John Force’s NHRA Funny Car record in Canada did not start off well.
He went 1-4 in his first four appearances at Saint-Pie, Quebec’s Le Grandnational Molson, the only foreign race ever included in the NHRA schedule.
But the 16-time Funny Car champion turned his fortunes around at Sanair Speedway, going 20-4 in his next seven visits, including his first of 157 triumphs on June 28, 1987, and two more in 1990 and 1992.
Force, who was born in Southern California, was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame on February 15. Force, 75, was unable to attend the event in Toronto because he was still healing from injuries incurred in Virginia last June. He appeared via video captured at his Yorba Linda, Calif., race shop.
“I’m very proud to accept this honor along with the other 2024 inductees. It’s been a rough year, and I’m sorry I couldn’t be there in Canada for the ceremonies,” Force aid. “But this is special to me, because I won my first NHRA race in Canada. It may have been a long time ago, but I still remember.”
Force defeated Ed “The Ace” McCulloch in the final round for that first triumph, and he beat Mark Oswald in 1990 and Al Hofmann in 1992. He scored a pair of runner-up finishes (to Kenny Bernstein in 1986 and to Jim White in 1991), as well, before the NHRA discontinued the event in 1993.
Force is the first drag racer to be inducted into the International category, which was formed in 2009. Other motorsports superstars include Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, Sir Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, Dario Franchitti, Carroll Shelby, and Bobby Rahal.
Bernie Fedderly, co-crew chief during 12 of Force’s NHRA-record 16 Funny Car championship seasons, was one of the first Canadian drag racing inductees in 1995). Other prominent Canadian drag-racing honorees include the late Dale Armstrong (1994), Top Fuel driver and former NHRA vice president of Competition Graham Light (1996), two-time Top Fuel champion Gary Beck (1998), and former U.S. Nationals Top Fuel winner Terry Capp.
