John Force injured after crash in Texas!

John Force now sits in Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas Texas after his NHRA Nitro Funny Car came apart in the second round at the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex. John's car appearently broke in half at the finish line during the second round of eliminations against Kenny Bernstein. The rear half of the car, which Force was in, went left into the guardrail, while the front half of the car went right into the side of Bernstein's funny car.

Force sustained multiple injuries to his leges, hands and arms, but is now recovering. He suffered multiple abrasions to his hands and legs, and has a broken wrist. He expects to recovery fully very soon and be back at the track in a short time. All this comes just a short few months after the death of John's teammate Eric Medlin, who passed away after a bad crash in Gainesville Florida.

We must all wish John a safe and full recovery, as he is one of the greatest drag racers to ever hit the track. We all look forward to seeing him at the track again soon.

John Force is at it again.

Well, it's been a while, but long time NHRA Funny Car racer John Force finally won a national event. After starting the season very slow, and strugling to qualify, he finally found a way to get a big WIN in Bristol.
It just goes to show, that just because you have lots of money, and experience you can't always win. Sometimes you have to battle through problems and not get down on yourself and be persistent to take home a win.
Nice job John!

It's been a while...

Since I last wrote something worthwhile. So here's a few thoughts...

1. What's up with gas prices? Besides the price? It wasn't that long ago when the price was under $1 a gallon. No wonder the gas companies are making record profits!!

2. For those of you who may live on the eastern side of Ohio, what's with Quaker City Raceway? I hear they're now going to open back up very soon. Why on earth would the owner close that beautiful track down, try to sell it, then open it back up? I've heard lots of different things and all about the different people that have been trying to buy it, so what's the REAL truth?

3. How could it be that last year we had record rain fall here in Northeast Ohio, with flooding and all, and this year we haven't had much rain at all? Is global warming supposed to give us rain, heat, or both? Maybe a little of each every year?

4. Whatever happened to the good old days?

5. How could the Cleveland Cavaliers loose both of the first two games of the NBA Conference Finals to the Detroit Pistons by the same score of 79-76, by missing a shot in the final seconds?

6. Ever wonder why NBA players can't make free throws? Aren't they the easiest shots you get in a basketball game? I bet when they were kids growing up, they could make 50 free throws in a row, no problem. Now that they make millions of dollars to play basketball, they can't make free throws anymore. Kind of funny, ha?

7. Isn't it nice to have a blog, where you can write whatever you want? Even if no one reads it!

First father vs. daughter professional Drag Race...

Yesterday was an interesting weekend of NHRA Drag Racing. For the first time in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, there was a father daughter matchup in the first round of Funny Car. John Force matched up with his daughter Ashley during the first round of eliminations, and ended up in tire smoke, losing the round to his 24 year old daughter. It was truly amazing as Ashley's car made a terrific run of 4.77 seconds to take the first round win over her father. Unlike her father, who has struggled this season and has yet to win a round of competition, she fell victim to Mike Ashley in the Semi-Finals. It appears as though the younger Force is much more hungry for a win than her father.

Off brand race parts...

Is it really such a bad thing to buy the off brand/un heard of brand? Whether it be soda, cereal, or engine components for your hotrod or racecar. The way I see it, the product has gotta have good quality, the manufacturer has to have a good reputation, and the price has to be low. Davesraceshop.com sells both name brand parts, and off brand parts, but most people seem to be a little timid when it comes to an un heard of Crankshaft, or Rod manufacturer. But the quality is there, and the price is right, yet some seem to think the parts just aren't good. Why is that? Do the lesser known brands have a reputation for being low quality? Or is it just, "I've only used top shelf parts in the past, and won't switch now". Whatever the reason, I urge you to at least check em' out, you may be surprised.

After safety changes, team Force plans to return at Las Vegas.

John Force released the following to announce his teams return to the NHRA POWERaid Drag Racing Series.

"The cockpits of the three John Force Racing Funny Cars and both of the team’s Super Comp dragsters were reconfigured to address safety issues raised by the death of Eric Medlen in a testing accident last month at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway. "

“The first run, I had a little blurred vision so we went back and made some adjustments to the padding in the cockpit area,” Force said. “On the second run, one of the very first times in my career, my vision wasn’t blurred when I left the line. That was really impressive to me. “On the last run, I made a little longer burnout, about three-quarter track, and I whipped the wheel back and forth, not just once, but three or four times, to get some side-to-side motion and, bottom line, I felt like a baby in a crib,” said the 122-time tour winner. “It didn’t even try to blur my vision so I’m approving these changes for my drivers, my daughters Ashley, Brittany and Courtney and my son-in-law, Robert Hight. It felt really good out there. “I want to say that what we did in the driver cockpit area might not be right for everyone, but I’m giving all the clearance data to the NHRA and to Kenny Bernstein to share with the PRO membership.” "Force, who was using a seven-point lap belt and a hybrid restraint system, was especially appreciative of the efforts of Trevor Ashline at Safety Solutions, Kris VanGilder of ISP and of the staff at McKinney Corporation, which went above and beyond to make cockpit changes to six race cars in just two-and-a-half weeks. "

"The 14-time Auto Racing All-America selection was particularly impressed with the new R3 hybrid restraint system which was designed to keep the head from moving side to side as well as front-to-back. It apparently was side-to-side oscillation that caused Medlen’s fatal head injuries. “I want to thank the NHRA, Graham Light and Dan Olson especially, for working with us through this tough time and understanding what we’re trying to accomplish,” Force said. “We’re not through, but I feel that what we’ve done the last three weeks will at least allow us to get back in the game and attempt to race again. It’s a good start.”

It's great to see so many people step up, and try to make a difference in driver safety. Unfortunately, it took a tragic accident to get these changes, but maybe it will help save another racer in the future. Either way, my hats off to the entire Force team, NHRA, and all the other individuals who stepped up to the plate to support Force.

A letter from the Medlen family...

A letter from the Medlen family,

Dear Family, Friends and Fans:

We would like to express our deep appreciation for the love and support you have extended to us during this difficult time. We appreciate all of you but we would like to mention a few folks who held our hand along the way:
John Force, who never left our side; Evan Knoll who sent his jet twice; Joan Rice for correlating the travel arrangements; Larry and Linda Smiley for holding our hands, giving us hugs and making phone calls;Jonny Roscher for picking up the moms at the airports; Guido and Kelly Antonelli, you did it all; Ashley Force and Robert Hight, there are no better teammates; Brent Travers, thanks for the BBQ take-out and just being there; Morgan Lucas, JR Todd, Brandon Bernstein and Honda, you waited patiently on the first floor every day all day-Eric could not have asked for more loyal friends; Pastor Bill Wilson who took time out of his busy schedule to come pray with us – Bill, you will never know what your friendship means to us.
Also, a special thanks to Shands Hospital and the doctors and nurses for the wonderful care you showed Eric and our family. And to Michael Johnson for providing us a room every day for our crew, keeping us posted on what was going on and for your love and prayers.
And lastly, to the church lady that sat downstairs for three days praying all day. We didn’t get to meet you, but know how much we were touched by your faithfulness.

Sincerely,

The Medlen Family