Brewster: John Force seeks to repeat NHRA history 22 years later

Will NHRA history repeat itself this weekend at the Northwest Nationals outside Seattle?

In 1994, John Force became the only Fuy Car driver to sweep the traditional Weste Swing, wiing in Denver, Sonoma and Seattle. This year, the 67-year-old from Yorba Linda heads to the northwest with wins in Denver and Sonoma.

Other than 22 years ago, how long has it been since the Weste sweep? The three wins in 1994 were numbers 37, 38 and 39 in Force’s storied career. On Sunday, Sonoma was career win 145. And if that doesn’t strike home, the drivers he defeated in 1994 — Chuck Etchells in the first two and Al Hoffman in Seattle — are deceased.

Force has been in this spot once after the initial sweep. In 2004, he also won in Denver and Sonoma but was defeated in the Seattle semifinals by Gary Scelzi, whose crew chief at the time was Mike Neff, now part of the Force brain trust.

It’s a small feat that Force has asserted himself into contention this year with all that he’s had to deal with, jumping from ninth to fifth in the points race with the two wins. He leads John Force Racing, a team that also includes daughter Brittany in a Top Fuel dragster; daughter Courtney and son-in-law Robert Hight in Fuy Car.

All are solidly in the top 10. In fact, both girls have clinched berths in the six-event Countdown for the Championship.

“I need Courtney with Traxxas and Brittany with Monster Energy,” Force said. “I am really proud of them getting into the Countdown. They deserve it. They have worked hard all season.”

Force can also take a step in that direction this weekend.

“Do I want to get the Swing? Without a doubt,” the 16-time Fuy Car champion said. “I (recently) talked with Austin Coil and he was congratulating me. Said I drove like I drove 20 years ago when we started beating them and when we were first wiing. He can see it because he taught me.

“Now I got a young generation, Mike Neff teaching me things. I’m so bullheaded when I drive. I was hurting myself there for a while with that new Chevy. I wasn’t believing it was me not lining up straight. I said I don’t care if it is crooked, I will drive out of it. When the car washes out, I will fix it. Nobody tells me.”

However, his new crew stepped in and it’s been quite a tuaround.

“Lay (Miglizzi, track specialist) came to me and said Neff and (crew chief Jon) Schaffer were right,” Force said. “He asked if I could look at the track marks on the ground and said. ‘You used to be a machine and now you are a little screwed up here.’ Boy, it opened my eyes.”

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Force will run the RealTree camouflaged scheme on his car this weekend for the third time.

“I was supposed to be ruing Peak blue but the body was coming apart that we already crashed. We fixed it twice and it just keeps coming apart and I can’t run it,” Force said. “We got a new body and trying to get it mounted because we are just starting to get bodies in. So I got to talk to Peak since Realtree was a one-race deal.

“It was a one-race deal … but now I have to run it in Seattle. These things have a little magic sometime. My chances to win the Swing? As good as anybody else’s.”

Pit stops

• Scott Smith has been named the new NHRA director of media relations, replacing Anthony Vestal, who recently resigned following a long tenure to work at Bristol Motor Speedway. Smith started with the NHRA as the communications manager at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in 2002. Six years later, he was named senior media relations manager and in 2012 served as the lead NHRA communications manager at various events. He also has previous experience with NASCAR, USAC, ARCA and various racing promoters. “We think Scott’s experience and knowledge of the company and the NHRA will be a natural fit to continue our growth in the media landscape,” NHRA vice president of public relations Terry Blount said. “He will be able to continue the ongoing efforts of the NHRA Communications Department and further promote the sport.”

• Orange Show Speedway alumnus and former Redlands resident Gary Nelson is team manager for Action Express Racing, guing for its third straight IMSA championship heading into this weekend’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America. The Action Express No. 5 entry of drivers Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi, in a Chevrolet Corvette DP, lead the championship point standings with the team’s second entry, the No. 31 with drivers Dane Cameron and Eric Curran, in second place. The team has a pair of one-two finishes in the most recent races at Watkins Glen and Canada. Fittipaldi and Barbosa have 220 points, followed closely by Curran and Cameron at 216 points. Third are brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP with 211 points.

• NASCAR fans have until Sept. 6 to renew their Auto Club Speedway tickets and become a “Hard Card Member,” which will provide exclusive admission to question-and-answer sessions with drivers, a 20th aiversary commemorative gift, early gate entrance on specific race days and more.

• Grand Arena at the Industry Hills Expo Center will be busy Saturday afteoon as it host will three main events, which makes it one of the popular events of the summer. The So Cal Oval Karters will compete along with Speedway Sprints from Victorville’s Wheel2Wheel Raceway and the Norco Mower Racers. Gates will open at 2:30 p.m. and the first race is scheduled 30 minutes later. Hesperia’s Chris Southe and KT100 class rival Joe Gibb of Lakewood are locked in a points battle. Southe, who won the first four main events of the year, is out front by 20 points. Gibb has won the last two main events to dramatically cut into Southe’s point lead. Gibb has dominated the Open Class, wiing five of the first six races. Southe holds the other win.

• Perris Auto Speedway will be dark the next two Saturday nights. Racing will retu Aug. 20 with a card featuring PASSCAR Stock Cars, IMCA Modifieds and CDCRA Dwarf Cars. The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will be highlight the Califoia Racer’s Hall of Fame Night on Aug. 27. Canyon Country’s Richard McCormick prevailed Saturday in the Senior Sprints (drivers 45 and older) main event, beating Palmdale’s Rick Hendrix and Dwayne Marcum of Riverside. In the Young Gun Sprints (drivers 14-25 with no prior sprint car experience), Daniel Anderson of Venice finished ahead of Lake Elsinore’s Timmy Fritch and Eric Englert of San Dimas.

• Tim de Silva, a 20-year-old from Rancho Palos Verdes who competes in Pacific F2000, was among 11 young racers who attended the IndyCar Series race last weekend at Mid-Ohio at Lexington to be interviewed for the Team USA Scholarship. Two drivers will ultimately will be chosen to represent the United States at the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch from Oct. 21-23 and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone from Nov. 4-6.