friday will include two qualifying sessions, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., and then Saturday will feature final eliminations at 11 a.m. All four John Force Racing race cars will return to Commerce, Georgia to race next weekend.
“Having rain postpone us really hurts because we want to race. It is what we do. We want to hear the roar of the crowd. I hope all the fans come back next Friday for qualifying and then the race on Saturday. We will put on a great show and I am looking to go rounds,” said John Force, 15-time Funny Car champion.
“Fans at least got to see my race car at the Wal-Mart all weekend. I heard they had big crowds over there and I hope we sold some Mello Yello and Castrol. They told me my hot rod was right in the middle of all the clothes.”
Force’s 25th anniversary Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang Funny Car was indeed the center of attention from Thursday through tomorrow at the Wal-Mart in Commerce, Georgia. The Funny Car that Force drove to his historic 15th NHRA Funny Car championship was rolled into the store on Thursday and will leave on Sunday. Fans from all over the state were thrilled to see the Funny Car
“Seeing this Funny Car is amazing. This is the closest I have even been to a John Force Funny Car. I’ve been close at the races but nothing like this. It is really unique to see a race car in a Wal-Mart and I think it is pretty cool,” said Elsa Hasley, of Douglasville, Georgia. “I am a John Force fan and I love racing. My family races some on the weekends but nothing like the pros.”
For the Wal-Mart staff having a Funny Car on display was a first time experiment that paid off for the store. Throughout the weekend a steady flow of fan stopped, gawked and shopped.
“It is a huge deal for us and it is an honor for us to have this John Force Castrol Funny Car in our Wal-Mart. Every customer that came by stopped and looked at it. It just promotes the fact that we are here and we support the track. We have everything a race fan would need to take out to the races for the day or the weekend. We just want to support drag racing,” said Mike Nichols, Wal-Mart shift manager
“For Commerce the Southern Nationals is it. It is like a second Christmas so have John Force’s Funny Car here is an attraction. We have never had a Funny Car here before and on Friday night at around 6 p.m. there were 30 people looking at it. It is a huge honor and I want customers to think after the race that they need to come by Wal-Mart and get whatever they need. I would like this to become a tradition where people are coming into our Wal-Mart next year to see what kind of display we’ll have.”
