![\"2016_John_Force[1]\"](\"http:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/2016_John_Force1-214x300.jpg\")
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What started as a sociable gesture at the starting line in Friday\u2019s NHRA Winternationals– a normal handshake from team owner, John Force, to fellow competitor, Don Schumacher–has turned out to be the first salvo in a battle that had been brewing between the two racing organizations since the last win light at Pomona.<\/p>\n
Schumacher\u2019s avoidance to return his notion offering just a shrug spoke volumes and although he acknowledged Force walking beside him, he wasn\u2019t about to be cordial to his long-time rival and nemesis.<\/p>\n
It was rooted at the end of last season when crew chief, Jimmy Prock left Don Schumacher Racing returning to John Force Racing and it came as a shock to Schumacher, who suddenly had to find a replacement crew chief for his Jack Beckman Dodge Funny Car.\u00a0 As a package, it was Prock, Chris Cunningham, and long-time crew chief, John Medlen heading to Force with Medlen changing in midstream returning back to DSR to join Guido Antonelli and Neal Strausbaugh to head up the Infinite Hero racing program for 2017.<\/p>\n
![\"2015_Don_Schumacher_Head[1]\"](\"http:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/2015_Don_Schumacher_Head1-214x300.jpg\")
With the season quickly approaching with testing on the horizon all these positions were quickly filled but the juggling that Schumacher had to go through wasn\u2019t expected bringing the bitterness between the two major NHRA car owners to a hilt.<\/p>\n
From the FOX broadcast, interviewed by Amada Busick, Force stated when questioned about Schumacher\u2019s cold shoulder said, \u201cI\u2019m not going to stand here and throw mud.\u00a0 I\u2019m a drag racer, that\u2019s what I do.\u00a0 I tried to say, hi, that\u2019s all.\u00a0 \u00a0I was trying to do that and I was a little surprised (when he didn\u2019t shake Force\u2019s hand).\u00a0 I tried to shake his hand and it was, \u2018whoa\u2019 that really surprised me.\u00a0 Is that how\u2019s it works?<\/p>\n
\u201cI had just complimented him just 15 minutes before and I know I\u2019m a high-energy, overkill, yelling, screaming guy, but I\u2019m excited about what we do and what my kids do and my sponsors that are here with me.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have his kind of money.\u00a0 Without my sponsors, I\u2019m done, I\u2019m finished and I\u2019ve worked my butt off to stay in business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you think, I\u2019m gonna stand on the starting line, even to a billionaire, and take an ass chewing?\u00a0 No, I\u2019m not.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t know who I am.\u00a0 Maybe I don\u2019t know who he is. \u00a0But I was a little surprised and I\u2019m going to try again.\u00a0 Don doesn\u2019t know it, but we\u2019re going to be friends one day.\u00a0 We already say \u2018hi\u2019 in racing, but maybe go fishing sometime.\u00a0 It really surprised me, the things that he said and I\u2019m not going to repeat them.\u00a0 I want to hear him say them again.\u00a0 I want to understand it.\u00a0 He told me, this ain\u2019t personal this is all about winning.\u00a0 To me, it\u2019s all about family, but it\u2019s all about winning.\u00a0 I can give the man a chance.\u00a0 I don\u2019t walk in another man\u2019s shoes.\u00a0 Maybe, I caught him at a bad time.\u00a0 I\u2019m amazed, just bring the sh*t on!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Schumacher was quick to point out saying, \u201cWe have a tremendous rivalry going and what happened over the winter just intensified that rivalry,\u201d said Schumacher.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s where it\u2019s at.\u00a0 I have the highest desire to go out and beat John Force and John Force\u2019s teams every time we pull up into the starting line and that\u2019s the way it\u2019s going to be.<\/p>\n \u201cWe discussed crew chiefs moving around.\u00a0 I am not pleased with John overpaying people to move people around (for his benefit).\u00a0 It\u2019s destroying the sport.\u00a0 You can\u2019t get sponsors to pay the kind of funds that are necessary to complete in a financial world that John is overpaying people, plain and simple, he\u2019s destroying the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n The two rivals talk about the incident in the video below:<\/p>\n![\"Schumacher](\"http:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Schumacher-v-Force.png\")