John Force, 60, Leads NHRA Championship After Dance With Death

John Force has no trouble pinpointing his life-changing experience, even if he can't remember it.

"God woke me up at 1,000-feet in Dallas, Texas, and he crushed me with a hammer,'' the drag racing legend explains of a horrific 2007 accident at the Texas Motorplex.

"Nearly getting killed was the best thing that ever happened to me.''

As with most things in Force's technicolor life, the accident was spectacularly frightening and especially cruel coming in a season where his young protege and teammate Eric Medlen had already been killed and his daughter, Ashley Force-Hood survived a terrifying accident.

Force was airlifted from Dallas that October afternoon with serious injuries and here he is less than three years later -- at age 60 -- leading the National Hot Rod Association's Funny Car championship -- its most competitive division -- as the NHRA holds its version of the "Daytona 500" this weekend, the U.S. Nationals.

It is the first of six races in the NHRA's "Countdown to 1" playoffs to crown the season champ. It would be an unprecedented 15th series title for Force completing one of the most remarkable comeback stories in auto racing and providing the exclamation point on a racing resume that will never be equaled.

But as feel-great as this feel-good story is, it's not history Force seeks. It's redemption.

"What hurt the most after that accident, was having people you raced, look at you and feel sorry for you,'' Force said.

Yet, how could you not.

Force was understandably shaken after Medlen's accident and so moved that he founded and financed a safety center devoted to improving safety in the sport. He was obsessed with the project to the point, where he says it was his top priority, perhaps more so than a championship run.

Then in a span of three months came the helpless feeling of watching his daughter crash and ultimately walk away during an event at Pacific Raceways followed by his own accident in Dallas that left him with a fractured left leg and wrist and serious injuries to his other leg and hand.

The physical struggles -- learning to walk again and building up his body strength -- coincided with the emotional challenge of a champ's ego and life's priorities.

It changed Force, dropped him a decibel, and allowed him to reassess.

"I went to therapy for depression and at one point after Eric's accident I didn't want to get out of bed,'' Force recalled. "But I knew if Eric was there he'd be laughing at me or I'd see Ashley's smile and tell myself, 'you have to prove it to yourself and not allow others to feel sorry for you.' ''

"I never wanted to be pitied. Pitied for what? Hell, I got a second chance and I ain't gonna waste this chance.''
--John Force The effusive, animated, full-octane Force is so genuine and candid that he carries an aura of vulnerability -- a trait that for the first time in his career carried over to the racetrack, too.

In the two seasons immediately after his accident, the unbeatable champ was suddenly, and often, beatable. And Force's competitors felt as uncomfortable with that as he did.

"I'd be at the line, thinking, "OK, here I am boys,'' and they were looking at me, thinking, this guy can hardly walk.' '' Force said. "When I got hurt, I felt like I was on the outside.

"To have their respect, you have to earn their respect.

"I never wanted to be pitied. Pitied for what? Hell, I got a second chance and I ain't gonna waste this chance.''

And he hasn't.

"I got myself back on track in my life and realized what is most important is family,'' Force said. "I always preached it, but wasn't practicing it.

"I was the Champ and now I know I can do both. What was carrying me was a lot of experience and a great game.

"That wreck changed my life.''

And so it has been.

When he won his first race after the accident -- at Topeka in the summer of 2008 -- even his rivals cheered.

"Damn you Force, we love you, you came back.'' Force recalls being told.

"If I never won again, at least I knew they cared.''

But he has won again -- including this year's four-wide nationals in Charlotte -- pushing his record victory tally to 130.

Ford has re-signed him. Long-time sponsor Castrol has re-committed too.

After struggling just to make the eliminations during much of the past two seasons, Force's Castrol Ford Mustang has won four races this season, tying a series best with his son-in-law and closest challenger Robert Hight.

To put it in perspective, a 15th championship for Force would be more than Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt's NASCAR titles combined and nearly four times that of Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon. It's more championships than all of Roger Penske's Indy 500 titles.

"I gotta say, if I can come back and win this championship, standing amongst my peers again and coming back from my injuries, this would be a championship of a lifetime,'' Force said.

"And I'm not done yet.''