Force conquers biggest fear - off the track

Anne M. Peterson

Thursday, Aug. 16, 2001 | 5:22 a.m.

John Force has conquered his most troubling fear, and it had nothing to do with speeding down a quarter-mile drag strip at more than 300 mph.

Force was afraid of sharks.

A one-time surfer, he gave up the hobby after seeing the movie "Jaws," and getting a glimpse of a shark in Australia that could "swallow you whole."

But a few weeks ago, a stressed-out Force stopped at a Southern California beach. He got his hands on a boogie board and ventured into the water.

"I sat in the sand and I got so emotional I almost cried," he said. "Where did the last 25 years go?"

The surfing gave him solace.

"I found a little piece of myself," he said.

But shark phobia never threatened to undo a great career. Force is the winningest driver in pro drag racing history - a 10-time NHRA Funny Car champion.

Now, heading to the Colonel's Truck Nationals on Sunday in Brainerd, Minn., Force is just three wins away from 100 tour victories. That's 14 more than any driver in the history of the sport and 65 more than any other Funny Car ace.

Now, Force wants win No. 100. He'd also like that 11th championship.

"When I'm introduced, I want to be known as the winningest guy in history," he said with a laugh. "Even though other guys have passed up Babe Ruth, I still look at him as the 'King of Swat.' He was a legend. I'd like to be remembered that way."

The son of a truck driver, Force drove a truck himself as he broke into the business. His first sponsor was a gasoline credit card.

His first professional race in a Funny Car came in 1978, but he lost in nine finals before earning his first career victory in 1987 in Montreal.

His best season was 1996, when he won 13 races, appeared in 16 final rounds and won 65 elimination rounds - all NHRA single-season records.

In 1998, Force became the first Funny Car driver to break the 320-mph barrier, when he ran 323.35 mph in Englishtown, N.J.

Along the way, he has become the undisputed king of drag racing. His big smile has easily made him the sport's most recognizable figure. But his career is not nearly as legendary as his sense of humor and gift of gab.

Last week, at Sears Point Raceway in Northern California's scenic wine country, Force ate peanut butter straight from the jar, popped ginseng vitamins and regaled his audience with shark stories.

Like any proud father, he went on about his four daughters. One, Ashley, is starting a racing career in a Super Comp dragster owned by Force.

"She wants to drive, she has the desire," Force said of his 18-year-old daughter. "Hopefully she's got the genes. Now she needs the experience."

But the subject always turns back to those two looming milestones: the 11th championship and the 100th win.

Force has won five times this season, giving him the lead in the standings, far ahead of second-place Del Worsham. Another championship would give Force nine straight.

And there's no slowdown in sight. Force intends to drive for at least five more years.

"This isn't like NASCAR, where you're out there for three hours at a time," he said. "You're only out there for seconds. In fact, when you've done this for 25 years it's easier. You react on instinct. You're prepared."