NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Legendary Funny Car racer John Force has enjoyed a terrific start to his 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. The 16-time world champion has already posted one victory this season and a pair of final-round appearances, giving the team plenty of momentum heading into this weekend’s Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway.

It's a meaningful race for the sport’s winningest driver in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS, too, as Force knows the importance of doing well in his sponsor’s backyard.

Force has always found success in Chicago, winning three times at Route 66 Raceway, including the second-ever race at the famed facility in 2000. He’s eager to put on a show in front of another huge crowd this weekend, determined to keep his strong season going as the summer months approach.

“This is a very important race for us,” Force said. “It’s our home office, but Route 66 (Raceway), where NHRA puts on that national event, is unbelievable. It’s fun to race there, the access to it is great, the stands wrap around so that the fans can see everything. It’s just a great place to be. This is exciting. I love this race, the track and we’ve run good at it. We're going in there with guns blazing.”

Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won in Chicago last year, while Justin Ashley, Ron Capps and Gaige Herrera secured Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge titles. Camrie Caruso won the first-ever Callout in Pro Stock a season ago. It is the sixth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA season and this weekend’s race will again be broadcast on FS1, showcasing a jam-packed weekend that includes four qualifying sessions, the GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday.

Force has enjoyed a rejuvenation of sorts in 2024, winning his first race in two years with his NHRA Winternationals triumph. After advancing to the final quad in Charlotte at the most recent race, Force currently sits fifth in points in a stacked Funny Car field that included JFR teammate and points leader Austin Prock, J.R. Todd, reigning champ Matt Hagan, Bob Tasca III, and Ron Capps. There’s also been five different winners at the first five races (Todd, Force, Prock, Tasca and Hagan), showcasing the impressive depth in the category.

Force gets a chance to double-up in Chicago as well, taking part in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday against a Funny Car field that also includes Hagan, Daniel Wilkerson, and Todd. It adds up to a weekend filled with possibilities, and Force will look to take advantage at a facility that means a great deal to him and was thrilled to see it return to the NHRA schedule last year and in 2024.
 
“I love the concept of Route 66, from the old days of the highway (Route 66) that went from Chicago and across the country, all the way to California,” said Force, who has 156 career victories and 267 final-round appearances. “You never want to lose a race. But you especially don't want to lose one that's in a market that’s as huge as Chicago. We're excited that we’re back in Chicago because that's where my major sponsor is. That's where we need to be.”

Qualifying sessions take place at 2:30 and 5 p.m. CT on Friday, and 11:40 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday

To purchase tickets to the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance on May 17-19 at Route 66 Raceway, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult.