John Force has earned a pile of accolades over his NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series career. The owner of John Force Racing, as a driver he’s won 157 Funny Car races, earned 16 Funny Car championships and been inducted to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2012), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2008), the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame two years ago in 2023, California’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and, in 2011 Force entered the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Another prize has come Force’s way, as he’s been cited by the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CFMHOF) – even though Force is a native Californian. It’s not often Canadians celebrate the exploits of American motorsports icons, so the inclusion of Force acknowledges the impact his career has had north of the United States border. Force earned his first NHRA trophy in Canada at Sanair Raceway in St. Pie, Quebec in a race called le Grandnational. It was on June 28, 1987 that he began his rampage through the NHRA record books, but that day didn’t have the initial impact it has today, 156 wins later.
Force, currently in treatment for a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) suffered last June at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, wasn’t on-hand to accept his honor on Saturday, February 15 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, but he did send a video acceptance, taped at his John Force Racing shop near his home, in Yorba Linda, California.
“I’m very proud to accept this honor, along with the other 2024 inductees,” Force said. “It’s been a rough year and I’m sorry I couldn’t be there in Canada for the ceremonies, but this is special to me, because I won my first NHRA race in Canada. It may have been a long time ago, but I still remember,” he said in appreciation of this honor.
Force had a rather un-Force-like record of 1-4 in his first four starts in le Grandnational, which is the sole international race that’s ever been part of the NHRA’s professional series in all its incarnations. Following that, he was 20-4 in the next seven appearances, with three wins – 1987, 1990, 1992 – and two runner-up results. The race at Sanair Raceway was discontinued in 1993.
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame created an International category in 2009 to recognize non-Canadians who have made unmatched contributions to Canada’s racing heritage. Force, 75, is the first drag racer selected for induction to this Hall’s International category from straight-line racing and joins an elite group that includes American open-wheel standouts Mario and Michael Andretti, Formula One champion and safety czar Sir Jackie Stewart of the UK, 1992 F1 titleholder Nigel Mansell of the UK, Scot Dario Franchitti, who owns four INDYCAR championships and three wins at the Indianapolis 500, racer, car builder and chili aficionado Carroll Shelby and three-time INDYCAR champ Bobby Rahal, who co-owns Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame is managed by the Canadian Motorsports Heritage Foundation (CMHF) and is housed in CMHF’s museum at Downsview Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Over the past 32 years, the CMHOF haas inducted 294 drivers, mechanics, journalists, officials and organizations that have left their mark in a variety of categories: drag racing, oval track racing, road racing, boat racing and off-road competition.
Among the drag racing Canadians that have been inducted to CMHOF are Bernie Fedderley, who was co-crew chief during 12 of John Force’s record 16 Funny Car championship seasons; Fedderley was among the first Canadian drag racing inductees in 1995. Other prominent Canadian drag racing honorees include the late Dale Armstrong in 1994, Top Fuel driver and former NHRA vice president of competition Graham Light (1996), two-time NHRA Top Fuel World Champion Gary Beck in 1998 and 1980 U.S. Nationals Top Fuel winner Terry Capp.
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