FORCE, SUPERMAN BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT
BRISTOL, Tenn. – It is somewhat ironic that Superman returns to movie theaters this Friday, the same day that John Force returns to 
Bristol Dragway, the stage on which his 1999 portrayal of the Man of Steel elevated him to a status beyond that of mere mortal.
Driving a Superman-themed Castrol GTX Ford Funny Car and outfitted in a special blue-and-red firesuit emblazoned with the iconic “S” logo, Force dispatched five Top Fuel dragsters en route to a Winston Showdown victory that delivered the biggest single event payoff in NHRA history, a whopping $210,000.
Now, 14 years later, drag racing’s biggest winner hopes to mirror Superman’s latest comeback with one of his own in the 13th renewal of the Ford Thunder Valley Nationals presented by the Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers.
Mired in 10th place in Mello Yello points and as yet unable to secure a berth in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout in which he is the defending Funny Car champion, the 64-year-old veteran is looking for relief on a track that has delivered some of his biggest career moments.
In fact, Force rolled into Bristol Dragway in similar, but far more desperate circumstances in 2007.
Winless that year through the first 11 races, mourning the loss of team driver Eric Medlen in a testing accident and not even among the Top 15 in points, the former big rig truck driver rallied to win the event, spurring him to final round appearances in four of the next five races.
That got him back on track before a near fatal crash at Dallas prematurely ended his season.
He could use just such a turnaround this week at the wheel of a Castrol GTX Mustang that he inists is on the verge of a major breakout.
“Beating the dragsters, our big brothers, that was really special,” Force said of his 1999 bonus win. “That was magic, but it’s in the past. Right now we’re having trouble just beating Funny Cars.
“We changed the chassis, we changed the seat, we changed the clutch,” he explained. “We’re getting better. We got a No. 1 (qualifying position) at Topeka but we haven’t put it all together on race day.”
Although Force technically hasn’t won a tour event in 18 months (31 races), he did prevail in last September’s Traxxas-backed bonus race and, in so doing, earned the biggest winners’ purse of the year – $100,000 – which again underscored his reputation for turning in his biggest performances in the sport’s biggest events.
“Everybody knows we’ve been struggling,” Force said of the current campaign. “It’s no secret, but we’ve been there before. We know what to do. I still believe I can compete and I still believe I can win. I know (crew chief) Mike Neff and Jon Schaffer are gonna give me a good hot rod and Bruton Smith always gives us a good race track. I’m excited about going to Bristol.”
An into the two major motor sports Halls of Fame, Force may no longer be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but he’s still faster than a speeding bullet and that makes him exceedingly dangerous, especially at Bristol, where he’s been the Funny car winner every third year since 2004.
By the way, this is the third year since he last won – in 2010.
