Force says 13th title the toughest

Monday, Nov. 1, 2004 | 9:20 a.m.

There was a time when John Force used to take for granted winning NHRA championships.

Not anymore.

Force, who clinched his 13th career NHRA Funny Car championship Saturday night at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, said it took having his 10-year run of titles snapped last season to appreciate what he has accomplished in the sport.

"Yeah, I took a lot of them for granted," said Force, who won 12 Funny Car championships from 1990 to 2002. "We used to go to the winner's circle and it was like, 'Well, we know we won and we'll do this again.'

"Then, all of a sudden you quit winning and you can't win a race ... and all of a sudden we're back. This is a good one; I got this championship and I'm very proud of it."

Force said this year's championship, which he clinched by qualifying for Sunday's eliminations at the fourth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, was the most difficult of his 13.

"The first of the year, I was getting my butt whipped and then I saw (Del) Worsham and (Whit) Bazemore and (Gary) Scelzi running this thing down my throat and I just thought, 'I can't live with this, I've got to fix this somehow.'

"I didn't know if I could win. I said to (crew chief Austin) Coil, 'What can we do to get back into the fight game' because we didn't fight last year and we need to fight now because I'm not getting any younger and nobody cares what you did in the past; they only care about the future. My boys kicked up to high gear and we took off."

After winning 10 straight championships from 1993 to 2002, Force yielded the 2003 Funny Car trophy to Tony Pedregon, who was a member of the John Force Racing stable at the time. Although he won three races last season, Force admitted he started to question whether he would be able to win another title.

"I really wanted this bad," Force said. "I was afraid I wouldn't get it because the kids are tough out here now. I really can say this was my hardest championship to win ... and I didn't think I was going to make it."

Force qualified seventh this weekend and advanced to Sunday's Funny Car final, where he lost to Scelzi for the third time this season.

NICE RECOVERY: Chip Ellis and the G Squared Motorsports Pro Stock Bike team were forced to sit out Friday's two qualifying sessions after the NHRA Competition Department that the team had violated a rule by competing at The Strip last weekend.

Ellis came back Saturday and qualified second and went on to earn his first career Pro Stock Bike victory on Sunday.

Ellis' team was penalized because the NHRA prohibits contestants at NHRA national events from testing or running at the same track at which the national event is being held within seven days of the event. Ellis competing in the All Harley Drag Racing Association event at The Strip the weekend before the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to run on Friday but we were able to run on Saturday and we came off the trailer and the bike was ready to go, I was ready and the team was ready," Ellis said. "It worked out real good for us. "

Ellis, 34, won two AMA ProStar Funny Bike championships and the 2003 AMA ProStar Formula Superbike championship before moving to the NHRA Pro Stock Bikes.

HOLE SHOTS: Dave Grubnic, who won the $100,000 Budweiser Shootout Saturday night, lost in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations Sunday when he smoked his tires against Rhonda Hartman-Smith. Grubnic could have earned a $50,000 bonus for winning both the Shootout and Sunday's national event. ... Larry Dixon, who advanced to the final of the Shootout as the wild-card entry, also bowed out in the first round Sunday, losing to Morgan Lucas.