With 15 personal championships and 2 team championships over a 36-year racing career John Force has spent an abundance of time crisscrossing the USA to race his Funny Car on straight tracks at high speeds. Given Force’s exceptional entertainment abilities displayed all along the way, it could be said that he has spent a lifetime taking his show on the road.
Now Force has his own roadshow, too.
When 2011 arrived a grand John Force Racing marketing plan began with the assembly of two haulers and crew ready to display Ford Mustang show cars from Force’s collection of retired Funny Cars. The John Force Road Show sets up double awnings attached to each hauler so visitors can comfortably get close to the colorful racecars, observe explanatory videos, and obtain autographs from John Force, Robert Hight, Mike Neff and Courtney Force.
The show’s purpose is inform and educate people in a variety of public venues, many of which are unrelated to NHRA full throttle drag racing series events.
Force’s show recently traveled to an Advance Auto Parts store in Altamonte Springs, Florida to present a 2011 Ford Mustang GT won by a local resident in a nationwide Castrol Mustang Sweepstakes.
“The traveling roadshow,” Force said. “When you put the whole thing up it will cover the parking lot. When you set up all the awnings and put out all the cars.”
That roadshow began initially the year with a NASCAR race in Las Vegas and the full version has since been active in spring and summer months at the Indy 500, Oshkosh Air Show, Indiana State Fair, NASCAR Hall of Fame and more.
Thirty-six year veteran drag racing legend explained it in his typical bold fashion.
“We’re going into a new market whether it's the Super Bowl with Castrol, the Oshkosh air show in Wisconsin--half million people, the Indiana State fair--over 1 million people,” Force said. “We took the roadshow to educate people about racing with kiosks to learn about IndyCar, NASCAR and drag racing—learn what we do and watch the TV screens.”
As Force continued with his innate P.T. Barnum demeanor, the show delivers the NHRA gospel to those unfamiliar with Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and he plans to augment the plan with IndyCar and NASCAR racecars and more information as well.
“The John Force Road Show is about educating people about all forms of racing,” Force said. “I know drag racing, of course, and we are reaching out to all our friends in NASCAR and IndyCar to have them provide us with photos, videos, and interviews so when we go to malls, airports, state fairs, or wherever, people see all sort of information about racing. I want people to walk away from the John Force Road Show excited about going to a race the next time they see a commercial on TV.”
All this—and fans new and seasoned, still get John Force Racing competitors hitting the throttle blasting down a drag strip at 300 plus mph.
Whether the roadshow or the real speed NHRA show rolls near near you, Force suggests you come out to feel and know JFR speed.
As a plus, getting autographs from John Force and other JFR drivers is now easier.
FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of topics by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained from official release materials provided by NHRA and team representatives.
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