11 Feb Class of 2024 International Inductee: John Force

Recognizing legendary racers, teams and manufacturers from outside of Canada, that have had a significant impact in motorsports, the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame honours an International Inductee each year.

The International Inductee for the Class of 2024 is John Force, a drag racer who is one of the most successful NHRA Funny Car drivers of all time. The 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion has 157 career wins, 269 final round appearances and holds more all-time records than any other driver in NHRA history.

Force started his career at drag racing’s highest level as a relative unknown, going winless during his first decade of competition. He made his first career final round appearance in 1979 and went 0-for-9 in his first stretch of final round races.

The Yorba Linda, CA driver finally broke through in 1987, beating Ed McCulloch to record his first career NHRA victory. The win came here in Canada, in the Molson Grandnational at the Sanair drag strip, near Montreal, QC. Earning the iconic Wally trophy, as an NHRA race winner, his Canadian triumph was the start of a dominant stretch.

Force won at least one NHRA Funny Car event for 22 consecutive seasons, from 1987 to 2008. He won his first NHRA Funny Car championship in 1990, which he successfully defended the following year. He then went on a stretch of 10 straight championships, between 1993 and 2002. His most recent title came in 2013, where he became the oldest NHRA World Champion, at the age of 64.

Force has experienced no shortage of milestone moments throughout his career. He surpassed Don Prudhomme’s record of 35 Funny Car victories in 1994, during a season where he won 10 times. He surpassed Bob Glidden’s NHRA career victory record in 2000, with his 86th win.

In 1996, Force became the only drag racer to be named Driver of the Year, an award that covered all forms of American motor racing. Force has been a constant top-ten points finisher across recent decades and has qualified first in 167 NHRA Funny Car races. His best career elapsed time is 3.820 seconds, while his best career speed is 337.33 mph.

Success hasn’t been limited to Force’s efforts behind-the-wheel. His John Force Racing team has won 23 NHRA championships overall, with drivers including Tony Pedregon, Robert Hight and daughter Brittany Force.