Force can’t race, but he won’t quit

For the first time in 28 years, John Force -- arguably the best drag racer in history -- won’t be driving in the NHRA’s season finale in Pomona.

But the 14-time funny car champion still was at Auto Club Raceway on Friday to oversee his Yorba Linda-based team, despite being largely confined to his motor coach because of multiple injuries from a crash Sept. 23.

Force, 58, crashed moments after he and Kenny Bernstein -- traveling about 300 mph -- crossed the finish line at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas. Force’s Ford Mustang split in half and, with the cockpit exposed, Force’s arms and legs were mangled.

“Bottom line, I’m happy to be alive,” said Force, whose record and voluble personality have made him perhaps the most popular driver in the National Hot Rod Assn.’s top-tier Powerade Series.

On Friday, Force’s stall in the Pomona garage drew the largest crowds, with fans also hoping to see Force’s daughter Ashley and his son-in-law Robert Hight, who also race funny cars.

The series will crown champions this weekend in its four major classes -- funny car, top fuel, pro stock and pro stock motorcycle. The last round of qualifying is today, with final eliminations Sunday.

Before his crash, Force already had suffered the loss of Eric Medlen, a driver on his team who died from injuries in a practice crash March 23 in Florida. The accidents raised the question of whether Force should retire.

No, said Force, who needs a walker to move around because his legs and left arm remain in casts. He used it to briefly hobble out to the drag strip Friday while his drivers made their qualifying runs, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd. “I’ll be honest, I did have thoughts” of quitting, he said. “My wife [Laurie] looked at me, crying, and said, ‘Why can’t you quit? What is there to prove?’

“I’m going to drive because I love it,” Force said. “I haven’t had another job in 33 years and I don’t much like being an owner.”

Force said that in the past, it “was real easy to run around in a fire suit and think you’re Superman. This time I was hurt. I wasn’t just scared, I was terrified. When I crashed, I remember my body was warm, but I couldn’t feel any pain because you’re in trauma. There was blood everywhere.

“God has never spoken to me, but I remember lying in the car, starting to pray, like maybe I needed to make my deal,” he said. “Then I felt like a hypocrite, and I quit praying.” Force says he needs to keep driving to help Ashley and his other drivers become better racers, and to find ways to improve the cars’ safety features. “When there’s something wrong [in the car] I can tell,” he said. “I know funny cars inside and out.” But couldn’t he help while remaining safely on the sidelines?

“I don’t know how to quit,” Force said. “It’s an addiction, it’s like a drug, man. It’s so cool to drives these cars and go 330.”

In second-round qualifying to determine which 16 drivers make Sunday’s final eliminations, Jeff Arend kept the top spot in funny cars with a pass of 4.781 seconds at 324.90 mph.

J.R. Todd led top-fuel drivers for the second consecutive day with a run of 4.521 seconds (328.22 mph).

Richie Stevens Jr. topped pro stock qualifiers with a pass of 6.665 seconds (206.76 mph), and Chip Ellis led pro stock motorcycles with a track-record 6.965 seconds (191.46 mph).

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james.peltz@latimes.com