Force’s Pomona Run Is Funny Car History

Third place obviously didn’t sit too well with John Force.

The 13-time funny car champion is determined to put last season’s disappointing finish behind him, as he showed again Saturday in qualifying No. 1 for today’s Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals finals at Pomona Raceway.

Force’s quarter-mile pass of 4.664 seconds and 329.91 mph in his 2005 Castrol GTX Mustang was the quickest funny car run in National Hot Rod Assn. history, establishing the driver from Yorba Linda as the clear favorite in the season-opening event of the NHRA’s Powerade Drag Racing Series.

Tommy Johnson Jr. qualified second with a pass of 4.710 seconds and 328.30 mph. But, side by side against Force, he finished two car lengths behind.

“We’ve got a long ways to go to catch John Force,” he said.

Force was more pragmatic.

“It’s the quickest,” he said of the second of his two Saturday runs, “but it don’t win you a championship. It don’t even win you a race. But it don’t hurt mentally.

“I’ll sleep good tonight.”

Also expected to sleep well was Tony Schumacher, who was the No. 1 qualifier in the top-fuel field. The three-time champion’s third-round run of 4.490 seconds and 317.34 mph stood up through the final round and displaced rookie J.R. Todd, who led after the second round of qualifying Friday. Todd qualified third.

Another rookie, Hillary Will, qualified fourth in her professional debut despite winding up in the sand pit at the end of her fourth run.

“I flat didn’t get the chutes out in time,” she said. “It was that simple.”

Crew chief Jim Oberhofer said the dragster was not damaged and would be ready today.

“I think the rookies are going to give us a hard time all year long,” said Schumacher, who ended last season with a five-event winning streak.

“Do you learn through the years? Absolutely. Am I a better driver than I was when I started? No question about it. But that doesn’t mean these guys -- and girls -- aren’t going to go out and win races. They’re going to be tough.”

Greg Anderson, in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO, retained the No. 1 qualifying position in the pro-stock field, the three-time defending series champion’s elapsed-time track-record pass of 6.665 seconds and 207.43 mph on Friday standing up through two more rounds of qualifying Saturday.

But Force was the story. He led after every qualifying round.

“Right now, stuff’s going our way,” said the 56-year-old driver, who trailed champion Gary Scelzi and Ron Capps in the final standings last year in the tightest funny car points race in NHRA history. “We’re excited about that.”

But wary too.

“Your race car’s got a personality like a woman,” he said. “When you’re dancing and you step on her foot, she’ll bite you. Then when she wants to love you, she loves you. Well, that race car is just like that.

“It either runs fast or it don’t want to go 100 feet.”

Force said he benefited from making his final run after the sun had dipped below the grandstand, resulting in cooler and more favorable conditions.

But he was unapologetic.

“I don’t make those rules,” he said. “God makes those calls.”