Top Fuel drivers Brittany Force (near lane) and Steve Torrence (far lane) head down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force watches the track clean up following Alex Miladinovich’s crash during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Ron Capps (far lane) races to the number one qualifying position as he races against Robert Hight (near lane) during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Alex Miladinovich (right) looses control of his hot rod and crashes into the retaining wall as he narrowly misses colliding into Tony Jurado (left) during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Miladinovich was not injured. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver J.R. Todd (left) hits the throttle as he heads down track against Cruz Pedregon (right) during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver John Force hits the throttle as he heads down track during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley heads down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Alex Miladinovich (right) looses control of his hot rod and crashes into the retaining wall as he narrowly misses colliding into Tony Jurado (left) during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Miladinovich was not injured. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Alex Miladinovich’s stands a top his hot after losing control of his race car and crashing into the retaining wall during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Miladinovich was not injured. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Brittany Force rides back to the pits after capturing the top qualifying position during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Paul Lee does his burnout during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Antron Brown waves to the crowd following the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett, from Redlands, waves to the crowd following the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel drivers Josh Hart (left) and Clay Millican (right) head down track during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car drivers John Force (left) and Chad Green (right) head down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Brittany Force (left) races to the top qualifying position during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022 as she races against Steve Torrence (right). Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel drivers Brittany Force (near lane) and Steve Torrence (far lane) head down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Matt Hagan heads down track during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria does her burnout during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso sits in her hot rod in the staging lanes prior to the second round of qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson walks through the staging lanes prior to the second round of qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher climbs into his dragster prior to the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso sits in her hot rod in the staging lanes prior to the second round of qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett, from Redlands, heads down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock driver Dallas Glenn prepares for the second round of qualifying in the staging lanes at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett, from Redlands, fist pumps a crew member prior to the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley heads down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver J.R. Todd does his burnout during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria heads down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car drivers Robert Hight (near lane) and Ron Capps (far lane) head down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett, from Redlands, gets belted into her dragster prior to the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car drivers Alexis DeJoria (right) and Tim Wilkerson (left) head down track during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso sits in her hot rod in the staging lanes prior to the second round of qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Alex Miladinovich’s hot rod comes to a stop after losing control of his race car and crashing into the retaining wall during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Miladinovich was not injured. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher stretches prior to climbing into his dragster prior to the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel drivers Leah Pruett (left) and Doug Kalitta (right) head down track during the final round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are the number one qualifiers going into Sunday’s eliminations. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher smokes his tires during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Antron Brown waves to the crowd following the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Paul Lee does his burnout during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett, from Redlands, waves to the crowd following the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel driver Josh Hart heads down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver J.R. Todd backs up his hot rod following burnout during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Top Fuel drivers Austin Prock (near lane) and Doug Kalitta (far lane) head down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Funny Car driver Jim Campbell heads down track during the second round of nitro qualifying at the season opening 62nd annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Pomona on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
POMONA – It may be premature to say John Force Racing is back in full force, but that is what Force said even before 35-year-old daughter Brittany Force took the top spot in Top Fuel qualifying Saturday at the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals at the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.
In the second from last run of the second qualifying session of the day, Brittany turned in a run of 3.661 seconds at 333.91 mph, to gain what the NHRA calls the pole position. She will face No. 16 seeded Ron August Jr., a veteran racer from Pleasanton, Calif., in the first of four elimination rounds today, which begin at 11 a.m. after pre-race ceremonies.
Another Force Top Fuel driver, 27-year-old Austin Brock, qualified fourth. Justin Farley, who turned in the fastest qualifying run Friday night, is seeded No. 2. Steve Torrence, going for his fourth straight national title, is seeded No. 6, and Tony Schumacher, returning to NHRA racing full time after three years, is a disappointing 12th.
The second of the two Funny Car qualifying runs concluded Saturday’s program, and provided a scary moment.
During the second run, Alex Miladinovich, 48, of Orange, a newcomer to Nitro Funny Car racing, was involved in what appeared to be an awful crash. Halfway down the 1,000-foot course, the car made a hard right turn and pancaked into a concrete barrier. Miladinovich got out of the car and stood on the top to motion that he was okay, which no doubt was a relief to his wife, Marcia, an elementary school teacher.
Qualifying was delayed for a half-hour, and when it finished well into the evening hours, John Force driver Robert Hight, who had the fastest qualifying time Friday night, got nipped in the night’s final run by defending national champion and new team owner Ron to earn the No. 1 seed.
Force, the irrepressible 72-year-old, made the field of 16 as the 16th qualifier, and will face Capps in today’s first round.
“We all knew John was in the 16th spot,” Capps said, “so you think, ‘Do I want to take the top spot and face him?’ But, yes, it was great taking the top spot.”
In Pro Stock, Eric Enders’ top qualifying time on Friday held up and she is seeded No. 1 in her class.
Between Saturday’s qualifying sessions in the afternoon, John Force was asked, “Is it too early to say John Force Racing is back in full force?”
“We are back in full force!” Force said emphatically in his hoarse voice.
Brittany was a little more reserved after her run.
“It is only first race of the season, but I am excited,” she said. “This is my home track. This is where I came as a kid to see my dad race.”
Both Brittany and her dad said they had a good feeling after testing the previous weekend in Phoenix, and now this, which is a far cry from 2020.
When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, after two NHRA races, Force shut down operations. He kept as many people in a workforce of 109 on salary, but on a limited schedule.
“I’m not Schumacher, Kalitta or Capco,” he said, referring to team owners Don Schumacher, Connie Kalitta and Steve Torrence’s sponsor, the family’s pipeline business. “Drag racing is all I’ve got. We couldn’t afford to keep everyone on full salary when we weren’t racing.”
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Force’s money comes mainly from sponsors such as the Auto Club and Peak Performance, a coolant and lubricant company.
Schumacher, who has gotten rich making battery chargers and other electrical gadgets, has a net worth that is said to be $350 million. Connie Kalitta, who owns a cargo airline, is said to be worth $200 million.
Force maintains an office and museum in his hometown of Yorba Linda, which he calls his corporate headquarters. He houses his cars at his own 150,000 square-foot tech utopia in Brownsburg, Ind., similar to the one Schumacher maintains there. He calls the Brownsburg facility his racing headquarters, and that is where he makes most of his tools, equipment and the chassis for his cars.
Force Racing returned to competition in 2021, but with three drivers rather than four. The company is back to four with the addition with the up-and-coming Prock, the 2019 rookie of the year when he won at Seattle, the site of Forces’ historic career win No. 150 on his way to 154.
And the Force workforce is back up to 80. That may not be full force, but close enough. And now it is up to the Force drivers, including John himself, to complete the John Force Racing comeback.
