In possibly the worst-kept secret in the NHRA, John Force, legendary 16-time Funny Car champion driver, has switched from the Ford camp to rejoin Chevrolet as his brand of choice. After taking a twenty-year hiatus from the bow-tie crew to man the wheel of a Blue Oval, feelings are mixed – depending on which side of the fence you stand.
But once Ford had ended his contract, many speculated that John might make the switch to the Toyota Camry, Dodge Challenger or Dodge Charger. Wanting to go back to his roots, the answer was clear. He’ll be stepping out of his Mustang and into a Chevy Camaro SS Funny Car for 2015.
He was recently quoted by the NHRA as saying, “It is great to be back with Chevrolet. I started my career in a Chevy and my plan is to keep racing with them for many years to come. This is a great American company and we are excited about the opportunities in front of us. “I won my first round of racing, went to my first final and got my first No. 1 in a Chevy. Since then I have won more rounds, races, championships than anyone in the sport. I have the record for most No. 1 qualifiers too and I can’t wait to get to the Winternationals and start adding to those records in a brand new Chevy.”
According to the NHRA, “the first 60 starts of John Force’s illustrious career were behind the wheel of a Chevrolet product. From 1978-80 he raced a Corvette before switching to a Citation (1981-82), Camaro (1983-84), Corvette (1985), and then a Cavalier (1986). Force won the 1994 NHRA Funny Car championship racing a Chevy Lumina to a 50-8 record, scoring 10 wins in 11 finals while earning 12 No. 1 qualifying positions.” Prior to that, he also raced in other classes and divisions with a Vega, Monza, and a pair of C3-style funny cars as well. With a record like that, it’s good to have Mr. Force back where he belongs.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
